A few years ago I hosted a “bread night” for a couple of friends and we enjoyed making different breads together. One of the breads we made was a Cinnamon Chip Bread. It has become a favorite ever since. Cinnamon Chip Bread is a soft white bread that has bursts of cinnamon sugar flavor throughout. Imagine the best part of an ooey, gooey cinnamon roll…that texture is what each and every cinnamon chip gives to the loaf of bread. It is so delicious.
Burst of Cinnamon Flavor in Every Bite
Cinnamon Chip Bread is different from a typical cinnamon swirl bread because instead of spreading the bread with cinnamon sugar, you knead cinnamon chips into the dough after the first rise. The cinnamon chips give bursts of flavor throughout the bread instead of a mild swirl flavor. If you want to buy cinnamon chips, you can check your local store or order them on Amazon, (affiliate link), though I think the best and most affordable option is to make them yourself. I have a recipe for cinnamon chips here.
The dough begins as a somewhat traditional, lightly enriched white dough and transforms into a cinnamony-sweet addicting loaf of bread. I find that using parchment paper to line my bread pans really helps so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Even with my favorite non-stick USA bread pans (affiliate link), when I bake something sticky or sugary in the pan it will often have a little bit of stick-age. I would rather not deal with that and using parchment paper to line the pans solves this issue. There’s not much worse than spending three hours making a beautiful loaf of bread only to have it break apart when you take it out of the pan. Do yourself a favor and use that parchment paper!
The Best Way to Eat Cinnamon Chip Bread
Cinnamon Chip Bread tastes delicious warm from the oven, but it is probably best to let the bread cool if you want to slice the loaf. We love to toast our cinnamon chip bread and add a little butter for a sweet breakfast. I’ve also enjoyed taking this bread to a bible study or lunch groups. It also makes a great gift to take to a friend or to deliver to a neighbor to let them know you’re thinking about them. I love making an extra loaf or two of bread and will often double recipes just so I can take a loaf to someone who needs a little “pick me up.”
Cinnamon Chip Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups warm milk *about the temperature of baby's bathwater
- 2/3 cup warm water *about the temperature of baby's bathwater
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons instant yeast I use SAF instant yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil or other neutral flavored oil
- 6 cups bread flour 32 ounces, see recipe notes for substitution
- 1 bag cinnamon chips or 1 1/2-2 cups homemade cinnamon chips
Instructions
- In a liquid measuring cup (affiliate link), mix the milk and water together. Heat in the microwave until warm. Be careful that it doesn't get too hot. When you stick a finger into the center of the milk/water mixture it should feel like baby's bathwater.
- Pour the liquid into a stand mixer (my favorite is Bosch Universal Plus which has been out of stock…this one is also amazing, affiliate link) with a dough hook. Add the instant yeast, sugar and salt. Lightly whisk the egg with a fork and add to the mixture. Add the oil.
- With the dough hook running, add the flour a cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. See recipe notes for bread flour substitutions. The dough should be slightly tacky but should be able to roll up into a ball in your fingers with just a little residue. More tips for checking the readiness of your dough here.
- Continue kneading for about 7 minutes with the mixer. If you choose to knead by hand, knead for 10 minutes or longer. This helps the dough develop the strands of gluten that will make for light, fluffy and airy bread.
- Once the dough is kneaded, transfer it to your countertop and lightly hand-knead the cinnamon chips into the dough. I like to hand knead them so they don't melt all over the dough and change the color of the bread. If you don't care about this, you can add them into the last 30 seconds of your kneading process. Warning: If you dough is overly warm, the chips may melt and it may be better to add the chips to the dough after it has risen. Check the conditions of your kitchen and decide what will work best for you.
- Transfer the dough to a container (I like this one with the numbers on the side so I can tell how much the dough has risen, affiliate link). Cover and let rise about an hour.
- Once the dough has just about doubled in size, turn it out onto the counter top. Divide into two pieces. Working with the first piece, pat and lightly stretch the dough into a rectangle. Roll the dough up, pinching the seams in as you go. Once you've formed a log-shaped loaf, pinch the bottom seam closed and transfer to the dough to a parchment-lined 1 lb loaf pan (my favorite, affiliate link). Repeat with the second loaf.
- Cover the loaves with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until the loaf barely rises over the top of the loaf pan.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 40 minutes.
Notes
Recipe Note: Cinnamon chips can be purchased here (affiliate link), but I recommend making your own. They are simple, affordable and absolutely delicious.
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Amy
Hi! I’m Amy. Sourdough lover and Kentucky based mama, sharing my best recipes and tips, one bake at a time. So glad you’re here!
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