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This BEST cinnamon bread recipe is so soft and delicious! It will be gone in minutes and will become a family favorite in no time.
Cinnamon bread is packed with flavors like our family favorite One Hour Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Roll Cake, and Cinnamon Quick Bread Recipe!
Homemade Cinnamon Bread To Love!
In our family, there are two things my mom makes that we ALL crave and beg for once the weather cools down – cinnamon bread and Homemade Donuts.
This cinnamon bread recipe is especially a favorite during the holidays (and a must-have for Christmas)!
Why we love it:
- Easy. This loaf looks complicated, but comes together easily with only 20 minutes of prep!
- Flavor. My kids eat this bread like it was candy – it practically is!
- Many ways to enjoy. Slice the cinnamon bread and spread it with butter, put it in the toaster, or use it to make French Toast or French Toast Casserole!
- Any time of the day! Cinnamon bread makes a great breakfast, afternoon snack, or late-night treat.
Ingredients
- brown sugar – I use light brown sugar but you can use dark brown sugar. Make your own by thoroughly combining 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of molasses.
- salt
- hot water
- unsalted butter – or use salted butter and reduce the added salt.
- cold water
- rapid rise instant yeast – or an equal amount of dry active yeast
- all-purpose flour – or use an equal amount of bread flour for a more chewy texture.
- white sugar
- ground cinnamon
- large egg
Variations
- Add a cup of raisins. Sprinkle them on after spreading the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough, but before rolling it up.
- Glaze. Many people like to drizzle the top of the bread with a powdered sugar glaze.
How to make cinnamon bread
- WET INGREDIENTS. In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, hot water, and butter. Stir to mix, break up butter chunks, and dissolve the brown sugar a bit (a few butter chunks are okay).
- Add cold water, sprinkle yeast on top, and let sit for 10 minutes. It will not bubble much.
- DRY INGREDIENTS. Add flour 1 cup at a time and stir together with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough for a few minutes to ensure all the flour is well incorporated.
- RISE. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 1½ hours.
- PREP. While the bread is rising, grease two 5-x-9-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Make the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Set aside.
- Make the egg wash by whisking the egg and water together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Shape and Bake!
- SHAPE. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and place it onto a lightly floured surface.
- Form a ball and divide it into 2 equal pieces.
- On a well-floured surface, roll one piece at a time into a rectangle of about 7 x 22 inches and about ½ inch thick.
- Brush with half of the egg wash. Spread ⅔ cup cinnamon-sugar mix evenly over the dough, then lightly spray with water.
- Roll the dough up tightly, lightly pulling and tucking in the sides as you roll. Pinch the ends closed and drop them into the prepared loaf pan seam side down.
- Repeat with the second piece of dough and the remaining egg wash and cinnamon-sugar mix.
- 2nd RISE. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
- BAKE. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes. As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, brush the tops with butter. Let cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Tips
- Separating swirls. Sometimes the swirls separate and create a gap when the bread is cut. The egg wash will help keep the cinnamon swirls tight and avoid forming a gap.
- Another factor that can cause a gap is using an extra amount of cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Slicing. Slice cooled bread to avoid smashing the bread or runny cinnamon. Cool in the pan for a few minutes then place it on a rack. Use a bread knife to cut the slices.
- Size of rolled loaf. I typically roll my dough 7×22 inches so that it is ½ inch thick.
Storing Info
- STORE. Place the cooled cinnamon swirl bread in a large resealable plastic bag and store at room temperature for 3–4 days or in the refrigerator for 7 days.
- FREEZE. This bread also freezes well. Wrap each loaf in plastic wrap, then place in a resealable plastic freezer bag, or wrap tightly with aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw at room temperature before warming to your liking.
For More Favorite Bread Recipes:
White Bread
3 hrs 15 mins
Homemade French Bread
1 hr 15 mins
Sourdough Bread
8 hrs 40 mins
No Knead Bread
3 hrs 14 mins
Cinnamon Bread Recipe
This BEST cinnamon bread recipe is so soft and delicious! It will be gone in minutes and will become a family favorite in no time.
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1⅔ cups hot water
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
- 1⅔ cups cold water
- 1 tablespoon rapid rise instant yeast
- 7½-8 cups all-purpose flour
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- 1⅓ cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- To make the dough: Combine brown sugar, salt, hot water, and butter in a large mixing bowl. Stir to mix, break up butter chunks and dissolve brown sugar a bit (there will still be a few butter chunks, which is okay).
- Add cold water, then sprinkle yeast on top and let sit for 10 minutes. It will not bubble much.
- Add flour 1 cup at a time and stir together with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough for a few minutes to make sure all the flour is well incorporated. (NOTE: This is a very wet and sticky dough that will stick to your hands. Dipping your hands in flour before kneading may help, but it will still stick). Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 1½ hours.
- While the bread is rising, grease two 5-x-9-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
- To make the cinnamon-sugar mixture, mix sugar, cinnamon, and flour together. Set aside.
- To make the egg wash, whisk egg and water together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Form a ball and divide it into 2 equal pieces.
- Working with one piece at a time on a well-floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle to about 7 x 22 inches and about ½ inch thick. Brush with half of the egg wash to help the cinnamon-sugar mixture stick better. Spread ⅔ cup cinnamon-sugar mix evenly over the dough, then lightly spray with water.
- Roll the dough up tightly, lightly pulling as well as tucking in the sides as you roll. Pinch ends closed and drop into the prepared loaf pan seam side down. Repeat with the second piece of dough and the remaining egg wash and cinnamon-sugar mix. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for 40 – 45 minutes. As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, brush the tops with butter. Let cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Make Ahead: Place the cooled loaves in a large resealable plastic bag and store at room temperature for 3–4 days or in the refrigerator for 7 days. This bread also freezes well. Wrap each loaf in plastic wrap, then place in a resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before warming to your liking.
Use It Up: This Cinnamon Bread is perfect on its own, but can also be used to make some of our other recipes even better. Try cutting it up and using it to make French Toast or our French Toast Bake.
Nutrition
Serving: 1loaf, Calories: 4743kcal, Carbohydrates: 993g, Protein: 105g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 142mg, Sodium: 3596mg, Potassium: 1285mg, Fiber: 31g, Sugar: 243g, Vitamin A: 842IU, Vitamin C: 0.3mg, Calcium: 353mg, Iron: 47mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is so good! So soft and flavorful. Always a favorite in my house. It makes incredible French toast too!
This turned out perfect! The swirl inside made me do a kitchen happy dance! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Oh you’re welcome! I love that it brought a happy dance!!
This recipe is so amazing! My family loves it so much and they can’t get enough of it. Would probably make it again.
Thank you so much! Even my picky son loved this bread!!
Super yummy!
This dough was extremely sticky even with more added flour. I baked this bread longer then the recipe prescribed, and still was raw in the middle. I’m a pastry chef and seasoned baker for 50 years. This was a most frustrating experience. I wasted those ingredients
Sorry to hear of your frustration and that the recipe didn’t turn out well for you. Thanks for the feedback!
I’ve made your recipe several times and everyone loves it. I know you said you made it around the holidays, but I have decided every day is a holiday when I make this yummy bread. Thank you for sharing.
Oh that makes me so happy to hear! I’m glad the bread is a hit!
Great Recipe! I make it and people beg for more. Thank you for sharing!
Our kids favorite!! We make it often, and gift it to others just as often. Also is great for making French toast!!
My kids favorite!! We make this often and gift it often as well….also great for French toast!!
I am currently making your white bread. I’d love to make cinnamon bread with the second loaf as we rarely use bread and I’d hate for the second loaf to sit in the freezer for months. How would you recommend tweaking this recipe to reflect your white bread recipe? Just roll it out and add the toppings before baking or should I avoid trying to replicate this with dough from your white bread recipe? Thanks!
You can add the toppings after you roll it out. They are both so good!
i get so HUNGRY for home made CINNAMON rolls and this bread recipe is wonderful just as gooD as rolls.. gave my family each a loaf they loved also
I crave them too!! I am glad you tried this recipe!! Thank you so much!!
I LOVE your Bread Recipe. I make it all the time.
Yay!! I am glad you do! Thank you so much!
This is my go-to recipe for cinnamon bread. I love that it makes 5 loaves at a time – great for gifts or freezing for the family. I’ve made French toast using sliced loaves and my family and friends are usually fighting over the last piece. Thank you!
Freezing is perfect!! And, yes, it’s great to give 🙂 Thank you so much!
I AM wanting to try this recipe, but am a little confused about the part where you’re saying to add 3/4 c of the cinnamon/sugar mixture to the dough..all of it isn’t added to the dough? What is done with the remainder?
I have never baked Bread before, so id like to try your recipe. Seems easy to follow. My question is, looking at your picture after Putting the cinnamon sugar, before rolling, it seems like there is Thelong side and the short (end) side. Where do I start rolling from before Putting it in the bRead pan? What do you meaN by regular pan? The foil Bread pan is different in size from the tin pan (bigger). Thank you.
A regular size pan is like 9×5. Not sure what size foil pan you have. And you start on the short end side. Hope that helps!
Over the top delicious! I halved the recipe and it was a very sticky dough, but I worked it down and it turned out wonderful. I added some raisins to the dough as i worked it, before rolling it out and adding the cinnamon/sugar. one problem that I had was that the middle of the very bottom didn’t cook through all the way, leaving it a little doughy. I’m not sure if adding another few minutes would fix that or just overbake the rest of the loaf, any ideas?
