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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.

overhead photo of Easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf with 2 slices of bread cut and cinnamon sugar in photo

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.

Easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf | halfbakedharvest.com #cinnamon #fall #bread #croissants

overhead close up of butter on dough

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.

photo of Easy folding the dough

photo of dough folded into an envelope

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.

close up of dough log

dough after cutting into rolls

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.

bread before baking

bread before baking

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.

overhead close up photo of Easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf before cutting

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.

side angled close up photo of Easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf

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.

overhead photo of Easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf with multiple slices cut

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!

side angled photo of Easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf with loaf cut in half to show the inside

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.

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
rising time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
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.

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Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

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. 
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horizontal photo of Easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf

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Comments

  1. Do you ever try any of your recipes with a gluten free flour mix? This looks SOOO AMAZING but I am very sadly gluten free =(

    Reply

  2. I had a lot of melted butter in the bottom of the pan after it was done cooking. Was t crispy and I even cooked it longer than the time said. Any tips on what I possibly did wrong?

    Reply

    1. Hey there,
      So sorry to hear this, was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? How long did you bake for? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan

      Reply

  3. I can’t wait to try! I am currently low on all purpose flour… could you mix in some whole wheat flour or would that not work with the recipe?

    Reply

    1. Hey Eva,
      That should be totally fine to do here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  5. 5 stars
    Amazing my father is completely obsessed with this one. We also added in a half cup of chopped pecans into the mixture of sugar and highly recommend. Thanks! X

    Reply

    1. Hey there,
      I am thrilled that you liked the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Have an awesome week:) xTieghan

      Reply

  6. Warning! I don’t know what kind of metric universe this recipe inhabit, but please be aware that the metric measurements are a complete mess, off by more than 100% in some cases. We’re talking about an excess of almost 600g of flour!!, but not enough liquid, so not a small variance… I noticed that something is not right when I ended up with a dry scone / pastry texture that wouldn’t combine. I had to convert all the metric measurements I used, then use the presumably correct ratios from US ones, reverse engineer the whole thing and adjust the measurements ending up with a massive amount of dough which almost burnt my super sturdy Kenwood stand mixer on medium speed, I had to let it cool down and finish the monster by hand. Please remove the crazy metric measurements so that others don’t have to go through this nightmare.

    Reply

    1. Hey Christine, we do not provide the metric measurements for the reason that we can’t get them preciously accurate. Were are you seeing metric measurements? Sorry you had trouble!

      Reply

  7. The step by step directions say to freeze in two steps but the directions within the explanation say only one time for 20 min. Could you clarify please?

    Reply

    1. Hey Kajja,
      You are going to freeze in step 4 and step 5. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    This recipe was an absolute HIT! And, relatively easy for how fancy it looks. I especially love that you shared the Instagram stories, written explanations are great but the visuals are just so helpful.

    Reply

  9. I have tried to ssee the video but it is coming out very jacked up, wavy pictures repeating. Is anyone else having a problem?

    Reply

    1. Hey Brenda,
      So sorry about this! You can view the full video on Instagram saved in highlights. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

    2. Can you make the dough the night before? I would love to make this, but waking up at 5 for 8 am breakfast seems like a lot (unless its a holiday.)

      Reply

      1. Hey Heather,
        Yes, you can follow the make ahead instructions listed in the recipe notes above:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

        Reply

  10. Can you repost the video?? Your breads always look so awesome but the video really helps. Something is not working between audio and visual. Tried multiple times. Looking for this on your site not instagram.

    Reply

    1. Hey Lindsey,
      So sorry about the video. You can see the full video on IG in my highlights. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  11. 5 stars
    This might be the best thing I’ve ever baked. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, but it was SO worth the prep time. I had a couple things not go to plan and was worried mine wouldn’t turn out good, but it really is foolproof! Very glad the recipe makes two loaves because after a few hours one loaf is already almost gone!

    Reply

  12. 5 stars
    UMM I had the sudden urge at 9pm to bake something fall/autumn-ish and have been eyeballing this recipe for so long. WOW. I quite literally am typing this with buttery fingers… I just took both loaves out of the oven and devoured a section of the one and ran to leave this review. Each bite was better than the next…. AND THIS WAS SO EASY. AND SO GOOD. Thank you!!!

    Reply

  14. This turned out so delicious! I made this with my mom and we turned it into traditional cinnamon rolls instead of loaves—needed about 30-35 minutes in the oven and made 2 pans of rolls. Pro tip—follow the recipe!! We thought we would be overachievers and do more turns, which ultimately made the dough more elastic and harder to roll out. It baked ok though. So yummy!

    Reply

    1. Hey Farah,
      I haven’t tested this, but I would just cut everything in half. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the recipe. Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply