Treat Yourself to Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread

This recipe is one of life’s greatest treasures. When the loaves come out of the oven hot and fresh, the smell brings everyone running to the kitchen.

The bread itself is super soft and the gorgeous cinnamon swirl inside has just the right amount of sweetness and spice.

I mean, is there anything quite like old-fashioned homemade bread, fresh out of the oven?

While these loaves were baking, I was attempting to get a quick workout and meditation session in. But while I was sitting in lotus position on my yoga mat, trying to clear my mind, all I could think about was the cinnamon-scented air that was floating into the living room, tickling my nose.

It was all I could do not to run into the kitchen to get out my bread knife and cut a warm slice right then and there.

In fact, I might have eaten a few too many slices that first day when I made this recipe…

Bread is the one thing in our home that never lasts. Whether we are making sandwiches or french toast, or tearing off hunks to dunk in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, it disappears very, VERY quickly.

Part of why I love this recipe so much is because all that work that goes into it actually yields two whole loaves. You can keep both to eat like we usually do, or you can give one away to your favorite friend, family member, neighbor, or person you are trying to bribe into doing yard work for you… The options are endless!

I know that making bread from scratch can be totally intimidating. There are more than a few steps and lots of time spent letting the dough rise. But really, it’s straightforward enough. You just need to be sure to read the recipe through at least once before you get started.

I can’t tell you how many times I haven’t done this, and that has sometimes resulted in total failure – whether it was because I left out certain ingredients, I didn’t make sure they were the correct temperature before I started, or I didn’t budget enough time to see it through from start to finish.

This is something that happens to everybody. But this recipe is really no-fail, if you read it carefully, measure accurately, and follow the simple instructions.

Trust me when I say that there is nothing better than the smell of fresh yeast and cinnamon when you remove the plastic wrap from the rising dough. There’s nothing like the feeling of the soft dough when you roll it up and place it in the loaf pans. And there’s nothing like that enticing aroma that wafts into the living room, distracting you from whatever you are doing while you wait for it to bake.

It’s so satisfying to make something like this from scratch. Foodal’s collection of yeast-based recipes, from our oat bread to our rhubarb loaf to this spiced bread are recipes that I will never get sick of making. If you are not a bread maker, you are going to become one as soon as you give this recipe, and so many more, a try.

After it comes out of the oven, there are so many ways to serve this scrumptious bread.

You can eat slices of it straight up, or you can top them with softened butter, either salted or unsalted. A spread of soft cream cheese is delightful, as is a touch of raspberry or mixed berry jam. When you eat it soft, it’s quite tasty, but throwing it in the toaster is pretty darn delicious as well.

However you choose to enjoy it, this is sure to become one of your favorite ways to start the day.

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Warm Milk, Soften and Melt Butter, and Measure Remaining Ingredients

Soften a stick of butter to room temperature by leaving it on the counter for a few hours, or soften at a low temperature in the microwave. Do not allow it to melt!

Warm milk over medium-low heat in a small saucepan until it reaches about 110˚F. Be careful not to scald the milk.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter for the filling in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds, until melted. Set aside to cool.

Measure out all remaining ingredients as listed on the ingredients list.

Step 2 – Make Dough

Add the warm milk to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Sprinkle yeast over the milk and whisk on medium-low to combine. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes until foamy.

Did your yeast not foam up? It may be expired. Read our guide to yeast for more info.

Replace the whisk attachment with the paddle attachment. Add flour, softened butter, sugar, 2 eggs, and salt. Mix together on low until combined, about 3 minutes.

Increase speed to medium-low. Mix until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This will take about 3 to 6 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and sprinkle with cinnamon. Knead the dough together until the cinnamon is well incorporated, about 5 minutes.

If you want to knead your dough in the stand mixer, replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook. Add the cinnamon and mix on medium-low speed for 3 minutes.

Step 3 – Proof

Add the dough to a bowl that’s been lightly oiled and top with an oiled piece of plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and pat into a rectangle. Fold the bottom third up, and the top third down so they are overlapping. Pull the right and left sides over so they overlap as well.

Press down gently to seal, then return to the bowl with the seam side down. Cover again and let rise until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

Step 4 – Make Filling

In a small bowl, stir together sugar, cinnamon, water, and cooled melted butter until combined. Set aside.

Step 5 – Fill and Form Loaves

Butter two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans and set them aside. Lightly oil two pieces of plastic wrap that are large enough to cover the pans.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface once more. Divide it into two equal portions.

Roll each into a rectangle that is 9 inches by 11 inches in diameter.

Lightly beat the remaining egg and brush half of it onto the two pieces of dough. Sprinkle each evenly with half of the filling, all the way up to the edges.

Fold in the long sides of each rectangle of dough to the center. They should meet and line up in the center rather than overlapping.

With the short end facing you, roll the dough towards you, forming a tight log. Roll back and forth to seal the seam on the bottom.

Step 6 – Let Rise

Place the dough in the prepared pans, seam side down.

Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Set aside to rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes, until doubled in size.

Step 7 – Bake

When you’re almost ready to bake, preheat your oven to 425˚F.

Brush the tops of the loaves with the remaining beaten egg.

Bake for 45 minutes, until loaves are browned and baked through, rotating the pans halfway through.

Note that these loaves will brown quickly – mine did after 15 minutes – so keep an eye on them. Once they start to brown, tent them immediately with aluminum foil.

Remove from the oven, and transfer the bread immediately from the pans to a wire rack to cool completely.

The bread came out super easily for me, and there’s no need to allow it to cool in the pan first. It should pop out pretty easily for you as well, but just in case it gets stuck, you can run a knife around the edge of the pan for easier removal.

This bread can be stored for up to 4 days at room temperature, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.