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Why you’ll love this recipe for Cinnamon Bread inspired by Dollywood
A Few Key Ingredients
Check the recipe card below for a full list along with measurement.
How to make Cinnamon Bread
Step 1: you need some yeast
Add the proofed yeast mixture to the dry ingredients with some melted butter.
Step 2: knead
Knead for about 5 minutes with a dough hook in a stand mixer, cover and let it rise in a warm place.
Step 3: form into loaves
// parchment paper / small sheet pan //
Step 4: make it sweet
Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in one dish and melted butter and corn syrup in another shallow dish.
Step 5: make it buttery
Cut 4 deep crosswise slits across each loaf, and then dip both sides into the butter-corn syrup mixture.
Step 6: coat the loaves
Coat each loaf in the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture making sure you get into each of the creases you made in the dough.
Step 7: make it gooey
Place the loaves in parchment paper lined loaf pans and drizzle the remaining butter over the top, then sprinkle with remaining brown sugar mixture.
// disposable loaf pans //
Step 8: bake
Bake for about 30 minutes and then let cool for about 15 minutes if you can.
Cinnamon bread is best when it’s warm. Let it cool for a few minutes and then use your fingers to break off a piece. This recipe makes two small loaves.
Featured reader review
“It was a hit. There was a minor scuffle over who got to eat the end pieces lol.”
Greta
If you’ve had the cinnamon bread at Dollywood, let me know how this one compares.
Several people have asked about putting all of the dough in one loaf pan instead of two. I have tried it that way and it is fantastic but a little different. You will have more soft bread and not as much gooey topping like you do with the smaller loaves. It is less sweet because the topping doesn’t seep into the bread as much. Both work, it just depends what your preference is. I prefer the smaller loaves. Just double the recipe and make four loaves.
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Homemade Buttery Cinnamon Bread (Dollywood Copycat)
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 1 ¾ teaspoon yeast
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cups bread flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- cooking spray
TOPPING
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Instructions
- Dough: Add yeast to a bowl with ½ cup of warm water, add a pinch of sugar and let it sit until it starts to foam, about 5 minutes. If it doesn’t get foamy, throw it out and try a new pack of yeast.
- In a stand mixer, combine the flour and salt and add the melted butter and yeast. Make sure the butter is not hot. Knead with the dough hook for 5-8 minutes, until it is smooth. Place it in a bowl sprayed with cooking spray and cover. Place in a warm area and let rise for about an hour until double in size.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray. Punch down the dough and cut it in half. Shape each half into a three by six inch rectangle. And place on a baking sheet. Spray some plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the dough. Let it rise until it is about double, 30 minutes.
- Topping: In a pie dish, whisk the melted butter and corn syrup together. In a separate dish, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Preheat the oven to 350º and line two nine by five inch loaf pans with parchment paper.
- Cut 4 deep slashes across the top of each loaf, cutting about half way through. The dough will be very soft and will deflate as you work with it. Dip each loaf into the butter mixture, turning to coat both sides. Then place it in the brown sugar mixture making sure it is completely coated and the topping has gone into the slashes. Place in the loaf pans.
- Pour the remaining butter mixture over each loaf. Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar mixture over the top. Bake until lightly brown, about 25 minutes. Lift the bread out of the pans and let cool on a baking rack for about 15 minutes.
Video
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- Make sure neither the water nor the butter is too hot or it will kill the yeast, if the yeast does not get foamy, try again with new yeast and cooler water.
- Try placing the dough in a warm microwave to rise. Boil some water in the microwave and then place the dough in the microwave and shut the door.
- You can use all purpose flour instead of bread flour.
- Light corn syrup refers to the color and not the calorie count.
Nutrition
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Donna says
Hi! We just got back from Dollywood and loved the cinnamon bread, so I want to make some at home. If I need to make my dough and refrigerate it to bake the next morning, do I put it in there after the first rise? How long should it sit at room temperature before baking? I just want to make sure I do it correctly.
