The Best Caramel Bread
With decadent taste, this caramel bread has the best flavor. Tender and moist, it combines the rich flavors of caramel with the comforting texture of a quick bread. Topped with a caramel glaze, it’s almost like a cake but can be served at breakfast, too!
Sweet and delicious, this caramel bread is one of our favorite new quick bread recipes! It’s topped with an easy caramel glaze that takes it over the top and is a crowd pleaser.
The warm caramel flavor in the bread is perfect for the fall season just like my apple pie bread! While this quick bread is perfect to whip up anytime of the year, it would be great for Thanksgiving, Christmas or anytime you need a comforting treat.
The bread is easy to make in one bowl and the thick caramel icing on top adds a classic old-fashioned taste. I know you are going to love this quick bread recipe!
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Caramel Bread Recipe
- Simple ingredients: With just a few pantry and fridge ingredients, this bread comes together quickly!
- Rich and flavorful: Sweetened with brown sugar the bread has the best caramel flavor and the caramel glaze on top makes it just that much sweeter!
- Breakfast, snack or dessert: This versatile bread can be served multiple times during the day!
- Easy to make: In a little over an hour you will have a beautiful quick bread that tastes cake-like!
Ingredients Needed to Make Caramel Bread
All you need are simple ingredients to make this easy caramel loaf recipe!
- Sugars: You will need both granulated sugar and brown sugar for sweet taste and to add moisture.
- All-purpose flour: Adds structure to the quick bread.
- Baking staples: Salt and baking powder enhance taste and add lift and rise.
- Butter: Unsalted room temperature butter is best, but if you only have salted just decrease the amount of added salt.
- Milk: Any milk can be used, although whole milk will give the bread a richer flavor.
- Eggs: Two large eggs help bind the ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract: Adds additional flavor.
- Caramel glaze: For the glaze you will need room temperature butter, packed brown sugar, evaporated milk, salt, vanilla and powdered sugar.
Variations
- Apples: For caramel apple bread, add 1 cup peeled and finely chopped apples to the batter.
- Nuts: Add up to a ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter.
- Salted caramel: Add up to ¼ teaspoon of salt to the glaze.
- Cream cheese filling: For a caramel cream cheese bread, make a simple cream cheese filling with cream cheese, sugar, egg and caramel sauce. Place ½ of the caramel bread batter in the pan, add the cream cheese filling and top with remaining batter.
How to Make Caramel Bread
Combine dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine sugars then add flour, salt and baking powder. Stir to remove any lumps.
Cream wet ingredients: To the bowl, add softened butter, eggs and vanilla and beat on low speed until everything is blended.
Add batter to loaf pan: Spoon batter into a prepared 8-inch loaf pan.
Bake: Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the top of the bread comes out clean or with just a few crumbs
Cool bread completely: Cool bread in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make caramel glaze: In a medium sized pot on the stove top, stir together the butter, brown sugar, salt and evaporated milk over medium heat until the mixture is covered in bubbles. Remove immediately from the heat, add the vanilla then the icing sugar a ½ cup at time until desired consistency is reached. Pour glaze over cooled caramel bread.
Baking Tips
- Leave 1 inch of head room in the loaf pan for the bread to rise.
- Use the toothpick test to check for doneness. Insert the toothpick into the center of the bread, if it comes out clean your bread can be removed from the oven.
- Don’t over mix your bread. Only stir until combined otherwise additional gluten will develop and lead to a bread with a dense, rubbery texture.
- For easy removal of your caramel loaf from the bread pan, line the pan with parchment paper instead of greasing and flouring it.
- Be sure to cool bread completely before icing, otherwise the caramel glaze will slide right off.
How to Store Caramel Bread
Store leftover caramel bread at room temperature for 3-4 days. Leftover caramel glaze can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks.
You can also freeze the bread! It’s best to freeze the bread without the glaze. Cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil and store in a freezer safe bag. Freeze up to 3 months, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before adding the glaze.
FAQs
Should I use a glass or metal loaf pan?
Either pan will work in this quick bread recipe. A dark loaf pan may bake quicker, so check for doneness about 5 minutes before baking time is finished.
What is the difference between quick bread and sweet bread?
A quick bread is any bread that does not use yeast. The bread is leavened by baking powder, or baking soda and can be sweet like banana bread or savory like Irish soda bread. Most sweet breads are often quick breads.
Can I make muffins?
If you prefer to make muffins instead of a caramel loaf that should work! Fill the muffin ⅔ way full of your batter and bake for 20 minutes and check for doneness. For mini muffins, bake for around 10-12 minutes.
Can I make mini loaves?
Yes! You will need three miniature loaf pans and baking time will be around 30 minutes.
Can I make this recipe dairy free?
While the bread can be made dairy free by using a dairy free almond milk and vegan butter, you will need to use a different glaze option unless you make your own dairy free evaporated milk.
More Quick Bread Recipes
The Best Caramel Bread
Ingredients
Caramel Bread
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar – packed
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup butter – room temperature
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Caramel Glaze
- ¼ cup butter – room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar – packed
- 1 pinch salt
- 5.5 ounces evaporated milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups icing sugar
Instructions
Caramel Bread
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F (180C). Grease and flour an 8 inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl mix together the sugars pressing out all the lumps. Add the flour, salt and baking powder and mix together. Add butter and milk and mix on medium speed until smooth. Scrape the bowl and add eggs and vanilla and beat on low speed until the eggs and butter are blended in the mixture.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the top of the bread comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, pour the glaze on top.
Caramel Glaze
- In a medium pot, stir over medium heat the butter, brown sugar, salt and evaporated milk. Make sure the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved and the mix is covered with bubbles.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Add icing sugar, ½ cup at a time and beat together. Add more icing sugar until you find the right consistency for you.
- Pour the glaze on top of the bread.