When I was 12, my parents bought a small bakery. Two days a week, I helped Mom bake all sorts of cookies, bread, pies. and much more. On Saturday, we loaded up our van with the baked goods and sold them at a Farmer's Market.
One of my favorite items was the cinnamon bread. Mom would slice off a thin piece from the end of the loaf, to show the pretty cinnamon swirl inside. I liked to smear a bit of frosting on that end piece and eat it hot! It was almost like a cinnamon roll. I no longer put frosting on my cinnamon bread, but I do enjoy a piece hot from the toaster, slathered in butter!
How to make cinnamon bread
Cinnamon bread is so easy to make; just use your regular white bread recipe, add cinnamon and sugar and roll up!
But maybe you don't have a 'regular' white bread recipe? No problem! I have your back! I have included the entire recipe so you can just print it off and use it.
First, I put the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a bowl, and let it set for 5 minutes so the yeast can begin to work.
Then, I add the flour, salt, oil, and mix it well. I knead the dough several minutes, then let it rise for an hour or until doubled.
Tip: I use my KitchenAid mixer, (affiliate link) but you can always use your hands to knead the dough if you don't have a stand mixer.
Forming the bread loaves
To form the cinnamon bread loaves: divide the dough in half, and roll one half about 15 inches long, and as wide as your bread pan. Try to make sure it doesn't get wider than your bread pan.
Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar, then with cinnamon. I do not measure either of these, but I did give an estimate in the recipe. Just sprinkle heavily and it will be fine.
When you have the cinnamon and sugar on, begin to carefully roll up from the short side. I tug gently as I roll the dough, so there is no air pockets or holes in the roll. Roll it all the way up, and place into a greased bread pan, seam side down.
I sprinkle the loaf with a dash of cinnamon, then let it rise till nearly doubled. Repeat with second half of dough.
Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes, till the loaf is golden brown.
Turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool before bagging.
Bread rising and baking
Personally, I like a more dense bread, so I don't let my dough rise too long. You can see in the above pictures how the dough looks when I placed it in the pan, and how it looks when I baked it. Less time rising means a heavier bread with smaller air holes. If you like big holes in your bread, then, by all means, let it rise longer! 🙂
Same goes for baking; I like my bread just golden brown. If you like the crust very brown, just bake it longer or at a higher temp. I bake bread at 350 for 30 minutes. But If you like more crusty bread, bake it at 375 or 400 for 30 minutes. Play around with it till you see what you like best.
Can I freeze Cinnamon bread?
Yes!! This homemade cinnamon bread freezes very well. Just let the loaves cool completely, then place in plastic bags and freeze up to a month.
To thaw: place bread on counter (still in bag) and allow to thaw completely. Slice and eat! You can slice before you freeze it, too.
You might like these other bread recipes:
Easy French Bread
Chile Cheese Cornbread
Cheesy Breadsticks
Simple Homemade White Bread
Easy Cinnamon Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 TBL yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 5 cups bread flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 TBL cinnamon
Instructions
- Place water in mixing bowl.
- Sprinkle sugar and yeast over water.
- Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
- Add flour, oil, and salt and mix well. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour - ½ cup at a time - until it is smooth and workable.
- Knead 2 minutes with mixer, or 5 minutes by hand.
- Let rise till doubled in size, about an hour.
- Divide dough in half, roll each half 9x15 inches, or as wide as your bread pan.
- Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll up tightly, place in greased bread pans, seam side down.
- Let rise till nearly doubled, about 30-40 minutes.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or till golden brown.
- Turn onto rack to cool. Store in bags.
Looks delicious! Can't wait to try it!
Just came across your bread,love it. Powered sugar. Go figure...thanks for sharing. Nik
What does the powdered sugar do?
This is a great
recipe! Turned out so good! Was easy and the bread was yummy, the house smelled like a bakery!
This came out amazing! I made one loaf and used the other half of the dough to make cinnamon rolls. I used granulated sugar and cinnamon 1/4 c each and mixed it with two tsp. Of melted butter for the filling with a few golden raisins here and there. I kept the actual dough recipe exactly as written. Easy peasy and beautiful results. Thank you for a great recipe!
Loved this recipe! Used regular flour since I didn't have any bread flour handy and it came out good. Also added some chocolate chips to one loaf after adding the cinnamon and before rolling it up and it came out delicious! Will definitely make again!
That sounds delicious! I will have to try that! Thanks! Glad you liked it.
can you make it with rice flour. my kid lives cinnamon swirl bread and he was just diagnosed with crohn's.
this looks perfect to make for him and easy since I never made bread before.
I'm sorry, I don't think rice flour would work very well. You would probably want to search the internet for a rice flour bread recipe.
This recipe is soo easy; I love it. I used Pumpkin Pie Spice in one of the loaves instead of cinnamon and it was a nice change. I also thought of using a pie filling in place of cinnamon, such as cherry or apple. Any comments on doing this. By the way, thank you for the recipe.
Pumpkin Pie spice sounds delicious! I will definitely try that. I don't know about the pie filling... my first thought is that it may be kind of heavy, but I wouldn't be scared to try it because even if the loaf didn't rise as well, I bet it would taste amazing!
This was SO good!! I'm sure I'll be making this often. I didn't put as much cinnamon since I didn't want a strong cinnamon flavor and it turned out amazing. Thank you!
Great!! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
How could you make the dough in a bread machine? Would the amount of yeast be different when using bread machine yeast?
I am not familiar with bread machines, unfortunately! Keep in mind that this yeast amount is for 2 loaves - I don't know if you can make two loaves in a machine? Let me know if you try it!
I use my bread machine for this recipe, but I half it as the full recipe is too much for my machine. Turns out perfect every time.
Thanks for sharing that tip!
I make this on the "dough setting." Then sepstate into two and shape when it's done. Then allow for a second rise in the pans! So good!!!
Yes you can use the dough setting with either active dry yeast or rapid rise( I use bread machine yeast. )The dough creates plenty for two loaves. I rolled it as one long roll then halved for placement in two loaf pans to rise.
I'm feeling a bit defeated at the moment. My dough is nowhere near stable enough to roll up... much less handle comfortably. Any tips? I followed yhe recipe to a T!
I’m sorry! Sounds like you need to add more flour - an extra 1/2 cup at a time, until you can work it.
I had the same problem. I used all purpose flour and it was more like batter.
try adding less work at a time
Okay, thanks so much! I feel silly for asking now that I think about it lol I can be so hair brained! Tomorrow will be the day... ♡
Oh no, definitely don’t feel bad! I mess up my baking some days, too! It happens. ?❤️
I’m new to baking bread, with that said, which yeast do you use for this recipe?
I use Fleischmann's Instant Yeast. Any brand instant yeast should be fine! 🙂 You can find it in the baking aisle at the grocery store in small packets, or you can find it on Amazon. I will link the one I use: (I buy it in bulk because I do a lot of baking!) https://amzn.to/3azY4Hv
Just as a suggestion, it would have been helpful if the ingredients said "instant yeast" instead of just yeast. I used normal active dry yeast and it's taking quite a bit longer to rise.
Thank you for the information! I’ll get the instant kind then! Just so I know, how would you make it with just the active yeast?
I actually have used both kinds, and I use them exactly the same. I put the water in the bowl first, then the yeast. Either kind works!
I just made this bread, it’s so good. Did not have bread flour made it with King Arthur all purpose flour and had no trouble.recommend this for anyone who has not baked bread. Do you use this recipe for white bread or do you have another?
Thank you for the review! I appreciate it. Yes, this is my white bread recipe, just omit the powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Does it matter if you use quick rise, instant, or pizza yeast?
No, it doesn’t.
I know this sounds stupid but for the yeast u say TBL what measurement is that?
That stands for Tablespoon , sorry that was unclear. ?
t = teaspoon
T= Tablespoon
u r not stupid!
Have you ever added raisins to this recipe? My grocery doesn't always have cinnamon raisin bread during the lockdown, and if I can make my own that would be great! Just wondering how many cups or tablespoons or whatever of raisins to use. Thanks!
I haven’t, but what a great idea! I think 2 cups of raisins would be a generous amount.
Oh, yum!
I noticed that the recipe says to divide it in half and then it never addresses the other leftover half. Does this make two loafs of bread?
Yes, it makes two loaves.
What size bread pans do you use?
Mine are 8x4x2.5 inches.
Do you have a 10x sugar icing for this cinnamon bread, kinda like Hoss’s restaurant...
I don’t have a written down recipe. I do make icing like that with butter, 10x sugar, vanilla and milk.
I start with a couple tablespoons butter, add some sugar and milk and a splash of vanilla... I’ll have to measure and write it down sometime!
I'm trying this, in the oven right now! I'm a newbie at bread, so fingers crossed.
Like someone else commented, the dough was SUPER WET after first rise. I added prob 1 1/2 c before it would come tog. Is this normal a wet dough and it this when to add more flour? Or better to add when kneading before 1st rise?
Thank you 🙂
I would add extra flour before it rises.
What if you don’t have the powdered sugar to sprinkle on the dough,can I use granulated sugar instead?
Yes, that will work too. Some people like brown sugar.
I mix and do the first rise in my bread machine on the dough setting. I use all the same measurements, but put the ingredients in the order my machine recommends (wet ingredients first, then sugar and salt, then flour, then yeast. The dough turns out perfect every time. It's so velvety soft when I take it out to roll it.
That’s great! I’m glad to hear that.
This recipe is a great keep!! I made my fav cinnamon and cheese loaves. My bread top was a little hard but that was not an issue at all. We still are it happily. Thank you for sharing. ?
Brush melted butter on top when it comes out of the oven. Keeps top softer.
Yes! I like to do this too!
Great bread, I add raisins also, makes 1 large and 1 loaf, we love it.
My favourite cinnamon bread recipe.
This is an amazing bread recipe...and I'm a professional Baker. If you want it more like what you might find in the store, add a tsp. of cinnamon to the dough in the beginning, and 1 1/2 cups of raisins when you roll it. Also, brown sugar instead of powdered, will give a deeper flavor. With that being said, making it the way your recipe says, turns out perfect every time...it's a no fail recipe and the one I make at home (with some substitutions sometimes). My 3 daughters use this recipe as opposed to their Grandma's! Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you so much! I will definitely try the brown sugar and adding cinnamon. I’m not a fan of raisins, so probably won’t add those - although I have a lot of folks who do that and love it!
Thanks for the tips!
I made this for my husband, he said it reminded him of when he was a kid. Great bread recipe too! Loved it. Thank you.
Awesome! Thank you so much! I am glad you both enjoyed it.
Great review. Any idea how I could incorporate apple into this recipe? Thank you.
You could try spreading shredded apple on top of the cinnamon, and rolling it up. I never tried it, but it might work!
Maybe a little apple butter before adding the sugar and cinnamon?
So yum! We did one with cinnamon and one with pork floss!
But how do u keep the bread fresh? Mine gone harden in 2 days.. 🙁
I use bread flour, that really seems to help. But we eat it all pretty fast at our house!😀
Does this bread freeze well? And when exactly would you recommend freezing it? Like should I freeze the dough after the first rise? Or after it's rolled up and has risen again? Or should I bake the bread and then freeze it? I don't eat bread so it would just be my husband eating both loaves. He'd never eat it before it went bad.
Also, if I only wanted to make one loaf, would halving the recipe work? I know some recipes don't work out when you halve or double them.
Thanks so much!! Can't wait to try this recipe!
You can freeze it unbaked, but if you do that, I’d freeze it immediately after you roll the loaf up. It will rise again as it thaws.
I personally freeze the bread after it’s baked. It freezes well. Just make sure it’s in a airtight container, or wrap it well. Yes you can halve the recipe. Should work fine!
I love this recipe! It’s easy and turns out delicious. I’ve made both the bread and the cinnamon bread and my husband loves both.
Probably won’t be buying store bought bread ever!
I’ve made multiple loaves and it freezes well too.
Thanks.
Thank you so much! It really is so easy.
Dough came out to be very sticky and it was impossible to roll it out.
Hi, if the dough is too sticky, add more flour. I add 1/2 cup of flour at a time until it is the correct consistency.
I made this bread yesterday and it came out perfect! I'm rather new to bread and I have to say, this recipe was bombproof! It came out so well - def a keeper in my book! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for the review!! It makes me so happy to know the recipe worked for you.
