Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread
This sweet cinnamon swirl bread is easy enough for a beginner baker. Cut it into slices for the best toast you've ever had, you'll find it tastes just like a warm cinnamon bun with a rich, cinnamon-packed filling.
If you love cinnamon buns but want all that flavor with a fraction of the work, you absolutely need to try this homemade cinnamon swirl bread.
This easy bread recipe is perfect for a breakfast treat or after school snack. The dough is so soft and easy to work with which makes it perfect for beginner bakers.
Why This is the Best Recipe
During the peak stay-at-home baking frenzy that was 2020, we tested a lot of yummy things. I think this is the best homemade cinnamon swirl bread recipe because:
- Easier than Cinnamon Rolls: You get all the same flavors with a fraction of the work.
- Perfect Cinnamon Flavor: The cinnamon filling is just right.
- Reliable Dough, Easy to Roll: The dough is so soft and easy to roll and work with, perfect for new bakers.
Ingredients
This delicious homemade cinnamon swirl bread only needs a few basic ingredients:
- All Purpose Flour
- Butter
- Nonfat Dry Milk: You should be able to find this in the baking aisle of your regular grocery store.
- Sugar
- Salt
- Instant Yeast
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
If you are a big fan of King Arthur Baking like I am, they also offer an excellent product called Baker's Cinnamon Filling Mix. This is a specialty item you need to buy from King Arthur but it makes the cinnamon filling even easier to prep.
How to Make Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Normally, I prefer to make homemade bread in my bread machine. Measure the ingredients, dump in the bowl, done.
You can find my favorite bread maker recipes here.
However, this particular bread recipe requires making the dough in your stand mixer and rolling it out by hand.
It may have a few more steps than a normal bread machine recipe, but I pinkie swear it was so much easier to do than cinnamon rolls, for sure.
Prepare the Dough
Add the flour, salt, instant yeast, butter, nonfat dry milk, sugar, and a cup of water to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Stir on medium speed to combine thoroughly, about 3 minutes.
Once the dough comes together, stop the mixer and swap the paddle attachment for the dough hook attachment.
Knead the dough on medium speed until it is smooth and soft, about 5 - 7 minutes.
The First Rise
Form the dough into a ball and place it back in the bottom of the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1 ½ hours.
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Prepare the Cinnamon Filling
If you don't have the King Arthur cinnamon filling on hand, you'll simply combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl.
Melt the butter in the microwave and drizzle it into the cinnamon sugar mix. Stir it together with a fork and you're ready to go.
How to Form the Swirl
This dough is really easy to work with. It is soft and pliable and super-easy to roll out.
To assemble the swirl bread, you roll out the dough to a large rectangle, spread the cinnamon filling over the top leaving an inch-wide border around the perimeter.
Roll the bread up tightly starting at the narrow end.
Place the rolled log of dough in a greased bread pan with the seam side down.
The Second Rise
Cover the prepared swirl bread pan with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours or until it has risen barely 1-inch above the edge of the pan.
Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the swirl bread for 40 - 45 minutes.
Be sure to place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the bread after the first 20 minutes to help prevent it from over browning.
Serving Suggestions
The loaf popped easily right out of my buttered bread pan. It cuts cleanly into neat slices.
Our family enjoyed it warm from the oven with just a little slather of butter for good measure. The next morning, we toasted it for breakfast and it heated up perfectly.
Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread Variation
As much as I love the soft texture of this cinnamon swirl bread, another fun way to make a similar treat is to try my cinnamon pull apart bread.
Rectangles of dough are coated in cinnamon sugar and butter and then baked in a bread pan for crispy edges that you can pull apart:
More Breakfast Treats
If you love to bake goodies for a breakfast treat, you won't want to miss these sweet recipes:
More Cinnamon Recipes
I know people who love cinnamon really love cinnamon. If that sounds like you, don't miss these yummy recipes:
My crescent roll cheesecake tastes just like a cinnamon churro on top!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast
- 3 tbsp butter softened
- 2 tbsp nonfat dry milk
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup water lukewarm temperature
For the cinnamon filling:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
Mix the Dough:
- Add all the ingredients for the bread dough (not the filling ingredients) to the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir on medium speed to combine thoroughly, about 3 minutes.
- Once the dough comes together, stop the mixer and swap the paddle attachment for the dough hook attachment. Knead the dough on medium speed until it is smooth and soft, about 5 - 7 minutes.
The First Rise:
- Form the dough into a ball and place it back in the bottom of the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1 1/2 hours.
Roll the Swirl Bread:
- Grease an 8.5 x 4.5-inch bread pan with a bit of softened butter or baking spray.
- Lightly flour your working surface and roll the dough into an 8 x 24-inch rectangle.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Stir together with a fork until smooth. Spread the filling over the surface of the dough rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.
- Roll the dough tightly, starting at the shorter edge of dough, to form a swirl log. Place it seam-side down inside your prepared baking pan.
The Second Rise:
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours or until it has risen barely 1-inch above the edge of the pan.
Baking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the bread for 40 - 45 minutes. Place a bit of aluminum foil over the top after the first 20 minutes to prevent it from over-browning.
Recipe Notes
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