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This bread.

Cinnamon Crunch Braided Brioche Bread | halfbakedharvest.com

Hands down this is the best sweet bread I have ever made.

You guys, I really just do not even have words. This bread is incredible.

Cinnamon Crunch Braided Brioche Bread | halfbakedharvest.com

I know I plan on making it every Sunday from now until Christmas.

I have many reasons for this.

Cinnamon Crunch Braided Brioche Bread | halfbakedharvest.com

One is that it is addicting.

Seriously, you will want slice after slice.

Cinnamon Crunch Braided Brioche Bread | halfbakedharvest.com

Two is the smell.

Oh the smell. It is pure happiness in the air. I would make this bread just for the smell it throws off while baking. Think about how it would smell to be in Mrs. Clause’s kitchen and that is this smell. I would make it even if I could not eat it, just to smell the smell.

The more I think about it, this is a great bread to give to others during the holidays. You get to experience the joy of giving (and filling your house with that awesome aroma!), and your receiver will thank you to no end. Perfect for an elderly neighbor, your friend who just had a baby, the UPS man (or woman). Yeah, the UPS man… speaking of which, mine is seriously overworked! You see up here in the mountains, we don’t have a whole lot of buying choices, so Amazon and online shopping, they are my savior! No really, I can’t imagine what I would do if I wasn’t able to shop online. So Jose (my UPS guy), this bread’s for you!

Cinnamon Crunch Braided Brioche Bread | halfbakedharvest.com

The ropes of soft delicate brioche dough are taken through a bath of butter and vanilla and then generously sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Yes, yes, yes!

It’s like a cinnamon roll brioche bread!

Cinnamon Crunch Braided Brioche Bread | halfbakedharvest.com

I left this bread free of icing because it really does not need any.

There is a whole layer of crunchy streusel on top that really just needs to be left to shine. And it does. Trust me, it is so good. Just a little crunchy on the top, but super soft and doughy, cinnamony and buttery in the middle.

Oh my gooooshhh.

Cinnamon Crunch Braided Brioche Bread | halfbakedharvest.com

Just make it guys.

The dough is really easy to work with and the hands-on time is very minimal. Just mix and let the dough sit overnight, then roll some ropes, dip in butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, braid and let rise for another hour or so. Then bake and smell the amazingness.

And I am serious. It really is amazing.

Cinnamon Crunch Braided Brioche Bread | halfbakedharvest.com

Cinnamon Crunch Braided Brioche Bread

Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Rest/refrigerate 12 hours 25 minutes
Total Time 14 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 12 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 396 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 3 teaspoons yeast
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 12 tablespoons butter melted

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

Streusel Topping

Instructions

  • Combine warm water, yeast, salt and sugar in a large mixer bowl and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add eggs and melted butter and mix until combined. Gradually mix in the flour until the dough comes together. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Grease a large bowl and add the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit 1-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
  • Once the dough has doubled in size place the bowl in the fridge overnight or up to 5 days. When ready to bake the bread remove the dough and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  • In the meantime gather the ingredients for the Cinnamon Sugar Coating. Add the 1/2 cup melted butter to a large shallow bowl, stir in the vanilla.
  • In another medium size bowl combine the 1 cup brown sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix well.
  • Grease a loaf pan and sprinkle the inside of the loaf pan with the Cinnamon Sugar Coating.
  • Sprinkle the dough with flour and cut into three equal pieces. Carefully roll each piece into a 12-inch rope.
  • Now take each rope and dip it through the butter, then generously sprinkle each rope with the Cinnamon Sugar Coating. Now gently roll each rope in the remaining coating that has gathered around the rope on your work surface. I used most of my cinnamon sugar for this.
  • To make the braid, start at one end and pinch the ends of the rope together. Bring the right outside rope over the center rope; that rope now becomes the center. Bring the left outside rope over the new center rope; that rope now becomes the center. Continue braiding until you reach the end. Pinch the ropes together to seal.
  • Carefully lift the braid and place it in the greased and sugared loaf pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft free area another 1-2 hours, or until double in size. About 20 minutes before you are ready to bake the bread preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Make the streusel. In a bowl add the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and pecans. Using your hands work the butter into the sugar until the mixture resembles small peas.
  • Place the loaf on a baking sheet and and sprinkle the streusel overtop. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 to 55 minutes, tenting with foil after 15 to 20. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then carefully turn the bread out of pan to cool completely before slicing. If some of the streusel falls off, just place it back on the loaf.