Barbara Curry says
Can’t wait to see how close this is to the real thing. Refrigerate the dough after the first rise. It will rise in the fridge so you don’t need to worry about it rising more in the morning. Just take it out of the fridge when you preheat the oven.
Bernadette says
Hi,
Im really looking forward to trying this. I don’t think there are many things better than gooey cinnamon bread!
My boys are going to love this. Thank you so much for sharing❤️
On a side note, I did notice a typo under,
“How to Serve Dollywood Cinnamon Bread”. It reads, let it cook… I think you meant, let it cool… 😊
Thanks again!
Barbara Curry says
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love this bread. (thanks for the pointing out the typo!)
Jessica says
In the recipe it sais 1 cups of water but in the instructions it sais only to use half cup of water. What to do with the other half? I’m assuming to use all the water to bloom the yeast instead of half?
Barbara Curry says
I can’t find anywhere that it says 1 cup, if you will point it out, I will correct it. The recipe card states 1/2 cup of water which is all you need to proof the yeast.
Barbara Curry says
If you double the recipe, then you will need to double the amount of water.
Jessica says
I know! Nevermind Lol it’s okay.
I’m making it now in the oven proofing hope it turns out well.
Thanks for the recipe.
Dana says
I’m an experienced cook, and followed the instructions precisely, and the dough was super flakey, not like a dough at all. I added more water to make it more supple, but after an hour and a half, the ball did not rise at all. And yes, the yeast was fresh and it did bloom in the water. But when I cut it in half, shaped it and left it on the baking sheet for half an hour, it did rise a bit. And in the end, it was actually quite delicious!
Barbara Curry says
Not sure what went wrong but glad it turned out ok in the end.
Becca says
How about adding peaches? I LOVE LOVE LOVE the peach cinnamon bread, but can’t find any recipe online that incorporates the peaches…..thoughts???
Barbara Curry says
This particular bread is too soft to add peaches, but you can add them to cinnamon roll dough, https://www.butterandbaggage.com/peachy-cinnamon-rolls/ or to muffins, https://www.butterandbaggage.com/peach-muffins/ or coffee cake, https://www.butterandbaggage.com/peach-streusel-coffee-cake/. I have lots of peach recipes, maybe one of them will work: https://www.butterandbaggage.com/ingredient/peaches/
Lucas says
Hi is this recipe with instant yeast or regular yeast?
Barbara Curry says
You can use either in this recipe. If using Instant it will not take as long to rise.
Christian says
I’m in the middle of making the recipe and the directions say to cut in half and shape the two pieces into 6×3 rectangles, then to use two loaf pans, etc. Does the recipe with just 1.5 cups of flour actually make two loaves or are the instructions incorrect?
Barbara Curry says
The recipe makes two loaves and uses a total of 1.5 cups of flour. I hope that helps
Tina says
We made tonight and were surprised that the basic recipe did not make a full loaf of bread but two 5” loaves. Mostly we were shocked to think that two small loaves was to be considered 6 servings. We made a second batch as soon as we realized. It was delicious and will be a favorite but definitely always doubling for four small loaves.
Amanda Nowicki says
This recipe looks amazing! I haven’t tried the Cinnamon Bread at Dollywood. However, it appears to be very similar to the bread at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia.
Has anyone tried using all the dough for one tin and not splitting it? I would like a taller loaf, but I am unsure of how this might affect the bread texture.
Barbara Curry says
It would work in a deeper tin but it might be harder to get the cinnamon sugar mixture into the bread, just cut deep slices and you may have to use your hands to get the mixture into the slices.
Amanda Nowicki says
Awesome! I will give it a go. Who knows? This recipe might just replace our Monkey Bread this year!
Mackenzie says
Can you make this ahead of time and freeze? Should I freeze before or after it’s cooked?
Barbara Curry says
This is best served warm but you can freeze it and warm it up before serving. I would bake it before freezing.