Perfect Cinnamon Bread
Sweet and moist this cinnamon bread is quick to make and has the most delicious cinnamon sugar swirl both inside and out! With a cake-like texture, it’s perfect for breakfast or dessert.
Baking with cinnamon is so cozy and comforting, not to mention it makes your house smell amazing. We also love to make these homemade cinnamon rolls!
When the seasons change and the temperature starts to drop, making bread is so grounding! If I am not making this cinnamon bread, it’s pumpkin bread or banana bread.
This cinnamon sugar quick bread is so good! It’s moist with a tender crumb and the streusel topping is swoon worthy.
You will love enjoying this bread every morning along with a pumpkin spice latte, well that is if it lasts that long!
It’s so good and it would make the perfect addition to any holiday brunch or gift some to the neighbors!
Table of Contents
What Makes it a Quick Bread?
Quick breads simply put are breads without yeast! Instead they use leavening agents such as baking soda or baking powder to rise.
This cinnamon quick bread is almost like a loaf shaped cake! It’s vanilla cake batter meets cinnamon sugar swirl; similar to our cinnamon coffee cake, but you are able to hold a slice in your hand!
Ingredients and Notes
Cinnamon bread only requires a few simple ingredients, here is why you will need these specifically!
- Flour: All purpose flour provides the best base for this recipe
- Salt, baking soda, and baking powder: For taste and leavening since there is no yeast.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for best taste.
- Eggs: Only two are needed for binding.
Brown sugar: Not only does it add moisture but it is best for the streusel swirl and topping! - Sour milk: Also known as buttermilk, it’s easy to make your own by just adding vinegar or lemon juice to 2% or whole milk.
- Vegetable oil: Oil is best as it produces a moist bread, perfect for this cinnamon bread!
- Cinnamon: A good quality cinnamon that’s warming and fresh, it’s the star of the show here!
How to Make Cinnamon Bread
It’s so easy to make this cinnamon bread recipe, no mixer is even needed! Start by prepping a 9×5 inch loaf pan with grease and flour and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make the cinnamon topping: In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Add in the butter, use a fork to cut it into pieces, and mix everything together. Set the bowl aside.
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.
- Whisk wet ingredients with sugar: In another medium bowl whisk together your granulated sugar and brown sugar, the sour milk, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla.
- Combine then layer and swirl: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan, top with 2/3 of the topping and swirl it into the batter. Add the remaining batter and topping and swirl again.
- Bake and cool: Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing and serving.
Baking Notes and Tips
- Cool completely: If you slice this bread while it is warm, it will most likely fall apart.
- Toothpick check: The best way to test for doneness is to insert a toothpick into the middle of the bread, if it comes out clean or with only a few crumbs, it’s done.
- Baking time: As soon as the smell of cinnamon starts to waft through the air, it’s a sign your homemade cinnamon bread may be near done. Keep an eye on your bread as all ovens bake differently.
- Swirling: Swirl up and down a few times one way, then left to right a few times after placing your cinnamon topping. If you want a thick stripe in the middle of the quick bread, don’t dip your knife in too far after placing the topping.
- Room temperature ingredients: Having your eggs and sour buttermilk come to room temperature before assembling your batter may help your loaf rise taller and peaked vs. short, flat or even worse sunken.
Storing and Freezing
Store: Store cinnamon swirl bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freeze: To freeze, double wrap individual slices or the full loaf in plastic wrap, you may also want to wrap it with aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Place in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw while still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.
FAQs
If you have tested the quick bread using the toothpick method and it’s come back clean or with a moist crumb, it’s ready! Your bread should also have a slightly cracked top and appear to be slightly pulling away from the side of the pan.
There are a few reasons this may have happened. It might not have been done baking, your leavening agents expired or were not measured properly, or the batter sat too long before baking it.
Yes, these would be delicious! You could add up to ¼ cup of either or both to the batter. Dried cranberries would also be delicious, you might also love this walnut cranberry bread.
This would definitely be delicious! I would recommend modifying our lemon glaze from our lemon pound cake recipe. Just leave out the lemon juice and you have a delicious sweet glaze! Optionally, substitute the lemon juice for orange juice, for a delicious orange glaze.
If you cut it into ¾ inch sized pieces, it will serve 12.
While that has not been tested, it should work. For muffins, fill each cup of the pan half full with batter, add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, top with more batter and finish with your filling. Swirl lightly with a knife. Bake for 20-22 minutes. You may want to make cinnamon donut muffins, next!
When you are looking for a simple and quick Cinnamon Bread I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
More Quick Bread Recipes to Try
- Pecan cinnamon quick bread
- Chocolate banana bread recipe
- Simple cornbread
Coconut bread recipe - Strawberry bread
Perfect Cinnamon Bread
Ingredients
For the Batter
- 2 cups All purpose flour
- ¾ cups Granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Brown sugar
- 1 cup Sour milk*
- 2 large Eggs
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
For the Cinnamon Topping
- ¼ cup Brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons Butter- softened
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
*To make homemade sour milk, take 1 cup of milk and add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir it and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F (180C). Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
For the Cinnamon Topping
- In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Add in the butter, cut into pieces, and mix everything together. Set the bowl aside.
For the Batter
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.
- In another medium bowl whisk together the sugars, sour milk, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Pour half of the batter into the loaf pan, top with 2/3 of the topping and swirl it into the batter. Add the remaining batter and topping and swirl again.
- Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely on a cooling rack before serving. Enjoy!
Made this using gluten free flour. Delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Hi Donna, I’m happy to hear you love this bread! Enjoy!