Notes

*Brioche dough adapted from [here | http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/brioche-recipe].
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Cinnamon Crunch Braided Brioche Bread | halfbakedharvest.com

Finally!

 

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Comments

  1. 4 stars
    I made this loaf today, and we enjoyed the incredible aroma creating holiday scents in our home. The brioche has excellent texture. This was my first brioche experience, and I was amazed at how easily it came together. The cinnamon sugar topping is a little dry for my taste. I may follow the advice of a previous reviewer and use a glaze in the future. All in all, a good recipe that I will likely try again. Thank you for sharing!

  2. Dough was too wet. I think it was the melted butter. And baked it was greasy…and kinda heavy….tweaked this with my favorite Brioche recipe which included proofing the yeast first with the water and sugar..no salt…added salt to the dry flour…put the flour in the mixer..add the egg to the yeast liquid mix to the flour mix, .then beating in room temp butter one tbsp at a time till absorbed, then knead w dough hook for about 7 min. Yeah it took longer…but then did the coating and topping and it came out perfect.

    1. Hey Annie,
      You will want to use the dough hook for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions:) xTieghan

  3. Just wondering if I can continue to make and bake the bread after it has doubled in size, or does it need to sit in the fridge overnight?!? If it does need to be in the fridge, why is that?
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Marla,
      You can continue with the recipe if you plan to do it all in one day:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

  4. I’m making it right now!! My dough is a little wet, is that normal? I added some extra flour and now I’m letting it rise 🙂

    1. Same here (dough too wet) and I doubled the recipe also. I just added more flour also so I hope it turns out. I wonder if the butter needs to be adjusted on the recipe for doubling ?

  5. ohhh my…this bread is unbelievable! True, it has a lot of steps but it is so worth the effort. Cinnamon lovers delight! Thank you Tiegan for an outstanding bread recipe!

    1. Hey Bev,
      Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan

  6. 5 stars
    I started this yesterday and finished this morning. I said to my husband how I am always amazed when making your recipes that they look so beautiful which leads you to believe they will be super labor intensive but they never are. Super easy and always so delicious!! The only trouble I had with this is the bottom got quite browned (nearing burnt) due to the long bake time necessary to get the middle done. Honestly I knew in all likelihood it would and should’ve stuck another pan underneath after about 30 minutes, I just hated to increase the bake time that this would necessitate because then the top/sides would get
    too browned. However, all of that being said, this bread is wonderful and we enjoyed it very much!! Thank you so much for the recipe!

    1. Hey Suzanne,
      Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan

    1. Hey Allysa,
      I would start checking for doneness at 40 minutes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

  7. 5 stars
    I didn’t use the actual bread recipe provided, because I already have a delicious brioche recipe that I make with my sourdough starter. That being said, I was looking for a way to sweeten it up and make it into a special occasion bread. I have found THE special occasion bread recipe (or any occasion, it’s so good!). I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and used two 13X9 cake pans for rolling the strands before braiding: one for the butter and one for the cinnamon/sugar mix. It was harder to braid than usual so I used some of the extra melted butter to keep the ends squished together. Also, I did add the crunch topping (minus the pecans) but decided that I definitely wanted to go the extra mile and add a glaze to make it more like a cinnamon roll. I used the glaze recipe from the HBH overnight brioche pull-apart cinnamon roll bread, and OMG I do not regret it! I think next time, I’ll skip the crunch topping and just add the glaze. This is to die for! It would be perfect for Christmas or Easter or even just a nice weekend brunch. Thanks for this wonderful technique that I can add to my recipe box!

    1. Hey Chris,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan

  8. Hi, just wondering if you have to let it sit in the fridge over night or if I can just make it straight away

  9. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! Thank you. Was wondering if there would be any difference if I let the dough rise, make the braid, put it in the pan, let it ride again and then let it sit in the fridge overnight? Want to just put it in the oven first thing for Christmas morning. Fresh out of the oven.

    1. Hey Meg,
      This would be fine to do. Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

  10. 5 stars
    I’ve got the dough chilling in my fridge now! Had a couple questions:
    1. Does it have to chill overnight or is 6-8 hrs okay?
    2. Are you dusting the pan with part of the cinnamon sugar mix you made to sprinkle on the brioche ropes? Just making sure I have enough!

    Thanks! Your recipes are so wonderful and I can’t wait to taste this bread!

    1. Hey Abby,
      6-8 hours is fine to do and yes just part of it! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan

    1. Hey,
      If you are using active yeast yeast, for instant yeast no need to! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan