This easy one bowl recipe for Amish Cinnamon Bread is a delicious no knead quick bread that is amazing when served with butter or a cup of hot coffee!
A simple, old fashioned recipe that is sure to delight tastebuds and satisfy your sweet tooth.
This warm and comforting Amish Cinnamon Bread is a favorite in my home. Both my toddler and my husband give it 5 stars, and I think it's even more popular than my Sourdough Banana Bread, which is really saying something!
This easy recipe is a simple, everyday recipe that can be made with pantry staples. In fact, chances are you have everything you need right in your pantry and fridge! And while this recipe calls for buttermilk (of which I'm sure there is ample supply of on the traditional Amish farm), you can easily use a buttermilk substitute if needed.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's an authentic Amish recipe that is easily made with simple ingredients and uses just one bowl!
- No Amish friendship bread starter needed - this Amish Cinnamon Bread recipe is made with everyday pantry basics.
- Filled with delicious cinnamon sugar flavor with a slightly crisp topping. Perfect for serving with a hot cup of coffee or tea!
- Freezes great, making it perfect for gifting or stashing away for when the sweet tooth hits (or guests arrive).
Ingredients
- Butter: You'll need both softened and melted butter for this easy Amish recipe. The softened butter if for making the batter, and the melted butter for pouring on top. Everything is better with butter!
- Flour: Just a standard all purpose flour will work perfectly. No fuss necessary!
- Buttermilk: You can use real buttermilk, or a buttermilk substitute if you don't have any on hand. The classic tang of buttermilk gives it that farmhouse fresh taste.
- Sugar: A combination of white cane sugar and brown sugar provides the perfect balance of sweetness and caramel-y flavor.
- Cinnamon: You can't have cinnamon bread without it, after all! A delicate cinnamon sugar is swirled into the batter in two layers, making for a delicious and fragrant quick bread.
- Baking basics: Like vanilla extract, baking soda, and a single large egg.
How to Make Amish Cinnamon Bread
Before you get started, make sure to preheat your oven to 350ºF and set the baking rack to the bottom ⅓ of the oven. Grease a 9X5 glass loaf pan with butter or a small amount of oil and set aside.
- Add your softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a large bowl.
- Mix together on medium speed, creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This should take 2-3 minutes.
- Once the butter and sugars have been creamed, add in a large egg and vanilla extract. Mix well on medium speed until incorporated.
- Add in the buttermilk, and mix until combined. You may see what looks like "curdling" but it's just the texture of the buttermilk. Once the dry ingredients are added, everything with smooth out.
- Sift the flour and baking soda into the bowl of combined wet ingredients. Then, fold it in gently until completely combined.
- Once the flour has been folded in and no large lumps of flour remain, pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Set aside.
- Combine ⅓ cup of granulated sugar with 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon and stir together.
Creating a Cinnamon Swirl
- Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the batter in the loaf pan, then use a butter knife to "swirl" it into the batter. Use side-to-side motions, as well as up and down.
- Top the loaf with the remaining batter and smooth it out with the back of a silicone spatula.
- Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on top of the loaf, and swirl it in with a butter knife, using side-to-side and up-and-down motions.
- Once the batter has been swirled with the cinnamon sugar, pour 2 tablespoons of melted butter evenly on top of the loaf. It doesn't have to be perfect, but if a lot of butter settles in one spot, try your best to redistribute it.
Baking the Loaf
Bake in the preheated oven for 50-70 minutes, or until a toothpick (or cake tester) comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before running a butter knife around the edge and releasing the loaf from the pan.
- Cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.
- Serve as is, or with some butter or a cup of coffee. It's a delicious sweet treat that holds its own when it comes to flavor!
Tips for Success
- Make sure to use softened butter to make your Amish Cinnamon Bread. It creams together perfectly with the sugars and makes for a moist, perfectly flavored loaf. If you have not thought ahead and set your butter out to soften, you can use melted and cooled butter, but your loaf will be less moist.
- Sifting the flour and baking soda together ensures that it is evenly distributed into the batter. If you don't have a sifter you can use a fine mesh sieve, or whisk the flour and baking soda together in a separate bowl before adding it to the wet ingredients.
- Take care to swirl the cinnamon sugar into the bread, rather than mix it in. This is done by using a butter knife and swirling it side-to-side and up-and-down. Cinnamon impacts the rise of bread, which is why you often see it incorporated into a swirl rather than mixed into the batter itself.
Storing Your Bread
At room temperature: Wrap your loaf in a triple layer of plastic wrap. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days, keeping it tightly wrapped. Your Amish Cinnamon Bread will stay much more moist when stored on the counter, but will store for a longer time in the fridge or freezer.
In the fridge: Wrap the loaf in a triple layer of plastic wrap. Store for up to 5 days in the fridge, keeping the loaf intact and slicing as needed. Take care to rewrap the loaf each time.
In the freezer: For extended storage (2-3 months), wrap your loaf in a triple layer of plastic wrap, then add to a large freezer bag. Remove excess air, seal, and label. Store for 2-3 months, and thaw your loaf at room temperature when you're ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
The easiest way to make quick breads moist is to use softened butter (or oil, if your recipe calls for it). Using melted butter will reduce the moisture, and cold butter simply won't work. Another way is to keep the quick bread tightly wrapped and stored at room temperature, as this will keep it moist compared to storing it in the refrigerator.
Quick breads can be refrigerated for extended storage, but they tend to store better at room temperature. They can be stored at room temperature (tightly wrapped) for 2-3 days, but can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More Old-Fashioned Recipes
If you loved this Amish Cinnamon Bread recipe, let me know by leaving a 5-star review in the recipe card or comment below! You can also tag me on Instagram @littlehomeinthemaking.
📖 Recipe
Amish Cinnamon Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup softened butter salted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Cinnamon Sugar Filling and Topping
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 9X5 loaf pan with butter or oil.
- Add the softened butter to a large bowl with a hand mixer, OR a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add in granulated sugar and brown sugar to the butter and mix on medium-high speed until the butter and sugars have creamed and are light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla and buttermilk and mix until fully incorporated.
- Sift the flour and baking soda into the bowl and mix just until it starts to come together. Use a silicone spatula to fold everything together until the flour is absorbed and no large lumps remain.
- Stir together ⅓ cup of sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon and set aside.
- Add half of the batter to the prepared loaf pan, and add half of the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly on top of the batter. Use a butter knife to swirl it into the batter.
- Add the remaining half of the batter on top, smoothing it out evenly.
- Add the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture and swirl it into the top layer of batter using a butter knife.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of melted butter on top of the loaf.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 50-70 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean when inserted into the center.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, and then gently coax it out of the loaf pan and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool to room temperature before wrapping and storing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Teeda says
my batter turned out super thick! should it have been?
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
It should be thicker than muffin batter, but not *very* thick like a sticky bread dough. Sounds like maybe a little too much flour? Scooping the measuring cup can pack more flour into the cup versus spooning the flour in and leveling it.
Jackie McMullen says
Yes. This is what I do as well. I also found that it’s better to weigh it on a food scale.
Carol says
You need to change your recipe a bit. The egg needs to be added to the sugars and butter. It won't get creamy without the egg.
Lyn says
It was absolutely delicious. followed the recipe exactly as written. My grandchildren kept asking for more!
Thank you for sharing the recipe. It's a keeper.
Megan says
I mixed the whole recipe together and realized I was out of cinnamon so I used pumpkin pie spice instead. Turned out amazing! Super moist and delicious! My husband wants me to make more before we even finish our current loaf
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
That sounds delicious! Great last minute swap!
Snuffy says
I know you where just out of cinnamon but the main thing is for it to make you happy. There are hundreds of ways to modify a recipe, the main thing is to make it your own.
Sarah C. says
I am confused because the recipe features a cinnamon, sugar and butter mixture as well as a cinnamon sugar mixture. I don't see any specification in the recipe as far as which mixture to use and when. It would be very helpful to know!
