Homemade cinnamon swirl bread is truly magnificent and only requires a few basic ingredients including vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, and sugar. It’s soft and tender with a gooey cinnamon swirl that is just calling out for a smear of butter!
If you want to know how to make cinnamon swirl bread from scratch, this is the perfect recipe to try. It is very easy and fills your home with an aroma that will pull anyone into the kitchen.
If you love bread, try our recipes for French toast, Caprese toast, and a nice strawberry fruit pulp quick bread!

When I need to relax, I head to the kitchen to bake something. Baking helps relieve stress, especially when I can find a recipe that calls for a bit of kneading.
Bread tends to be the perfect thing to bake, don't you think? Well,
I was really wanting to make a cinnamon bread loaf and when Neilsen-Massey asked me to come up with a recipe using vanilla I knew this sweet bread was it.
I love cinnamon and sugar and I love vanilla practically anything so to have these flavors baked into a swirl surrounded by a soft, pillowy bread is heaven.
Ingredients for cinnamon swirl loaf bread
- Milk– I like to use whole milk for this recipe, but use whatever you have available! I actually used Lactose-Free whole milk and it baked beautifully!
- Butter- Salted butter is where it's at. If you need to cut back, then unsalted will work too.
- Vanilla extract- Delicious warm and cozy, this vanilla is a must in all baked goods!
- Vanilla bean paste- This is my secret ingredient to all baked goods. I love seeing all the little bean specks!
- Active dry yeast- This gives your cinnamon bread the rise it needs.
- Eggs- Large eggs work for creating a tender baked bread.
- Sugar- This is a sweet bread, so sugar is needed. I did not use a lot because there would be a swirl of sweet in the bread.
- Flour- Use all-purpose flour for this.
- Salt- Kosher salt is all I use for baking and cooking. I like the coarseness of it.
- Cinnamon- Have you ever tried Saigon Cinnamon? It is delicious! That is what I used for this recipe.
More recipes: Zucchini carrot muffins, Apple Dutch baby pancake, Pumpkin donuts, Apple cider donuts, and these amazing Cinnamon Scones!

How to make cinnamon swirl bread from scratch
First off- to make homemade bread, you will need a bit of time to put ingredients together and to allow your bread to rise. So be sure to plan on about 4 hours for this whole process.
Trust me, it will be worth it!
In a medium saucepan, melt butter with milk until warm. Do not boil! Pour into a small bowl and allow this to cool until lukewarm. Sprinkle active dry yeast over the top and gently whisk together.
Let this sit for 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix flour and salt and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add your sugar and eggs and mix with your paddle attachment until combined.
Now you can add the secret ingredient of vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract!

Pour in melted butter, milk, and yeast mixture and stir to combine.
Add half of the flour mixture and mix on medium speed. Add remaining half of flour and mix again until all combined.
Switch out your paddle attachment for a dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed for 10 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add 1/4 cup and beat for 5 more minutes. If you want to knead by hand, this is a great video tutorial.
Heat a large glass bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds to get it nice and warm. Drizzle a little bit of canola oil and smear around.
Take a bowl scraper – this is the bowl scraper I use- it is SO convenient when working with a sweet dough and scrape the bread dough into the warm glass bowl. Turn once to coat the dough ball.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a nice warm place for an hour to 1 1/2 hours. Your dough should double in size.

Mix 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 2 Tablespoons cinnamon.
Punch down dough and turn out onto a very lightly dusted work surface.
Roll dough into an 18 to 24-inch long rectangle (no wider than your loaf pan).
Smear the dough with melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture over the entire rectangle. If you want to add raisins or nuts, this is when you would do so.
Starting with the far end, roll dough toward you, as tightly as possible. Pinch seam to seal.
Place in loaf pan seam side down. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and put back in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Place loaf pan on center rack and bake for 40 minutes. Your Cinnamon bread should turn a beautiful golden brown and sound a bit hollow when tapping the bottom.
Remove from the pan and let cool on a rack before slicing.
This is the best cinnamon swirl bread and I know you are going to LOVE it! It is so good.
I know you're going to ask :
Can you freeze Cinnamon Swirl Bread?
Yes! This bread freezes really well! Wrap in saran wrap and then aluminum foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Homemade cinnamon swirl bread is truly magnificent and only requires a handful of basic ingredients including vanilla bean paste. It’s soft and tender with a gooey cinnamon swirl!
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 6 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- cinnamon sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter with milk until warm. Do not boil! Pour into a small bowl and allow this to cool until lukewarm. Sprinkle active dry yeast over the top and gently whisk together.
- Let this sit for 10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, mix flour and salt and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add your sugar and eggs and mix with your paddle attachment until combined.
- Now you can add the secret ingredient of vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract!
- Pour in melted butter, milk, and yeast mixture and stir to combine.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix on medium speed. Add remaining half of flour and mix again until all combined.
- Switch out your paddle attachment for a dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed for 10 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add 1/4 cup and beat for 5 more minutes.
- Heat a large glass bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds to get it nice and warm. Drizzle a little bit of canola oil and smear around.
- Take a bowl scraper - this is the bowl scraper I use- it is SO convenient when working with a sweet dough and scrape the bread dough into the warm glass bowl. Turn once to coat the dough ball.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a nice warm place for an hour to 1 1/2 hours. Your dough should double in size.
- Mix 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 2 Tablespoons cinnamon.
- Punch down dough and turn out onto a very lightly dusted work surface.
- Roll dough into an 18 to 24-inch long rectangle (no wider than your loaf pan).
- Smear the dough with melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture over the entire rectangle.
- Starting with the far end, roll dough toward you, as tightly as possible. Pinch seam to seal.
- Place in loaf pan seam side down. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and put back in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Place loaf pan on center rack and bake for 40 minutes. Your Cinnamon bread should turn a beautiful golden brown and sound a bit hollow when tapping the bottom.
- Remove from the pan and let cool on a rack before slicing.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
14Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 267Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 211mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 3gSugar: 20gProtein: 5g
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