Cinnamon Swirl Bread

This is the best cinnamon swirl bread recipe! It is a soft, buttery, slightly sweet white bread with a hint of orange zest. A generous layer of cinnamon sugar makes for a beautiful and delicious cinnamon bread!

My ultimate afternoon snack growing up was thick slices of cinnamon swirl bread slathered with butter and a generous coating of cinnamon sugar. My mom toasted them in the oven under the broiler for an epic treat. This cinnamon swirl bread recipe would make my favorite treat even better! 

This cinnamon swirl bread uses the dough from my hot cross buns recipe because a bread this delicious should not be made just once a year! I leave out the allspice and currants but no one is saying you have to!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Active Dry Yeast: I use active dry yeast for a slower, more even rise, but this bread would be just as delicious (and twice as fast) with the same amount of instant yeast! Plus with rapid-rising yeast, you can skip the first step. 
• Whole Milk: I use whole milk, just like in oatmeal bread, for the best flavor, texture and added shelf-life, but you could use your preferred alternative milk or warm water.  
• Unsalted Butter: Butter adds the right amount of tenderness, buttery flavor and keeps the bread soft. You could substitute vegetable oil but olive oil will alter the flavor due to the quantity. 
• Large Egg: The egg adds a bit of fat and moisture, which enriches this flavorful dough. I also have a second egg in the recipe card, which is for brushing the dough right before baking to get that shiny crust! 
• Ground Cinnamon: This ground cinnamon goes in the cinnamon sugar mix for the swirl but no one says you can’t add some to the dough too, like I do in my cinnamon raisin bagels!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations on Cinnamon Swirl Bread

• Transform any bread into cinnamon swirl bread! This recipe makes a soft, buttery, sweet bread swirled with cinnamon, but you could use the same cinnamon sugar swirl recipe and process with just about any bread. Try it with sandwich bread or whole wheat bread, for less indulgent variations. Add a swirl to this cinnamon raisin sourdough bread, buttery sourdough raisin bread, or even cardamom bread! 
• Add raisins or another dried fruit or chopped nut: If you are a fan of Thomas’ cinnamon raisin swirl bread then you must try adding up to 3 cups of raisins to this bread dough after mixing but before proofing. This bread is softer and more tender than Thomas’. 
• No one says you can’t add spice in the dough or change up the swirl. Take inspiration from cinnamon raisin bagels and add 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon to the flour before mixing to transform this into a cinnamon bread recipe.
• You could also use homemade pumpkin spice or even a mix of ground cinnamon and apple pie spice in the cinnamon sugar swirl! You know I’m a cardamom girl, so if you’re into spiced breads, head over to my cardamom bun recipe next!

Professional Tips

• Brush with water rather than butter. I save the melted butter for overnight cinnamon rolls and I brush this dough with water before sprinkling the cinnamon sugar mixture. It helps it stick better and keeps the cinnamon mixture inside the bread!    
• Don’t skip the degassing or rolling with a rolling pin for no air pockets. The only way to get a nice swirl without large air pockets is to degas the dough twice. In some breads, like sourdough bread, that isn’t a desired trait, but in cinnamon swirl bread we want a night tight crumb without big holes! 
• Roll the dough up tightly to get a decent number of swirls. Unlike braiding dough like challah or Italian Easter bread, a tight roll will not keep the swirl bread from rising properly. Rolling from the short end also gives you more runway for rolling!

How to Make this Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe

Use these instructions to make the best cinnamon swirl bread! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Make the Dough: 

Step 1: Heat the milk to around 95-100°F in a pot or the microwave. If it gets too warm, and you have no patience, add some cold milk to get it to the right temperature then remeasure. 

Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the active dry yeast and the warmed milk. Let sit for 10 minutes or until bubbly. You can also add a sprinkle of the total sugar into the yeast mixture to speed up the process! 

Step 3: While the yeast activates, add all the other ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar first and then zest the orange onto the sugar. Mix together with your fingertips or with the back of a spoon. On top of the sugar, add the flour, salt, and butter. Make a little well (away from the sugar and salt) and place the egg in it. 

Step 4: When your yeast is ready, pour all the ingredients from the mixing bowl into the bowl with the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until combined. Scrape down the sides with a stiff rubber spatula or bowl scraper.  

Step 5: Switch to the dough hook attachment and mix on medium speed until a rough window pane can be pulled. This means the dough will not look perfectly smooth but will have pulled together and made one cohesive dough around the hook. 

Window Pane Test: Pinch off a piece and gently pull the sides apart, rotate and pull again, making a square shape. The dough should not tear, you should be able to see through some of the dough like a window pane but then there will be pieces of dough that look rough. This is what you want. 

Strengthen and Proof:

Step 6: Scrape the dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to proof for an hour in a warm place. 

Kneading this dough by hand will be a little more challenging because it is a wetter dough than some others. Try to use as little bench flour as possible and use a bench scraper in one hand to help you scrape and fold. 

Step 7: About halfway through bulk proofing, perform one set of stretch and folds. Fold the dough by grabbing one side, pull it upwards out of the bowl and then fold it over 1/3 of the dough. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and repeat with the opposite side. Rotate a quarter turn and repeat the same folding technique. Rotate the bowl 180 degrees and make the final fold. You should have a nice tight square packet of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to double. Mine took about an additional hour. 

Prepare the Swirl & Pans:

Step 8: While the bread dough bulk proofs, butter or spray 2, 8-9 inch loaf pans (1 pound loaf pans) with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. In a small bowl stir or whisk together cinnamon and sugar for the swirl; set aside. You’ll also want a small bowl of water and a pastry brush or silicone brush. In a pinch you can use your fingers!

Shape the Loaves:

Step 9: When the dough has doubled and feels light and airy, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. It barely needs any flour! Divide into two pieces. 

Step 10: Working one piece of dough at a time, degas the dough and preshape the loaves into a boule (round) by folding all 4 corners in towards the center, flipping it seam-side down on the work surface and then gently tightening and stretching the dough into a round by pulling to towards you with both hands. Rotate 90° and repeat until the surface is smooth, taut and stands up on the counter. Repeat with the second loaf. Cover and let bench rest 10 minutes. 

Step 11: Shape the loaves by rolling each into a 7-inch by 12-inch rectangle with a rolling pin. Lightly brush the bread with water then sprinkle each piece of dough with half the cinnamon-sugar mixture. 

Step 12: Gently roll each loaf into a log from the short end, thus making a fatter, not longer, log. Seal the edges by pressing the heel of your hand against the bench or pinching them with your fingers. 

Final Proof and Bake:

Step 13: Place each loaf seam-side down in a buttered loaf pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap. Proof the loaves for 15-20 minutes, or until light and have reached the top of the pan. While the loaves are final proofing, preheat the oven to 350°F (no fan).  Right before baking, brush each loaf with egg wash, being sure not to let it drip down the sides.

Step 14: Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown or an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads 185°F. 

Step 15: Remove the bread from the oven and unmold onto a wire cooling rack immediately to keep the loaves from steaming in their pans. Cool completely. 

Recipe FAQs

Recommended Cinnamon Bread Recipes

Yeast Breads

Eggnog Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Yeast Breads

Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread

Quick Breads

Cinnamon Scone Bread

Yeast Breads

Raspberry Cinnamon Rolls

If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below! I love hearing from you and your comments make my day!

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this sweet bread recipe. You might enjoy perusing all our yeasted bread recipes or try this cinnamon scone bread for a similar vibe in a quick bread recipe!