Perfect Cinnamon Bread Recipe
This cinnamon bread is moist with a ribbon of cinnamon sugar swirled inside. You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make it and it's a recipe that the entire family will devour!
Servings: 10 slices (1 loaf)
Calories: 286kcal
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Swirl
- 3 Tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Bread
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt just a pinch
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup milk
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the center, or lower, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
- Make the Filling: In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon.
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugars together on high speed until smooth and creamy— about 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs, applesauce, and vanilla extract and beat on medium until combined. Scrape down the sides as needed. The mixture will look chunky and curdled– this is completely normal.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, turn the mixer on low speed, slowly add the milk. Beat until just combined— be careful not to overmix. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour and spread ½ of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle almost all of the cinnamon sugar filling evenly on top, reserving 2 Tablespoons for the topping. Spread the remaining batter evenly on top. The top layer will be a little difficult to spread, but do the best you can.
- Bake for 50 minutes, loosely covering the bread with aluminum foil at the 20 minute mark to help prevent the top and sides from getting too brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the load comes out clean or a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely. Once cooled, cut into slices and serve.
- Cover and store bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze the entire loaf of bread or in individual slices for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then heat up for ~15 seconds or bring to room temperature, if desired.
- Milk: You can use any preferred milk. I often use oat milk since that's what I typically have on hand.
- Applesauce: If you only have sweetened applesauce, reduce the granulated sugar to 2 Tablespoons.
Nutrition
Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 221mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg
