Cinnamon Bread is a tender, sweet quick bread with a moist texture, a thick cinnamon-sugar swirl, and a crunchy topping—it’s hard to resist!
Try some of other favorite quick bread recipes like Apple Cinnamon Bread, Zucchini Bread, or Pumpkin Bread!
The Best Cinnamon Bread Recipe
After making cinnamon banana bread, I realized I needed a go-to cinnamon bread recipe for when I don’t have ripe bananas. Inspired by that recipe, I created this quick, easy, and irresistibly delicious recipe.
With a perfect texture and rich cinnamon flavor, it’s truly a breeze to make. One bowl for the batter, one for the cinnamon-swirl filling, and a wooden spoon—no mixer required.
Bonus: this soft bread stays fresh for days and freezes beautifully. It’s a must-add to your recipe collection!
Quick Tip
Love cinnamon-sugar desserts? You’ll love this Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread, no-knead Cinnamon Roll Recipe, or simple Cinnamon Roll Cake!
Cinnamon Bread Ingredients
This recipe uses basic pantry staples but a few ingredients to talk about:
- Greek Yogurt: Flavored yogurt, like honey vanilla, makes it taste even better without extra work. Use full-fat Greek yogurt or full-fat sour cream.
- Baking Agents: Make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh.
- Milk: Whole milk gives the best flavor and softest texture, though 2% or 1% milk works too. Avoid skim or non-dairy milk—they’re too thin.
Quick Bread Tips
- To keep this Cinnamon Bread recipe easy, stir the batter using a wooden spoon and whisk. Don’t use a hand or stand mixer—it can mix in too much air.
- Stop stirring when you don’t see any dry flour.
- Measure every cup or spoon to heaping/overfilled then level off the top with the back of a table knife for the perfect measurements.
- Always line the pan to keep the bread from sticking or breaking apart when take it out.
Variations
Switch Things Up
- This cinnamon bread is amazing on its own. To make it more like a cinnamon roll, add cream cheese frosting or a simple vanilla glaze on top.
- If you like buttered bread, spread some honey butter on top for extra flavor.
- For a raisin bread, mix 1 cup of raisins with 1 tablespoon of flour, then stir them into the batter.
Storage
Leftover Cinnamon Bread?
At room temp, this bread keeps fresh and tasty for 2 days (it’s even better on the second day!). To store longer, wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
Freezing
- Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack.
- Cover the whole loaf in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag. Press out the extra air before sealing.
- Defrost and eat within 3 months.
Quick Tip
Use the correct size of bread pan! This Cinnamon Bread recipe won’t bake up properly in other loaf pan sizes. Be sure to use a 9×5-inch (1 pound) pan. By the way, here’s my fave loaf pan!
More Cinnamon Goodness:
- Cinnamon Roll Cookies with cream cheese frosting
- Caramel Snickerdoodles snickerdoodles with Rolos stuffed inside!
- Cinnamon Roll Popcorn with white chocolate
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with cinnamon
- Cinnamon Banana Bread with a streusel topping
Cinnamon Bread
Tender and sweet Cinnamon Bread is an ultra-moist quick bread that is simple to make and a hit with everyone who tries it! This bread has a thick swirl of cinnamon sugar in the center as well as a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping. What's not to love?!
Equipment
- 9×5-inch (1 pound) pan (Note 1)
Ingredients
Cinnamon Swirl
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 3 tablespoons white, all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups white, all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 large egg, at room temperature (Note 2)
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/3 cup vegetable (or canola) oil
- 1/3 cup full-fat Greek yogurt (or sour cream), at room temperature
- 3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
Topping
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Optional: add a glaze! (Note 3)
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease and lightly flour (or line with parchment paper) a 9×5-inch bread pan. Set aside.
- CINNAMON SWIRL: Combine the cinnamon swirl ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
- BREAD: In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients until integrated.
- BREAD CONT.: In a separate large bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients. Briskly whisk (with a whisk; don't use a hand/stand mixer) until well combined and completely smooth. Once smooth, pour wet into dry and gently mix with a wooden spoon, scraping the sides with a spatula as needed until completely integrated and no white streaks remain. Once you've got a nice smooth batter, stop mixing.
- TOPPING: Stir topping ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
- ASSEMBLE: Spread half of the bread batter into prepared pan pressing batter to the very edges of the pan. Add cinnamon-swirl mixture in an even layer on top. Spread remaining half of bread batter on top and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon into an even layer that touches the edge of the pan (this will take some gentle coaxing to not pull up the cinnamon sugar layer). Sprinkle topping ingredients evenly on top (don't press into bread).
- BAKE: Place bread in oven and bake for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Remove and let cool inthe pan or 15 minutes before inverting and letting fully cool on a cooling rack. Wait for 1 hour to cut into the loaf; then use a very sharp serrated knife to cut into slices. If desired, add a glaze (Note 3) to completely cooled bread.
- STORAGE: We like to finish this bread within 1-2 days of being made. (It's even more moist and flavorful on day 2!) After the second day, it begins to lose texture (becomes too moist). It can, however, last up to a week stored in an airtight container and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. After the second day, I recommend storing it in the fridge. Wrap each slice tightly and place in an airtight container.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Loaf pan: Be sure to use the correct size of pan so the recipe works properly. Here’s the loaf pan we use and love. An 8×4-inch pan is too small! If you do use an 8×4-inch pan, only add about 75% of the batter (use leftovers for some muffins) and note that bake time is shorter. Don’t forget to generously grease the bread pan. Grease with nonstick spray (or rub on shortening) and then lightly dust with flour. Alternatively, line it with parchment paper. If you line with parchment paper, leave an overhang for easy removal.
Note 2: Room temperature ingredients: It’s really important the egg, yogurt/sour cream, and milk are all at room temperature to integrate smoothly.
Note 3: Glaze: If you’d like to add a glaze to this bread, combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon whole milk, a drop of vanilla extract, and a tiny pinch of salt. Mix and then spoon over completely cooled bread.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 366mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
