Description
This Easy Cinnamon Bread recipe yields a moist, flavorful loaf featuring a beautiful cinnamon sugar swirl throughout. Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack, the bread combines simple pantry staples like flour, sugar, eggs, and sour cream to create a tender crumb with a sweet cinnamon kick. The step-by-step layering of batter and cinnamon sugar swirl creates an eye-catching marbled effect and rich flavor. It’s straightforward to make and bakes to golden perfection, making it an irresistible homemade treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (375g) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1 cup (220g) white sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/3 cups (290g) sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Swirl
- 60g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder
- 3/4 cup (165g) brown sugar, packed
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 180°C (350°F), suitable for all oven types to ensure even baking.
- Prepare Loaf Tin: Grease an 8″ x 4″ (21 x 11 cm) loaf tin and line it with baking paper, leaving some overhang to easily lift the bread once baked.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, white sugar, baking powder, and baking soda until evenly combined.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract together until smooth and well blended.
- Prepare Cinnamon Sugar: In another bowl, combine melted unsalted butter, cinnamon powder, and brown sugar. Stir until a thick slurry forms.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix gently about 12-15 times until just combined; some lumps are fine to avoid overmixing.
- Layer Batter and Cinnamon Sugar: Spoon about one-quarter of the batter into the prepared tin, smoothing the surface to about 1.5 cm (3/5″) depth. Dollop one-third of the cinnamon sugar mixture over this layer.
- Add Second Batter Layer: Spread half of the remaining batter over the cinnamon sugar layer. Dollop another third of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top.
- Swirl the Cinnamon Sugar: Using a butter knife, drag it lengthwise and crosswise through the batter and cinnamon sugar dollops to create swirls. Then top with the remaining batter and remaining cinnamon sugar, swirling again for an attractive marble effect.
- Bake: Place the tin uncovered in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, cover the top with foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the bread to rest in the tin for 5 minutes before lifting it out using the paper overhang. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool before slicing. The bread can be enjoyed warm but cutting it while too hot may cause crumbling. Optionally, serve with extra butter for added richness.
Notes
- Sour cream adds moisture and tang to the bread but can be substituted with Greek yogurt if preferred.
- Do not overmix the batter to maintain bread tenderness; a few lumps are okay.
- The cinnamon sugar swirl is key for flavor and visual appeal—take care to create swirls with a knife for best results.
- Use baking paper with overhang to easily remove bread from the tin without damage.
- If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil earlier during baking.
