Dorothy Kern
Homemade Cinnamon Bread is an easy white bread recipe full of cinnamon sugar! This bread is better than buying store bought cinnamon swirl bread – it’s fresh and SO GOOD.
If you’re loving making homemade bread, then give this cinnamon bread a try – you can even add raisins if you want!
This post was originally sponsored by Fleischmann’s Yeast®.
I used to be scared of making bread until I discovered my easy homemade white bread recipe. Now I make it all the time!
Once I got over my fears, making bread became one of my favorite things to do. If you’re a beginner bread maker or are scared of yeast and baking your own bread, don’t be. I’m going to show you step-by-step how EASY it is to make your own bread at home.
(If I’m being honest; one of my fears about making homemade bread was that it’s SO EASY to do I’ll make it all the time and then eat loaves and loaves of warm crusty carbs. Spoiler alert: #TRUTH)
Make your own cinnamon swirl bread and you never have to buy store bought again!
Table of Contents
Two things have always scared me when I’ve thought about making homemade bread:
- Working with yeast.
- All the time it takes, rising and kneading.
I’m here to tell you today that both of those two are complete myths.
Actually, working with yeast is very easy, especially when you use Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast. That little yeast packet knocks both of my fears out of the water.
Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast is easier to use because you don’t need to proof it: you just mix it into the dry ingredients. Proofing yeast is what always has scared me about it but by using instant yeast, that fear is gone.
The other reason I like this yeast? The term “Rapid Rise” is true; there are only two rising periods but they only total an hour. You give the dough a 10 minute rest and then let it rise 45 minutes before baking; making homemade cinnamon bread is no longer an all day affair.
What kind of yeast is best to make bread?
Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast is the one I recommend. Simply add it to the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt) and whisk it together.
Making bread with active dry yeast is a different recipe, but if you want to make cinnamon bread in a bread machine, you can use this same recipe using bread machine yeast.
What ingredients are used to make homemade bread?
Besides the yeast, you’re going to add milk, water, and butter to a measuring cup or bowl. Then heat that in the microwave in 15 second increments until it’s very warm.
I highly recommend an instant-read thermometer when working with yeast. It helps take the guesswork out!
Heat the milk mixture to between 120°-130°F, or very warm if you’re going by touch. (The butter may not melt all the way.)
Once you have the milk hot enough, add it to the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Do you have to use a stand mixer?
No, but it helps. If you’re using a stand mixer, you’re going to beat it for 2 minutes, then add more flour, mix for 2 more minutes, then add more flour until it becomes a ball. Using a stand mixer also helps with kneading; you’ll only need to knead this bread for about 6-8 minutes.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, don’t worry. Mix it with a hand mixer or by hand until you can’t anymore, then knead it, adding flour, until it forms a ball that springs back when pressed with two fingers.
Then, let it rest for just 10 minutes.
This bread recipe makes two loaves, so cut the dough in half.
Then you get to decide if you want plain white bread or homemade cinnamon bread.
How do you make cinnamon bread?
Simply roll out your dough into a rectangle. Then brush with melted butter.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
If you want to make cinnamon raisin bread, now is the time to sprinkle about 1 cup of raisins in the middle of the dough.
Tightly roll up the dough and place each piece in a bread pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Be sure to lace it seam side down in the pan.
Cover it and let it rise about 45 minutes. It’ll about double in size.
Put the loaves in a warm place for rising. I like to preheat my oven and place the pans on the top of the stove.
Preheat your oven and place the pans on top of the stove to rise!
PRO TIP
Then simply bake until golden brown. You do need to wait at least 5-10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan…and resist the urge to cut it too soon.
Serving Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Warm cinnamon bread is the perfect breakfast with or without melted butter on top. We didn’t even need it toasted; just warm from the oven.
Feel free to toast the bread and top it with butter or eat it plain. We also like it with peanut butter.
Have leftovers? Make French Toast with it!
Luckily, we had a friend to give one loaf too. The other one didn’t last the day!
Making homemade bread is so simple, you’ll be doing it in no time.
Also find the Beginner’s White Bread recipe at Fleischmann’s® Yeast!
Other favorite yeast recipes:
- This is my go-to White Bread Recipe.
- Homemade Dinner Rolls are another easy bread recipe!
- Cheesy Ranch Breadsticks are one of our favorite side dishes!
- Looking for another sweet bread? Check out my homemade monkey bread!
- Cinnamon Rolls are another favorite!
Have you made this recipe?
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Homemade Cinnamon Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 5 ½ to 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 packets Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast 4 ½ teaspoons
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the filling:
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, dry yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir until blended. Combine water, milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH in 15 second increments until very warm but not hot to the touch (120° to 130°F. Butter won’t melt completely). Add to flour mixture.
- Beat 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Add 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in just enough remaining flour so that the dough will form into a ball.
- Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic and springs back when lightly pressed with 2 fingers, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cover with a towel; let rest for 10 minutes.
- Cut dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a 12 x 7-inch rectangle using a rolling pin. Brush each piece with melted butter. Stir together the cinnamon and sugar for the filling and sprinkle on each rectangle.
- Beginning at short end of each rectangle, roll up tightly. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place, seam sides down, in two 8-½ x 4-½ inch loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Bake in preheated 400ºF oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans by running a knife around the edges and invert onto wire rack.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
**Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!**
Cinnamon Bread is SO EASY to make at home! This simple white bread recipe is turned into cinnamon swirl bread and is the perfect from scratch recipe – with or without raisins. You never need to buy store bought again! You can even make cinnamon bread in a bread machine!
All text and images © DOROTHY KERN for Crazy for Crust. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate.
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
Published on: December 20, 2018
Great 1-rise bread recipe. The bread is so soft, almost as if it were an egg bread. It is very enjoyable.
Taste and flavor are excellent!
I have made this bread following your recipe toto…. It was amazing
My name is Christina.
Followed the recipe but the bread texture was chewy not fluffy. Not sure what could have gone wrong.
Usually that happens if 1. It didn’t rise long enough or 2. The yeast was either expired or didn’t activate because the water was too hot or too cold.
Hi,My name is Deepthi Reddy ..I am a homebaker from India..Its an amazing n easy reciepe..My kids just loved it n my home is filled with aroma of cinnamon😍
Would bread flour work in this recipe
Yes
I couldn’t decide whether to make regular white bread or cinnamon bread then I found your recipe. Since the base for both was the same, I split the dough and made one of each. I just used a spoon to mix the dough and did whatever I thought kneading was for about 2 mins. The dough seemed to spring back so I figured that was good enough. I intended to try the cinnamon bread for breakfast tomorrow but decided I wanted it for dessert tonight. Omg this was exactly the taste and texture I wanted. Wouldn’t change anything. Thank you for the recipe. Will defiantly make again!
Could this same recipe be used to make pumpkin swirl bread similar to what I see in the stores about Thanksgiving time?
That sounds so great. I feel like you should be able to substitute the tablespoon of cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice with similar results. Now I’m wondering about apple pie spice as well. I’m interested in the response.
This recipe is fabulous and easy to follow. It tastes better than store-bought. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!