Absolutely delicious, wonderful, turned out perfect and I added black walnuts,
One question: It says 20 servings, does that mean 10 for each loaf? i’m counting calories and just ate 2 slices, 😁
Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoy it! Yes, that's how I have it counted; 10 slices per loaf.
I have never commented on a recipe online before today...this bread was exactly what I have been searching for. The nostalgic bakery common bread recipe has been found! Everything about this bread was right on - I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you so much for sharing some of your family's excellence.
Well that is good to hear! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
I hardly ever comment on recipes, but this was so lovely! Followed directions but also added 1 tsp of cinnamon to the dough, per another reader’s comment. So easy, so delicious. Thank you!
Hi, making this right now but notice my dough is still sticky, is this how it’s supposed to be before the 1st rise? Or what can I do? I’m fearful that when it goes to rolling it, it will be too sticky.
Hi, if the dough is too sticky, add more flour. I add 1/2 cup of flour at a time until it is the correct consistency.
I cannot wait to try this recipe, I love love cinnamon bread. Would I be able to make the dough the night before and bake it the next day? I’m guessing make it all the way to rolling it up and then let it rise on the counter in the morning before baking?
I haven't tried that, but I would expect it to work fine. Just place in the refrigerator overnight. 🙂
Great recipe, I love to bake and never really made bread. I was always afraid it wouldn't turn out good. Thanks for the recipe my family really enjoyed it.
I’m so happy with the results from this recipe. It was also a lot of fun to make. Thank you for sharing!
I'm so glad you liked it!
I realized halfway through the baking part that I accidentally skipped the second “rising” and stuck it in the oven right after rolling up the two loaves...😱 Turned out edible for sure, more dense, and would probably make for a good base for a bread pudding! (Do you have a recipe for bread pudding?)
Oops! Yes it would be dense that way, sorry that happened! I do not have a bread pudding recipe on the blog yet.
You stated that you knead this recipe with your kitchenaide mixer. Can I ask how longer you knead with the mixer?
I knead it about 2 minutes.
This recipe is so delicious and so forgiving! I’ve used both powdered sugar and brown sugar and abundant cinnamon 🤣 We eat one loaf fresh and freeze the second after baking and completely cooled. It toasts up perfectly after thawing! Great recipe!
I am so glad you enjoy it! ! I have used brown and powdered sugar too, depending on my mood, haha!
This is such a nice easy and quick recipe! Making this for the second time, I added a little cinnamon to my flour and a tiny bit of butter to the cinnamon and sugar before I rolled it also adding raisins this time. I love an easy recipe you can do whenever you have a little free time and no crazy ingredients, everything is in the pantry... This is a great recipe! Thanks for posting!
Thank you for that review! I am glad you liked it. I think butter and raisins sounds great!!
Great basic foolproof recipe. Very versatile. Thank you!
This is the best quick bread recipe I’ve used in years! The cinnamon rolls I added butter and granulated sugar to the cinnamon filling. Delicious! I’ve also made this bread into round, rolls in a 9” pan. They turned out to be fantastic! Just used salted butter on the tops when I pulled from the oven.
Thank you so much!!!
I made this cinnamon bread yesterday and it’s hands down, the best cinnamon bread I’ve ever made. Beautiful dough to work with and the crumb was perfect! Thank you for a great recipe 🙂
Thanks for your review! I appreciate it so much. We also love this bread and make it often!
I’m trying your recipe now, dough was so easy to work with, can’t wait until it comes out of the oven. Could you also use this dough for other types of bread? Say cheddar or garlic.
Yes! It is a great basic dough that pairs well with many things. I have used it for cheddar bread already.
This bread turned out perfectly, I swear its the best bread I've ever made . Ive looked and looked for a soft white bread recipe. I made 1 plain bread and 1 cinnamon bread , ill be making this on a regular basis, thank you for the recipe.
. Pat ❤️
I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you for the review!
This is best cinnamon bread I have ever had and it’s so easy to make. My husband works in Alaska for a month and home a month and I had to make him some to take back with him. Everyone that has tried it loves it. My sister wanted to pay me to make her some,lol. Thank you for posting this recipe because it my favorite.
Thank you so much for that review! I love when others enjoy my favorite recipes!
I started baking homemade bread a couple years ago (when I retired) and I gotta tell you, this is my go to recipe! My husband & adult children can’t get enough of it. Love love love it. Thanks!
I'm so glad you enjoy it! Thank you!
Made this tonight and it is wonderful. The bread is soft but not doughy. Will definitely make this again.
This bread is so soft and yummy! I made one loaf of cinnamon and one plain white bread. And I kid you not, the 5 of us ate both loaves in one day!
Haha! So glad your family enjoyed it!! 🙂
Made this for the 1st time today. I could tell when I was rolling/stretching the dough out it was an amazing soft dough. This is sooooo yummy. A def keeper! I printed the recipe off to add to my favourite recipes binder ❤️
I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it!
Oh my goodness!! This is delicious!!! First time making bread! I should have cooked it a bit longer, but still very delicious!
I'm so happy to hear that it worked out for you!! Congrats on your first bread!
Is the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1 Tbs. of cinnamon per loaf or do you divide that between each loaf so it’s 1/4 c. Powdered sugar and 1/2 Tbs. for each?
The 1/2 cup is to be divided between two loaves. So, 1/4 cup each. Cinnamon should be divided as well.
Great recipe! Last week, I had my carpet cleaners come deep clean my floors, so I wanted to make some fresh bread to make the house smell homey and warm. This was the PERFECT recipe! Super easy to follow and turned out delicious!
What a great idea! Glad it worked for you.
Have not tried yet but going to. LOOKS YOMMY.
Just discovered this recipe and it is DELICIOUS!! I've tried it with powdered sugar and cinnamon; brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins. I did find that I had to add extra flour to get the right consistency. I believe it will also become my go-to white bread also. Thank you for a great bread recipe.
I'm so glad you liked it! Yes! It is my white bread recipe too. Flour amounts definitely vary depending on climate.
Very easy dough to work with. Any reason why I can’t make 1 loaf and cut the other into rolls?
You can absolutely do that! I’ve done it many times.
This is a favorite in my house. I make this with my daycare kiddos and we add raisins added to the cinnamon layer. The kiddos gobble it up! At Christmas, I leave out the cinnamon and add in white chocolate chips and dried cranberries in the center. Then I sprinkle red and green sugar on top after the second rise.
Your Christmas version sounds delicious!
I loved the recipe! My bread was very fluffy and tasted great! The cinnamon parts though were very dry and overpowering (like I ate a spoon of cinnamon). How could I fix this? I know with some cinnamon roll recipes they make a cinnamon paste, could this work as well?
Perhaps next time whisk the cinnamon and powdered sugar together before sprinkling it on the bread. You could definitely make a paste by adding softened butter and spreading it on. I don’t add butter because I don’t like it running out. But you could try it!
This is the 3rd time I’ve made this recipe. I use regular flour and it works fine. The only otero tweaks I make are I add a tablespoon of cinnamon to the flour and when the dough is rolled out I wet it with water before adding the cinnamon and sugar and rolling it up to form the loaf.
This is definitely the best bread recipe I've made, and I make alot of bread. The first time I made it, I made one cinnamon and left one plain. They were both so good. I'm making it again right now, but both are cinnamon this time. I increased the cinnamon sugar filling to see if I get a wider swirl. Otherwise, I love this recipe as is. Thanks!!
I'm so glad you enjoy it!
How long do you cool before cutting?
I usually wait about 10 minutes, or until I can handle the bread. It will slice nicer if you wait till it's almost cool, but we can't ever wait that long!
This recipe is fantastic! I went a little overboard with the filling by mixing 4 cups of powdered sugar and 4 tbls of cinnamon. I had a lot left over, so I thought ...what about adding some milk and vanilla to the rest and making a cinnamon drizzle. wow! It's to die for. Thank you so much for the bread recipe.
I LOVE THIS RECIPE! Great bread every time, and it’s easy!
I've been looking and trying different cinnamon bread recipes.. this is a keeper - I found the recipe after trying so many - thank you.
second loaf will be used tomorrow for French toast yummmm..
like all the different suggestions as well - such an easy soft dough to work with.