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. 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 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 pan.
7th, let the dough rise.
8th, bake. 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.
I can’t find the video in the highlights. The one here is broken. Can you please repost. This bread looks so yummy. Thanks!
Thank you Katherine! I will look into it! xTieghan
Does it have to be whole milk? Can it be healthed up with almond milk?
Hey Perri,
Yes, almond milk is fine to use:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
The video for the recipe stops working after a minute or two and I’d love to make it. Is there any other place to watch it. This recipe With all the steps, seems to need visuals for me! ?
Thank you!
Hi Katherine! Thank you for letting me know! Could you connection be why it is not loading? I will look into it on my end as well! xTieghan
Is there a way you could send me the video to this recipe? When I try to play it, it just keeps repeating the beginning and I’d really like to watch it before I make it. Thank you so much!!
Hey Kathy,
I am so sorry about that! I have a full video saved in highlights on my Instagram. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can I use a 5×10 Loaf Pan? Will that affect the outcome of the bread?
Hey Michelle,
That would be okay to use! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This loaf is a dream! Will definitely repeat, not too difficult but seems so impressive. And so glad you added the Instagram stories, I find those so helpful. Love hearing the tips and tricks, I hope you share these videos for all the recipes you’ve done Instagram stories for!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this so much Ashley!! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Hi! I froze the other half unbaked. I followed the instructions to thaw. After 3 hours, it didn’t rise and didn’t rise when baking either. Is it suppose to rise after/during thawing? The family loves this bread, so was looking to be able to freeze some. Fresh dough baked perfectly. Thanks!
Hey Shazreen,
So sorry you had issues with the thawing process, it should rise some and then of course bake like normal. I am wondering if next time you should place it in a warmer spot in your kitchen to thaw? I hope this helps! xTieghan
I took a huge risk making this as a fathers day gift for my grandfather. Basically I had 1 shot to get it right and I’ve never made bread of any kind before… except I do make a mean pie crust. Anyway I used active dry yeast and followed your direction assuming you meant milk not water. Hope that was right but since there was no water called for in the recipe I went for it. Even after 15 minutes it wasnt “foamy” but I gave up waiting and added it to the flour and salt. Everything else seemed to go very well but there was quite a bit of melted butter in the pans while they cooked. They taste fabulous but it’s not really a cohesive loaf, more like a bunch of cinnamon rolls stuck together. Not really sure what I did wrong but at least it tastes great. I’m going to try again this weekend.
Hey Stephanie,
It sounds like your yeast did not “proof” propperly. How warm was the milk you used? If you use too hot of a liquid, it can harm the yeast. Was there anything else you did differently?
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I so glad you still loved this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I’m making this bread again as it turned out amazing! I loved that I could stop at step 8 and freeze it for another time which is just what I did. Plan on at least 3-4 hours from freezer to rise to the level you want prior to your final bake. I’m adding a stronger combo of cinnamon to sugar as we thought the flavor was a bit weak. The kids gobbled up a loaf and as I doubled the recipe we gave 3 out to friends and family. Lovely looking, incredibly moist and not hard! Wish I could add my pics as the loaves looked like a professional baker made them.
Wow that is so great to hear!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Deborah! xTieghan
I tried making this today and followed the recipe to a t. I have not bake it yet but I will tomorrow and cannot wait to taste it. I am sure it is delicious. There are some things I will try to remember next time I make this again. First, make sure the butter is chilled enough but the dough is not too hard before rolling it because I put mine in the freezer and kept it there for 20 mins. but when I rolled it my butter ooze out of the dough and got so soft. Second, make sure to roll the dough into a long rectangular shape if I want to get a nice rolled log. and have multiple layer of cinnamon sugar. Lastly, I will try to cut the log into uneven size like yours. I was just following and reading your recipe while making it and forgot how my log should look like. But anyway, other than that, I am excited to bake and taste it tomorrow. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Thank you so much for trying this one, Rachelle! I hope you love this! xTieghan
This recipe is incredible!! I have made it a couple of times now, as a loaf, as cinnamon rolls in muffin pans, and as raisin scrolls on a baking tray, all flakey and buttery and DELICIOUS!!
As someone else noted, the metric measurement converter is broken/highly inaccurate and could be causing some of the confusion around the amount of butter? I don’t mean ANY disrespect by this Tieghan (your site and recipes are amazing!!) but perhaps you could remove the converter for this recipe, because it would be so awful if someone made this using the incorrect metric amounts and thought it was a terrible recipe when really its wonderful!! Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be making it again and again 🙂
Hi Robyn! I am so glad this recipe turned out amazing for you!! I have been having trouble with the conversions and I am working on it! I hope you continue to enjoy my site! xTieghan
Hi Robyn! When you made this in muffin pans did you do just one “roll” per muffin or tuck in a couple “rolls” into each muffin cup? Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing your super awesome recipe! My daughter and I baked these loaves this morning. I kept one for our family and shared the other with my parents. Everyone is in love with this soft, buttery, cinnamony loaf of yumminess! We are making two more loaves tomorrow.
Thank you so much for trying this one, Tammy! That is so sweet you got to make it with your daughter! xTieghan
Hi! Did you edit the amount of butter in this recipe recently? The blog post says it uses a total of 4 sticks, and I read in another comment reply that you used 2 1/2 sticks of cold butter in the layers. But the actual recipe only 2 sticks of cold butter in the layers, and less than 3 sticks of butter total.
Hey Victoria! That was just a typo within the blog post. All fixed. The recipes reads correctly. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Amazing. Made this last night and refrigerated overnight to bake this morning and wow. Will be making this again for sure!
I am so happy to hear that Michele! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I can’t wait to make to loaf! I only have fresh yeast though. I tried to calculate dry to fresh and it’s about 4 tablespoons which seems like alot. Do you have any recommendations and is it ok to use fresh yeast instead of dry/instant.
Thanks,
Jess.
Hey Jessica! I would use an equal amount of fresh yeast to dry yeast, so 1 tablespoon fresh yeast. I think this should work well! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan