Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread

Soft and moist cinnamon swirl quick bread with cinnamon sugar streusel is perfect to share with neighbors and friends! No yeast, no rising time, and no mixer required it’s just a simple from scratch quick bread recipe that goes straight from the mixing bowl to the oven.

 

It is that time of year to start baking up a storm! I just returned home from two back-to-back trips and I am so ready to be back in my kitchen. I love this time of year when the mornings start to cool down and there is a slight crispness in the air.

This means the oven is ready to be working on overtime! Anyone else loving making quick loaves of bread such as pumpkin, banana, cinnamon swirl, and almond poppyseed? There is no yeast that needs to work so they are so much quicker and easier to throw together.

If you love cinnamon recipes, here is my Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe.

Why you will love this recipe:

No yeast, no mixer, and no fuss. This recipe comes together in just minutes with a whisk and one bowl, which makes it the kind of easy quick bread recipe that lives up to its name. Simply mix, layer, and bake it really is that simple.

It tastes like a cinnamon coffee cake in loaf form. This quick bread is loaded with cinnamon sugar goodness and tastes just like a coffee cake in loaf form, making it great for breakfast, brunch, or a simple snack any time of day. 

Perfect for gifting or sharing with your family. From a weekend breakfast and holiday gift giving to a simple fall baking project with the kids, this easy cinnamon sugar bread fits every occasion and is always met with nothing but compliments.

Cinnamon Sugar Bread Ingredients:

Cinnamon Quick Bread:

• All Purpose Flour: The base of the batter. It gives the bread structure while still keeping the crumb soft, tender, and perfectly moist from edge to edge.
• Baking Soda and Baking Powder: The leavening agent that gives this quick bread its rise without the need for yeast or any rising time. Make sure your baking soda is fresh for the best result.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all of the other flavors in the batter. Do not skip it even though it is a small amount.
• Oil: Use a neutral oil. Adds moisture and locks it in.
• Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the batter while brown sugar adds moisture, depth, and a subtle caramel flavor that pairs beautifully with the cinnamon.
• Egg: Binds the batter together and adds structure and richness to the finished loaf. Make sure it is at room temperature before mixing.
• Buttermilk: The secret to an incredibly moist and tender crumb. If you do not normally keep buttermilk on hand you can make your own by adding one to two tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of regular milk and letting it sit for about ten minutes. 
• Sour Cream: Adds moisture to keep the bread soft for days!
• Vanilla Extract: Adds a warm, sweet background note that rounds out the cinnamon flavor and makes the entire loaf taste like something from a bakery. Use pure vanilla extract for the best result.

Cinnamon Sugar Streusel:

• Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar: The combination of both sugars is key.
• Ground Cinnamon: Goes into the cinnamon sugar filling. Use a good quality ground cinnamon for the boldest, warmest flavor throughout every single slice.

Vanilla Icing:

• Powdered Sugar — The base of the icing and what gives it that smooth, thick, and perfectly pourable consistency that drizzles beautifully over the top of the warm loaf. Sift it before mixing to avoid any lumps in your finished glaze.
• Milk or Heavy Cream — Thins the icing to your desired consistency. Use milk for a lighter, thinner drizzle or heavy cream for a richer, thicker glaze that sets up beautifully on top of the bread. Add it one tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you love.
• Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract — Vanilla bean paste is the preferred option here as it adds beautiful flecks of real vanilla bean throughout the glaze and delivers a deeper, more complex vanilla flavor. Pure vanilla extract works perfectly as well if that is what you have on hand.

Since we are such big fans of cinnamon rolls in our home, I wanted to create a cinnamon swirl quick bread that has the same flavors as cinnamon rolls, without all of the work! This Cinnamon Streusel Bread is so heavenly with the homemade cinnamon sugar swirl paired with the moist, sweet bread.

This was an adventure creating this cinnamon bread recipe. I want to make sure my quick breads are moist but they also need enough structure to rise. When I first started recipe testing, everything was just right except for the bread could be a tad moister. I wanted a tender texture to pair with the crunchy cinnamon swirl.

This Cinnamon Bread recipe calls for several ingredients that help to create a moist, soft, tender texture — buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. These are the powerhouses and they are all in one recipe! I also added some brown sugar to create a chewier bread. The results were a perfectly sweet cinnamon bread recipe!

This is so easy to mix together since it only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish before you put it in the oven. I love wrapping these cinnamon bread loaves up and giving them to neighbors and friends — especially during the holidays. Another quick bread recipe I love to gift to friends is my, best lemon loaf.

How to make the Best Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread:

1. Start by mixing together oil, sugar, brown sugar, sour cream, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla until it is all incorporated. You can use a stand-mixer, a hand-mixer, or even stir this by hand.
2. Fold in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. I suggest using aluminum-free baking powder, if at all possible. If you want an even more tender texture, use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour.
3. Make the cinnamon swirl by stirring together sugar, cinnamon, and brown sugar. This will go in the middle of the bread to make a nice swirl throughout the bread.
4. Pour into greased pans and bake just until a toothpick comes out clean in the center. If the sides of becoming

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Can I make this without buttermilk? Yes absolutely. If you do not normally keep buttermilk on hand you can make a quick substitute by adding one to two tablespoons of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice to one cup of regular whole milk and letting it sit for about ten minutes until it curdles slightly. This homemade buttermilk substitute works perfectly in this recipe.
2. Why did my bread sink in the middle? A sunken center is almost always caused by one of three things. First is underbaking, or opening the oven door too early during baking, or overmixing the batter. Make sure your bread is fully baked before removing it from the oven, resist the urge to open the oven door during the first 40 minutes of baking, and always stir the batter until just combined.
3. Can I make muffins with this batter? Yes and they are absolutely delicious. Divide the batter evenly between a greased or lined 12 cup muffin tin, layer with the cinnamon sugar filling the same way, and bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cinnamon Recipes:

Hayley’s Famous Cinnamon Rolls

Coffee Cake

TikTok Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Popular Quick Bread Recipes:

Pumpkin Bread with Brown Sugar Streusel
Banana Bread
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread 
Almond Poppyseed Bread with Candied Almonds

I used an 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inch loaf pan because it creates such perfectly baked bread.