One of my all time favorite things to eat for breakfast growing up was cinnamon swirl bread. It wasn’t something we had all that often, but whenever my mom bought the Pepperidge Farm brand it was basically the best day ever. Saturday mornings after I’d slept in, I’d walk down the hall, still a little groggy, and go straight to the fridge. I’d take out the cinnamon swirl bread, drop a piece in the toaster, and then impatiently wait for my toast to pop.
When I’d hear the glorious sound of the toast popping up, I’d grab it out of the toaster, not caring that the toast was still too hot to hold, spread some butter on my hot piece of toast, shake some more cinnamon sugar on top (because your girl has a sweet tooth) and let the cinnamon sugar and butter melt together into the toast — creating a sugary, buttery, glaze on top, that seeped into the bread. A soft, slightly crunchy, sweet delicious goodness. Can you see why/it still is, one of my favorite things ever?
The other day, I got the idea to make my own cinnamon swirl bread. Now here’s the thing, most cinnamon swirl bread recipes that you find on the internet, are super time intensive, and like I’ve said before, I’m not really into suuuuper long and complicated recipes that require lots of time in the kitchen. I mean, I love em when I have the time for them, buuuut I don’t really have the time for them these days. And truthfully, I want my recipes to be doable for everyone, no matter how much or how little time they have. So I went to work creating a recipe for cinnamon swirl bread that isn’t so time intensive, and let me tell you, I am soooo excited about it.
It takes a little time, because it is bread, but not nearly as much as a normal loaf, and it’s so delicious. You can eat it just like it is, or add a little butter, or even better, use it for your french toast! (Insert allll the drooling emojis.)
Okay, I’ll stop torturing you, here’s how to make this beauty.
How to make Cinnamon Swirl Bread
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- Pour one and a half cups of warm water into a mixing bowl. **Make sure it’s not too hot, otherwise it will kill the yeast. I usually aim to get my water right in the middle between hot and cold.**
2. Add in the sugar and one tablespoon of yeast. Then give it a quick stir, to make sure all your yeast gets wet. This is important to help proof your yeast and make sure it works.
3. Your yeast should start to get bubbly, somewhat resembling sea foam. This means your yeast is working! Now you can move on to the next step.
4. Add in your oil, salt, flour, and sugar.
5. Stir together until your dough forms a sticky ball.
6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees for one minute. When the minute is up, turn your oven off. This creates a warm place for the yeast to rise, without being too hot that it kills the yeast.
7. Place a towel clothe over your bowl of dough and place in the oven. Let it rise for 40 minutes.
8. Lightly flour your counter top. Carefully pour the dough onto the counter. Then lightly flour the top of your dough.
9. Using the butt of your hands begin kneading the bread. To do this, fold the bottom of the dough up over the middle of the ball and press down with the butt of your hand. Then bring the top down over the middle. Then fold the right side in, and press down, and then the left side in and press down. Then pull the bottom out and up again, and repeat the process about 5 times.
10. Then split your dough in half into two balls.
11. Lightly flour the top of your dough, and using a rolling pin roll out into a rectangle, about 1/8″ thick.
12. Then using a pastry brush, brush half of the butter onto the dough, and evenly distribute the cinnamon sugar across the dough so the entire surface is covered.
13. Then starting at the end closest to you, roll the dough into a spiral.
14. Repeat the process for the other loaf.
15. Grease your loaf tins with butter, and place both loaves into the loaf tins.
16. Begin preheating your oven again to 350° for one minute, then turn it off again.
17. Place your loaf tins into the oven, and let rise for 40 minutes. Then take your loaves out of the oven. The dough should have doubled in size.
18. Preheat your oven to 450° Fahrenheit.
19. When the oven is preheated, place your loves in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the top of your loaf is golden brown.
20. Remove your loaves from the oven and let cool 20 minutes in their tins. Then using a knife, go around the edge of the tin to loosen the bread. Flip it over and gently pound the top of it to make the bread fall out. Save it for later, or slice and serve with butter!
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Warm Water
- 1 1/2 Tbsps Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Yeast
- 1 Tbsp Oil
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 3 1/4 cups Flour
- 1 cup Bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp Coconut Oil
Instructions
Proofing Your Yeast
- Pour one and a half cups of warm water into a mixing bowl.
- Add in the sugar and one tablespoon of yeast. Then give it a quick stir, to make sure all your yeast gets wet. This is important to help proof your yeast and make sure it works.
- Once your yeast begins to activate, then add in the oil, salt, flour, and sugar. Stir together until your dough forms a sticky ball.
- Begin preheating your oven to 350 for one minute. When the minute is up, turn your oven off. This creates a warm place for the dough to rise. Place a clothe towel on top of your bowl of dough and put your dough into the warm oven. Let your dough rise for 40 minutes.
- Lightly flour your counter top. Carefully pour your dough onto the counter. Then lightly flour the top of your dough.
- Using the butt of your hands begin kneading the bread. To do this, fold the bottom of the dough up over the middle of the ball and press down with the butt of your hand. Then bring the top down over the middle. Then fold the right side in, and press down, and then the left side in and press down. Then pull the bottom out and up again, and repeat the process about 5 times.
- Then split your dough in half into two balls.
- Lightly flour the top of your dough, and using a rolling pin roll out into a rectangle about 1/8" thick.
- Using a pastry brush, brush half of the butter onto the dough, and evenly distribute the cinnamon sugar across the dough so the entire surface is covered.
- Then starting at the end closest to you, roll the dough into a spiral.
- Repeat the process for the other loaf.
- Grease your loaf tins with butter, and place both rolled doughs into the loaf tin.
- Begin preheating your oven again to 350° for one minute, then turn it off again.
- Place your loaf tins into the oven, and let rise for 40 minutes.
- Take your loaves out of the oven.
- Preheat your oven to 450° Fahrenheit.
- When the oven is preheated place your loves in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the top of your loaf is golden brown.
- Remove your loaves from the oven and let cool 20 minutes in their tins. Then using a knife, go around the edge of the tin to loosen the bread. Flip it over and gently pound the top of it to make the bread fall out. Save for later or slice and serve with butter.