This Cinnamon Swirl Bread is a moist and sweetly satisfying spiced quick bread that easily combines simple pantry staples and goes from bowl to oven in only 10 minutes. The delicious flavors of cinnamon and sugar are swirled inside each slice of soft and tender cake-like bread; with a no-yeast batter it bakes without a fuss.
Table of Contents
- Easy-To-Bake Cinnamon Swirl Bread
- Why We Love This Cinnamon Quick Bread Recipe
- Ingredients / Shopping List
- Substitutions and Additions
- Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- How to Make the Cinnamon Swirl Bread
- Tips
- Storage Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Other Easy Quick Bread Recipes
- Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe
Easy-To-Bake Cinnamon Swirl Bread
No yeast? No problem! This homemade Cinnamon Quick Bread recipe mixes basic ingredients into a batter that can immediately be baked–no waiting for dough to rise and no mixer required. Buttermilk adds moisture to the loaf, while keeping it light and fluffy, and the layer of cinnamon sugar that runs through the middle makes a sweet swirl in every slice. I especially love how the cinnamon sugar topping turns into a crispy coating that seals in all the delicious flavors and creates an irresistible kind-of-crunchy crust.
Similar to a coffee cake and reminiscent of a cinnamon roll, this Cinnamon Quick Bread bakes in a fraction of the time and is so much better because it’s fuss-free! A quick whirl with a knife to the top adds a final fun flair, so that ribbons of cinnamon stream through each slice–it’s like eating a piece of cake that’s sturdy enough to hold in your hand, in quick bread form!
Why We Love This Cinnamon Quick Bread Recipe
- Quick and easy to make using pantry staple ingredients.
- No waiting for the batter to rise and bakes in a fraction of the time as a yeast bread.
- Tender and moist center with an exterior that has a slight crunch from the cinnamon sugar coating.
- Sweet cinnamon sugar flavor swirled inside every slice.
- Delicious for breakfast, brunch, dessert or afternoon sweet snack
- Great for gifting to neighbors, friends, and family during the holiday season.
Ingredients / Shopping List
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Baking powder
- Fine sea salt
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar, packed
- Egg
- Buttermilk
- Vanilla extract
Substitutions and Additions
- Make Muffins: You can easily make muffins with your batter. Instead of using a loaf pan, simply pour the bread batter into muffin tins. You will make 12-14 muffins, and suggested bake time is 15-18 minutes.
- Add-Ins: Feel free to add some raisins, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, walnuts, or pecans to your batter before baking.
- Spice It Up: Make it a spiced bread by adding a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, allspice, or a combination of all three.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- 9×5 loaf pan
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring tools
- Butter knife
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How to Make the Cinnamon Swirl Bread
This Cinnamon Bread is a moist and sweetly satisfying spiced bread that easily combines simple pantry staples and goes from bowl to oven in 10 minutes. The delicious flavors of cinnamon and sugar are swirled inside each slice; with a no-yeast batter it bakes without a fuss.
- Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set the bowl aside.
- In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until combined.
- Mix in the egg.
- Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and combine until there are no dry patches.
- In a small bowl stir together the sugar and cinnamon.
- Pour ½ of the batter to the pan and smooth it out. Sprinkle ⅔ of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top.
- Cover cinnamon sugar with remaining batter and smooth out the top.
- Add the remaining cinnamon sugar to cover and swirl the top with a butter knife.
- Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes.
Pro Tip: Bread is done baking when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. - Cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Tips
- Make sure your quick bread has completely cooled before slicing. If you try to slice it warm, the center will sink and it will likely fall apart!
- Lining the loaf pan with parchment paper makes it easier to lift out of the pan and will keep the cinnamon sugar topping in tact.
- This recipe can easily be doubled to make two loaves.
Storage Tips
- To Store: You can store your quick bread at room temperature for up to 3 days in an air tight container.
- To Freeze: If freezing quick bread, wrap it very well in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
A quick bread is a bread that uses leavening agents (baking soda, baking powder, etc.) instead of yeast to make the bread rise. And because it has no yeast, it mixes up into a batter like a cake batter, rather than a stiffer dough like a yeast dough. It can be mixed and immediately baked, whereas a yeast bread needs to be mixed, left alone to rise, deflated, left alone again to rise again and then baked.
If you don’t have any buttermilk, you can measure 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar into a (2-cup capacity) glass measuring cup. On top of the lemon juice or white vinegar, add enough milk to reach the 2-cup line. Stir and allow to sit for 10 minutes. The liquid should thicken into “buttermilk.”
This bread pairs perfectly with almost anything! It’s great for breakfast with fruit, yogurt, or a smoothie. I also love to serve it for dessert with a little bit of ice cream! A few personal favorites include topping my bread with butter, a powdered sugar glaze, or even cream cheese!
This Cinnamon Quick Bread freezes really well–perfect for making a double batch and freezing one. I love having an emergency quick bread on hand! Whether it’s for me, or for gifting, it’s always a plus to have more than one!
The crack on top happens when top of the loaf “sets” in the heat of the oven before the bread is finished rising. Don’t worry — it’s normal for quick breads. You can drizzle the loaf with icing or dust with confectioners’ sugar to “hide” the crack if it bothers you.
Other Easy Quick Bread Recipes
- Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
- Zucchini Bread
- Ice Cream Bread
- Cloud Bread
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Cinnamon Donut Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Bread
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the filling and topping:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with baking spray, or line it with parchment paper and spray with baking spray, set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt until combined, set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar for 2 minutes until combined. Add the egg and mix it in. Add the buttermilk and vanilla, slowly stir it in until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix it in until just combined, with no dry patches.
- In a small bowl stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Add ½ of the batter to the pan and smooth it out. Add ⅔ of the cinnamon mixture on top evenly. Add the remaining batter, smooth out the top. Add the remaining cinnamon sugar, swirl the top with a butter knife.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Take the bread out of the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: You can store your quick bread at room temperature for up to 3 days in an air tight container.
- To Freeze: If freezing quick bread, wrap it very well in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Make sure your quick bread has completely cooled before slicing. If you try to slice it warm, the center will sink and it will likely fall apart!
- Lining the loaf pan with parchment paper makes it easier to lift out of the pan and will keep the cinnamon sugar topping in tact.
- This recipe can easily be doubled to make two loaves.