I am so glad you liked it! That may have caused it. I know all ovens are different, so it may have needed a little more time. Great idea about adding raisins!
me gusta todo lo que se hace en este blog
Gracias!
I am making this bread now and can’t wait to finish it, I live in a more humid area, Nashville, Tn, and I did have to use a little more flour to make it manageable to knead, about 3 1/2 cups more, I added a cup and a half of raisins that had been soaked in hot water and kneaded them in at different intervals of kneading, kneaded for about 15 min by hand, was quite a workout, but I figured I burned some calories!!! Love that this recipe makes 5 loaves! I would recommend a beginner bread maker to half the recipe, as it can be overwhelming working with so much dough for the first time. Will,let you know how it turns out later on today~~
So, how did it turn out? I love that it is a workout:) It’s a great recipe if you are wanting to give some treats out to share!
I’m making this bread right now, how long do you knead it for??? Do you cover it to rise too??
Thanks
Made this today it is so yummy! Will be making it again
LOVE to hear it. Thanks for stopping by!
I refuse to eat or use margarine. Can this be made with real butter?
Does it really take 17 cups of flour for the cinnamon bread. Can these ingredients be cut down?
Yes, you can half the recipe. 😉
This cinnamon bread was and still is an absolute hit with my family and relatives. It’s so gooey and yummy and just melts in your mouth. Not overly sweet, hence my mom being one of my foremost fans with this bread. Thanks for recipe. AMAZING
YAY!! LOVE hearing that Dania. Although this recipe makes several loves, they are always gone in a day. 😉
I am trying this recipe tomorrow or sat for Easter….I can’t wait to try it.
This is the second time that I’ve made this bread. After the first time I made it, my husband kept asking me to make “that incredible cinnamon bread again”. I divided the recipe ingredients in fourths. One fourth of the recipe fills two nine inch loaf pans nicely. Other than that, I didn’t change a thing. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks for sharing it!
Love to hear that!! It’s seriously one of our favorites too!! 😀
How long should I knead for? I cut the recipe in half and the dough was very wet. I’m new to bread baking, so I’m not sure what I did wrong. It’s rising in the pans now. I added quite a bit more flour. Between 9-10 cups maybe. Really hoping it turns out 🙂 yours looks wonderful!
So it turned out! I should have kneaded it a bit more, it was really hard to work with. But it was delicious!!
how hot and how cold does the water need to be? just kinda warm or boiling? freezing or colder than warm?
Can you please let me know what kind of yeast
Thanks
This bread looks yummy! My kids love cinnamon bread but we stopped buying the one from the store because of the long ingredient list and I’ve been looking for the perfect recipe ever since. I can’t wait to try this one but I have never made bread before and I’m very intimidated by the 5 loaves! Can you tell me the recipe for maybe just 2 loaves? Thank you so much!
I was looking for a cinnamon bread recipe and came across your recipe. It looks delicious, but I do not know what I would do with five loaves of bread!!
This was really awesome! I was amazed at how good the recipe was despite such few ingredients. I split the recipe into 4ths to make one loaf….my loaf was huge…and I baked it for 43 minutes and it was still very very doughy…. the middle was pretty much raw… we sere able to sample the ends and top which were done, and it was very good. I think if you 4thed the recipe and made 2 smaller loaves it would have been fine. I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the water before mixing it into the dough & I brushed the dough with butter rather than water when putting cinnamon on. You know you have an awesome recipe if it still taste awesome and it did not even come out right. I will make again and am sure if I split it into 2 or cook longer a lower temp it will be perfect! .
Oh my gosh! I made this over the weekend and it is awesome! I accidentally left the butter out of the recipe, but it turned out just fine. I’m going to remember the make it with butter and see if it will turn out even more awesome! Anyway, I cut the recipe in half and its barely lasted over the weekend. My husband loves it and my kids love. I can never thank you enough for providing such a wonderful recipe.!
This looks amazing and I definitely want to try it, but I would love to only make one or two loaves (not 5), I have everything on hand, but not quite that much flour. Do you have a broken down recipe for lesser amount of loaves by chance? 🙂
Did you use bread flour or all-purpose?
All-purpose flour. 🙂
for this recipe, could you confirm if “dry yeast” mean regular yeast or rapid/instant yeast?
I tried it w/ regular yeast without proofing it. It didn’t rise as much as your picture; more dense… but still dare good!! Will experiment next time w/ rapid yeast. Also cut the recipe in half… It still made a ton!! Great a french toast the next day… Neighbors loved it too. Thanks for the recipe!!
Do you think there’s any chance you could post the measurements for 2 loaves of bread? I’m a little intimidated by trying to figure out what 2/5 of a lb of brown sugar is without a food scale! (along with other measurements) I’d love to make this for my husband, so any help you can offer would be much appreciated.
What size tins do you use, 2lb or 3lb. And do you use all purpose flour or bread flour. Many thanks, can’t wait to try it.
I am making this right now and my butter isn’t really dissolving in the hot water mixture. Should I have melted it before adding it? Is it supposed to dissolve all the way? Thanks! I’m super excited to taste the outcome 😉
Wow, I came across this recipe on Pinterest, and made it tonight. This bread is so amazing, yummy, scrumptious. Better than cinnamon rolls, sweet and delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I look forward to following your blog to get future inspiration in the kitchen. Yumm!
Thanks for the sweet comment, Jenny! SO glad you made it and loved it. I don’t know if people believe me when I say it tastes like Candy and that 5 loaves is never enough, lol!! Have a great Sunday. 🙂
Have you ever added raisins? If I did, would it hurt anything? I have never made bread before.
I, personally, have never added raisins but I think my mom has. If I remember correctly it didn’t change anything for the recipe. I would just put them on after your sprinkle on the cinnamon and sugar mixture. 🙂
Ok come on I cook all the time what is a “cube” of butter a pound with 17 cups of flour or what. Why don’t you tell us ounces or something.
One cube of butter is one stick of butter. 🙂
So I am making the bread now and first of all, 17 C. of flour and you only get 5 loaves? Not sure about that. Also you really only use 1 cube of margarine? (and you people who don’t know what a cube of butter is…… really? 1 pound of butter is 4 cubes) Anyhow so I bake ALL the time and I ended up using at least 25 C. of flour and maybe more, I quit counting. Anyway it is now in the process of raising (which by the way, 2 tbsp. of yeast is all you use for that large a recipe?) I finished it out cause I hated wasting all of those ingredients, and only time will tell. I am hoping for the best cause the picture looks amazing and I love cinnamon bread. Also, I love the idea about spraying the dough with water before you add the filling. I will let you know how it turns out. 🙂
Please let me know how it turns out. I have watched my mom make this recipe countless times, and yes 17 cups is flour is what she uses… maybe 1/2 – 1 cup more max, as well as the 2 TB of yeast and 1 stick of margarine. It always makes 5 loaves in regular bread pans. Not sure how many yours made, but I promise she has done this EVERY time and every time it comes out the most HEAVENLY bread ever! Hope yours does too. 🙂
Dear Lil’ Luna,
OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!! I will never doubt again. This is absolutley amazing! I may eat one entire loaf by myself tonight. Sorry I doubted you. Still don’t know why I had to use so much more flour but, oh well. IK am now headed to cut another slice. Thank you so much!
Janelle – your comment made my weekend! SO glad you liked it!! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know how you liked it. 🙂
That bread looks to die for! It would be great for breakfast or a snack or in bread pudding. It looks heavenly and has so few ingredients. I love simple, classic breads like this 🙂
I have been having problems for months with the emails you sent. They seem to have imbeded links which cause my MS Outlook problems. It has to connect at least 3 times with assets.penierest.com/images before I can scroll through the devotion. I thought it was in the photos but find it also near any links. If I switch to another email & go back it starts all over again. I must say this is becoming distraction & slows everything down! Sometimes i can’t get anything to open and then my whole screen gets faded and i have trouble getting back to outlook. I hope this is something that can get fixed on your end? I have tried 2 different computers and both do the same thing . So sorry…..do not want to unsubscibe since i get so much from your notes. You are such an inspiration to me….and so many! Tammy
I love cinnamon bread! It screams comfort. This is beautiful.
That cinnamon bread looks divine! Yum
I’m going to have to try your tip for spraying the dough with water to make the cinnamon sugar stick!
I can’t wait to try this. I usually buy Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Bread which my family absolutely loves, but now I will try to make your cinnamon bread. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I’m not the best baker in the world but I like to try. But I live in Utah and I know the elevation is really high…so I always get confused because I never know where the recipes are made for…what type of elevation. Can you help me know if I need to add or if it’s good the way it is?
I’ll have to try to halve the recipe. I only knead bread with my kitchenaid, and obviously can’t fit 5 loaves in it! 🙂 Although, it might be fun to try kneading by hand!
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing!
I could SERIOUSLY eat the whole loaf!!! : ) I Love anything cinnamon. Thanks for sharing, Kristyn.
Angelina
This makes a lot of loaves. Can the loaf be frozen before cooking? And once thawed, would I cook the same amount of time? Thanks! Looks Delicious!
It can be frozen after cooking. We freeze bread all of the time in our house!
A cube is 1 stick of butter
That doesn’t seem like much butter for that many cups of flour.
Looks yummy – thanks for sharing the recipe! I think my kids will love it!
What is a cube of butter?
A Cube of butter is just that. When you buy a box of butter it has 4 cubes in it equaling 2 cups. You can also buy 1 cube at a time if you like, like the European butters. If you are wanting an equivalency to 1 cube, it is 1/2 cup butter.