Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf is kind of like a croissant, kind of like a cinnamon roll, but most importantly…it’s kind of INCREDIBLE! This light, buttery, super soft, and extra flaky croissant loaf is swirled with sweet cinnamon sugar. It makes for the most delicious, extra fancy, and super cozy addition to your autumn weekend. This loaf is great on its own, warm with butter, or equally delicious smeared with homemade apple butter. It’s best enjoyed with my favorite pumpkin latte for the coziest fall treat…any time of the day. Or use this bread to make your favorite french toast – the options are endless with this amazing texture. Bonus? Making this pretty loaf is easier than you might think.
It’s the first Friday of October and I am in full-on autumn baking GO mode. Anyone else?
I know it’s not just me because my Instagram feed is flooded with photos of pumpkin bread, jack-o-lantern cookies, and apple cake. I think it’s safe to say everyone is slowly settling into these cozy autumn days. Am I right?
I sure hope so, because I have the very best recipe to share with you all today. It’s one you’re going to find yourself making over and over again.
Watch Me Make This:
Say hello to the croissant loaf…with cinnamon sugar and more butter than you’d think a loaf of bread could ever need. It’s perfection and your weekend NEEDS this bread.
Here’s the story, this started out as a scone recipe, but the scones turned out a bit crumbly. Somehow my scones mixture then morphed into a croissant loaf. Cinnamon sugar was added, and the loaf turned out so good.
And that’s the story. It’s not that the scones weren’t good, because they were. But when my thoughts turned to a croissant loaf the scones just seemed to fade away.
Let’s be real, if you have the choice between a scone and a croissant, you’re going to choose the croissant. Always the croissant.
I debated adding things like chocolate and pumpkin butter, but in the end, I just wanted cinnamon sugar. Because sometimes you just want the classics. And even though there’s no pumpkin or apple in this recipe, this loaf still screams fall to me. It’s sweet, buttery, has warming cinnamon, and is all-around one of the best fall treats you can make.
Here are the details:
As the title suggests, this loaf is EASY.
BUT, looking at the recipe steps may just scare you off. There are a lot of them. But only because I wanted to provide you guys with good detailed directions on exactly how to make this loaf. There is a lot of butter, layering, and rolling. But unlike traditional croissants, this loaf takes 3-4 hours total, not 3 days. Most of the time is spent rising, and honestly, you can’t mess this loaf up. As long as you have the dough made, and some cinnamon sugar, all will be good.
A step-by-step breakdown for you…
1st, make the dough. It’s simple: milk, instant yeast, honey, flour, and salt. Nothing fancy.
2nd, roll the dough out.
3rd, add very thin slices of COLD butter to the center of the dough. This is your “butter packet” (see all my photos for visuals).
4th, roll it out. Again. Freeze 20 minutes.
5th, roll it out. Again. Add cinnamon sugar and roll the dough into a log.
6th, cut the log into rolls and arrange the rolls in a loaf pan.
7th, let the dough rise.
8th, bake until golden brown. Smell the wonderful, warming, cozy, and delicious smells coming from your oven.
9th, eat and enjoy.
The key steps?
Folding the dough and freezing the dough. The multiple folds evenly spread the butter throughout the dough. And the freezing quickly chills the butter and creates all the buttery air packets throughout each loaf.
Do not skip either step.
Fall additions you could make…
Along with the cinnamon sugar, you could also add pumpkin butter, apple butter, or even chopped chocolate.
If you do decide to add pumpkin or apple butter, spread it over the dough in place of the butter, then add the cinnamon sugar.
If using chocolate, use finely chopped chocolate and sprinkle over top the cinnamon sugar.
YUM.
I know, this kind of seems like a lot, but I promise you guys, this is easy. You can make this.
And like I side, you can’t mess it up. Because nothing could ever be bad about a buttery loaf of bread with cinnamon sugar. And yes, this recipe uses close to three sticks of butter. It’s a lot, but it sure is good.
And it’s fall, it’s the weekend, and you should enjoy it.
Best part? This recipe makes 2 loaves. One for this weekend and one for your sweet friends, neighbor, or to freeze and enjoy mid-week.
And with that, I’ll leave you with the recipe. Please make this soon, this weekend would be ideal. And do enjoy with my favorite pumpkin latte for a truly delectable autumn treat any time of the day. ENJOY and see you guys tomorrow for the first “spooky” cocktail Saturday…finally!
If you make this easy swirled cinnamon sugar croissant loaf be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf.
Servings: 18 makes 2 (9x5 inch) loaves
Calories Per Serving: 300 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups warm whole milk
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 1/2 - 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 sticks (1 cup) cold salted butter, sliced into thin pieces
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 egg, beaten, for brushing
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, honey, 4 1/2 cups flour, yeast, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons room temp butter and mix until combined, about 2-3 minutes more, adding the additional 1/2 cup flour as needed, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size.3. Punch the dough down and roll out onto a lightly floured surface, creating a large rectangle that’s about 12x18 inches. Layer the thin slices of cold butter down the middle 1/3 the dough, pressing gently to adhere and layering the slices together to create a rectangle of butter. Gently push the butter together with your hands (see above photo). 4. First fold: Fold 1/3 of the dough over the butter, then fold the other 1/3 over top of the first layer so you have 3 dough layers (like an envelope, see above photo). Roll the dough out again into a large rectangle, fold into thirds. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes..5. Second Fold: Remove the dough from the freezer. Roll the dough into a rectangle (about 12x18 inches) and fold into envelope. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes.6. Meanwhile, butter two (9x5 inch) bread pans. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. 7. Remove the dough from the freezer. Roll the dough into a rectangle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons softened butter and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter. Starting with the edge of dough closest to you, roll the dough into a log, keeping it tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edges to seal.8. Cut the dough log in half. Cut each half into 10-11 rolls. Arrange each roll into the prepared bread pans. You can place them seam side down, or alternate each roll to show more of the filling (see above photo). Cover and let rise 15 minutes. 9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the bread pans on a rimmed baking sheet and brush each loaf with the beaten egg. Transfer to the oven and bake 35-40 minutes or until dark brown on top. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
To Use Active Dry Yeast: Mix 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast with the warm milk and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly and foamy on top. Add the flour and follow the directions as listed for the remainder of the recipe.
To Make Ahead: prepare the bread through step 8. Do not let the bread rise at room temp. Cover the loaves of bread and place in the fridge for up to overnight. When ready to bake, remove the bread from the fridge 30 minutes prior to baking, then bake as directed.
To Freeze The Dough Before Baking: prepare the bread through step 8. Do not let the bread rise at room temp. Cover the loaves of dough tightly and freeze in the bread pans for up to 3 month. When ready to bake, remove the bread from the freeze and thaw for 2-3 hours on the counter, then bake as directed.
To Freeze The Bread After Baking: bake the bread as directed and allow to cool completely. Once cool, wrap the bread tightly with plastic wrap, then transfer to a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter and warm or toast before serving.
Leftovers: the bread is best served warm after baking, but the leftover bread is delicious when lightly toasted or served at room temperature.
This post was originally published on October 4, 2019
I made this a few weeks ago and it turned out AMAZING! I’ve really struggled with the lamination process in the past- but slicing up the butter before adding it has made all the difference for me- thank you so much for the new approach!
I’ve made quite a few of your creations in the last few months- and the techniques I’ve learned + the flavor profiles you use have inspired me to get a little creative. Yesterday I decided to use the dough from this recipe with a savory filling- and it worked like a dream. Instead of cinnamon and sugar I added diced/cooked potatoes, Parmesan cheese and chopped rosemary. I cut into pinwheels, stuffed them in muffin tins and baked for about 30 mins at 350 F. The result was flaky and delicious- and my coworkers are smitten.
Keep up the excellent work- I can’t wait to continue to learn from you and see what you come up with next!
I am so glad you loved this recipe Cassandra! Thank you so much! Also, so sweet of you to share with coworkers! YES! xTieghan
A cross between croissant and cinnamon roll, hell yes !!!!!!!!!!!
This bread was so warm and comforted ( also easy to make ) – comfort food at its best .
YES! I am so glad you like this! Thank you! xTieghan
The recipe is delicious!! Any tips for rolling out the dough after it has been in the freezer?? That was super challenging on the first and second fold.
HI! You can let the dough sit on the counter for 5 minutes to soften slightly, but don’t let it sit too long or the butter will also soften, Please let me know if you have any other questions. I so glad you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
This is the greatest recipe of all time. My husband and I both cried.