Sarah says
Love this bread! Cinnamoned it up even more by sprinkling a cinnamon-brown sugar melted-butter crumble on top of the swirled cinnamon- sugar just before it goes in the oven, then sprinkling on yet more cinnamon-sugar after the bread has cooled.
Lisa says
first few times this turned out great, last few times it didn't rise well and fell apart. Checked my baking soda, it's not past due. any ideas?
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
All I can think is maybe you waited a bit longer to transfer the batter to a loaf pan, or waited a little longer to place the bread pan in the oven. I've done this once or twice with muffins that I didn't preheat before assembling - by the time they made it into the oven the baking soda had already done what it was going to do and they went flat in the oven.
Marlene says
Made this bread it was delicious and very moist. Came out perfect. This is going to be one of my favorite recipes.😋❤️.
Sarah says
I figured out that the cinnamon/sugar was the filling and the butter was drizzled on top. Confusion allayed. I did make some changes. Used equal amount of vanilla bean paste. Substituted 2 tbsp. of oil for same amount of butter. And finally, sprinkled a crumble of brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and melted butter on top just before it went in the oven, instead of just the melted butter. Great texture and wonderful flavor! It's a keeper!
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Glad you liked it Sarah! Vanilla bean paste would definitely be a tasty addition!
Donnie Anderson says
Can you just mix your cinnamon sugar mixture into the the other ingredients tight away and bake it that way then put a frosting on it as well?
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
You could definitely do that if you prefer!
Nicole says
This was SOOOO delicious!!! Thank you! My only problem was that it bubbled over in the oven. Have you ever divided it into two pans? I used the large pan but it still went over.
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
I've never had that happen! If it's just a small amount of bubbling over you can place a baking sheet underneath to catch the drips. If it's A LOT maybe try a deep dish loaf pan (or check the measurements). You could try two loaf pans, but I think the baking time would need some tweaking for sure.
Barbara Lennartz says
Do I have to use a glass loaf pan? I only have metal loaf pans. Also I thought this made two loaves
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Hi Barbara,
This recipe makes 1 (large) loaf (9X5 pan). You can use metal pans, but just watch the baking time as it's common for baked goods to be done more quickly in metal pans (so start checking about 10 minutes earlier).
Kelly says
Easy to make and delicious! Will be making again as is!
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Glad you enjoyed it Kelly!
Maria says
Hello, I make this recipe and loved it. it is absolutely delicious and very moist. I will be sharing with my family and friends 🧡
Maria GG
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
So happy you loved it Maria!
T says
I love this recipe! I have made it several times. It doubles well. I either freeze the second loaf or gift it to a friend or neighbor.
MAUDE LAFOUNTAIN says
I have not made this yet but when I do I think I will add in some golden raisin's to the recipe ......can't wait to try it out ...
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Sounds like it could be yummy! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
Pam says
HI,
made this and turned out great but then the next time I made it the top was great for the first slice but after storing it the top lost it's crunchy and turned more moist and mushy. I did wait until completely cooled before wrapping it in plastic wrap. any ideas on why this happened and how to avoid?
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Hi Pam, I'm not exactly sure why it did that! My first thought was condensation from wrapping it while warm, but since you didn't do that I'm not sure what the problem could have been. If it was very humid in your home or region that could be the culprit - I live in a coastal climate and sometimes I have problems with humidity in the Summer.
Clint Lovell says
Great recipe. Made a loaf for church. I got nothing but compliments and requests for more loaves.
Tammy says
Added cinnamon chips. It was delicious. Gone in less than 24 hours!
Cyndi says
I would think that some icing on top (like cinnamon rolls) would be awesome. I haven't tried it yet, but am planning to!
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Yes that would probably be tasty!
K says
Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?
Dolly | Little Home in the Making says
Yes! But if you want it to have a similar flavor you can try adding a small splash of vinegar to your milk and allow it to "sour" for about 5 minutes. This helps to create that tenderness that true buttermilk is known for.