I am so glad you both loved it! Thank you Maddi! xTieghan
It’s cooking in the oven, but I had several issues! Hoping I could get some help troubleshooting. First, my dough never really doubled in size or even close. It felt very dense the whole time. I followed the recipe exactly, other then that I don’t have a mixer with a dough hook so I mixed and kneaded by hand. Next, I suspect is related to the dough… even after rolling out several times and cutting in half as you said, I only got 8 slices out of each half which didn’t really stuff my bread pan. Thoughts?? Trying to figure out what didn’t go correctly!
Hey Stephanie, I think the biggest issue is that you kneaded the dough by hand. My guess is that it was not properly mixed and this caused the dough to not rise well and left you with a dense dough. Unfortunately, this recipe is best when made with a stand mixer. I AM SORRY that’s my only answer for you, but some recipes just need a mixer. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you! xTieghan
This looks so delicious!
Would it be possible to roll these as croissants? I feel like they would be great at a brunch.
Hi Fiona! Yes! That will be great and very pretty! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I just made this today and had to do it by hand with a wooden spoon because I don’t have a stand mixer. My loaf came out more like a series of connected cinnamon rolls instead of a distinct bread loaf. It still tastes amazing of course! But I wish I’d been able to have the loaf consistency. I can’t really cut into the loaves because they break apart. Additionally, they don’t have many air pockets in them if I do cut a “slice” (lump, more like), it’s very dense and doesn’t look like yours does in the pictures. Did I under bake them? Or was it something else? Like other people, I had an excess of melted butter after baking them and had to drain it out of the loaves into a little bowl. Overall it tastes and looks great!! Love the recipe, just wondering how I can make my next attempt better!
Hey Meg!! It sounds like your dough was not fully kneaded (due to the hand mixing) which will cause a denser loaf. As for the shape, how did you shape the loaf? Did you make this in a loaf pan? Where there any other changes to the recipe by chance? Any details would be helpful so I can best know what might be happening. Thank you!
hi
i wanted to make it pumpkiny
you said to use it in place of butter
can u explain some more?does it mean i shouldnt use butter and just add pumpkin pureé?
and if yes whitch butter(what step)should i do it?
thanks
Hi Amalie! I recommend using pumpkin butter and spreading it over the dough before adding the cinnamon sugar. So in step 7, replace the 2 tablespoons salted butter with 1/4 cup pumpkin butter, then add the cinnamon sugar. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
Hi. I wanted to make this bread, however can I substitute whole milk for almond milk? Please let me know. It looks delicious.
Thank you
Hi there! I have never used almond milk in this bread, but I am sure it will be just fine. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
This was my first time making dough like this and it was a total success! I took one loaf to the office and it was VERY quickly devoured with rave reviews.
That is so great! Thank you so much Laura! xTieghan
How much softened salted butter goes into the dough? The recipe says 6 tbsp and then it has a 1/2 cup in parenthesis, which is actually a whole stick. Then in the directions it says only 4 tbsp of softened butter. Helllp lol
I Rebekah, you need 6 tablespoons of room temperature butter and then another 2 sticks (16 tablespoons or 1 cup) of COLD butter that is thinly sliced. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
Just made this bread and wanted to share for anyone else wondering about this: I only have one loaf pan, so I baked the leftover slices of dough individually in the cups of a muffin tin and they are FABULOUS. 20 minutes at 350F was all I needed for mine. The butter oozed out and hit the bottom of my oven and my kitchen filled with smoke and I for sure thought all lost but they came out so much better than expected. These would be a perfect brunch bread to serve next to eggs and potatoes.
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Lila, especially with all of the fuss haha! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hello, this looks so delicious! I was wondering if it’s possible to make a gluten free version? Thank you
Hi Daria, I have never made this with GF flour so I can’t really say how it will turn out. If you do try it, I recommend Cup4Cup flour. Please let me know if you have any other questions and how it turns out. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Could you bake these as separate rooms instead of in a loaf?
Hi Martha, I am not sure what you are asking. Can you clarify? Do you mean to say rolls? If so, yes you can bake into rolls. Just bake for much less time, maybe 15 minutes or so. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
I made this and I recommend using WAY LESS BUTTER in step 3. I used 1.5 sticks and once I put it in the oven, it all melted out of the bread and to the bottom of the pan, making the bottom crust really hard. So maybe go for just 1 stick of butter during that step. Otherwise, the bread was great!
Hi Greta! I am glad you still enjoyed this and hope you enjoy it more with less butter! Thank you! xTieghan