Apple Butter Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Apple butter cinnamon swirl bread: a soft, moist yeast loaf with ribbons of apple butter and cinnamon sugar in every bite!
It’s a cool October morning, and I can’t think of a better way to start the day than with a cup of tea and a warm slice of apple butter cinnamon swirl bread!
I made this loaf over the weekend and I’m so glad to be able to nibble on it all week long. It makes a lovely breakfast or afternoon snack. And it’s a great way to use up some of the apple butter we picked up on our most recent trip to the orchard. I bet you have a jar in your fridge too; am I right?
I am a huge fan of Baked by Rachel, and all the gorgeous swirl breads she makes. Especially this one! So when I got the idea to make an apple butter cinnamon swirl bread, I knew I wanted to follow her lead and try this gorgeous technique.
It’s surprisingly simple! I know it looks fancy and complicated but really it’s not at all. If you can make cinnamon rolls, then this will be a snap for you.
Just roll out the dough into a flat rectangle, and spread the apple butter all over it. Then, sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar, and roll it up in a log, just like you would do with cinnamon rolls. Now, instead of cutting it crosswise into rolls, slice it lengthwise, all the way down, leaving it just barely attached at the one end. After that you just twist the two long pieces together. It feels a little awkward- the log wants to come undone, but it’s ok! You really can’t mess it up. It’s meant to be free-form so the more it waves and twists the better.
Look at all those ribbons of apple butter and cinnamon! There’s plenty of sticky filling in every bite. And the bread itself is super moist and soft. My family loved this apple butter cinnamon swirl bread and I think yours will too! It’s perfect for fall, or even for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning!
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Apple Butter Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (375 g) water,, warm
- 1/4 ounce (7.09 g) active dry yeast, (1 packet)
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, , lightly packed
- 3 tablespoons (44.36 g) unsalted butter,, softened
- 3 3/4-4 1/2 cups (531.25 g) all-purpose flour, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (141 g) apple butter
Instructions
- Place the warm water in a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top.
- Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to proof.
- Add the brown sugar and butter.
- Blend in 2 cups of the flour and the salt until moistened.
- Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Stir in an additional 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups flour, until dough pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead on floured surface, adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup additional flour, until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
- Place dough in large greased bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Lightly mist a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.
- Stir the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- Punch down the dough and roll it into a rectangle, about 9 inches on the short side and 1/4 inch thick.
- Spread with a thin layer of apple butter, and top with the cinnamon sugar.
- Starting at the short side, roll into a tight log (like a cinnamon roll).
- Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise, leaving the two halves attached at one end.
- Twist the two long pieces together and place in the prepared pan.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Uncover dough and bake 40 to 45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when lightly tapped.
- Cool completely before slicing.
Entered this in the baking competition at the State Fair and won a blue ribbon! Used my bread maker to mix, knead and raise the dough, and home made apple butter for the filling. Easy to do and makes a beautiful loaf!
Hooray! Congrats on the big win that’s amazing!
Its in the oven now. I hope its right andI followed instructions but Two tablespoons of cinnamon really seems like a lot hope you didnt mean two tsp!
I didn’t! Hope you enjoy!
I have become a “scale snob”, especially for bread recipes. Any chance you have the weights for the ingredients? Just checking! Thank you!
Absolutely! Just click the “metric” button just below the list of ingredients. Good luck & enjoy!
I can’t begin to tell you how amazing this bread. What a huge hit with friends and family. But in seeking perfection I too need clarification on the cutting and twisting. I cannot find anything in this page on Pesto Bread or Rachel as suggested below. Can you please give a link or clarify exactly how the final dress is intended. It is much appreciated and thanks again for a magical recipe
Hey there! If you take a look at the video for my Chocolate Babka recipe, you’ll see the same rolling/cutting/twisted method there. Just type “Chocolate Babka” in the search window at the top of this site. Good luck!
Getting ready to make this for the second time. Only sub I did was to replace apple butter with diced apples with cinnamon sugar. Turned out great last time, and makes amazing French toast!
Ooh, that sounds fantasic! Thanks for the 5-star review JoAnn!
Is the serving size one slice?
I’m going to make this for a carry-in at work. It looks amazing – we are all so excited to try it out!
Awesome! I hope you and all your co-workers love it!
Delicious! I am a novice at bread making but I saw the picture of this bread and wanted to try it. The recipe was actually very easy to make (getting the twist right and transferring it to the pan was probably the hardest part). I used homemade apple butter and it worked great in the bread. I’ll definitely try this again for the holidays. Thank you
You’re so welcome Jen! I’m so glad you had such great success with it.
This was very good, I used all whole wheat flour and added a tablespoon of gluten. May not of need it, as the loaf over flowed and I made a cinnamon bun with the excess. Will make this again!
So happy to hear it! Thanks so much Sharon!
I love this recipe! I made it several times last year and I’m so excited to make it again now that it’s officially fall (although still 90 degrees here in the south). Do you have any tips as far as multiplying this? I want to make lots of loaves for my family! Should I make one at a time or can I just double or triple the ingredients?
So happy you’ve been enjoying it Deana! I think you could probably double the recipe without a problem, so long as your mixer is big enough to handle that much dough!
Wonderful recipe! Thanks for sharing
My pleasure Jamie! I’m so happy you enjoyed.
THANK you for a recipe page that is straightforward and relevant – it seems like every recipe I’ve come across recently has a looong (boring) story about their “hubby” who loves this recipe and then 987 pictures of the finished product, making it a chore to even FIND the recipe. Anyway, props to your design and this bread recipe!!
So happy you like it! Thanks Erika!
Love this recipe! A co-worker gave it to me. I make & can my own apple butter, so this was perfect. I did saute up some fresh apple pieces with brown sugar & apple pie spice & put into the dough. A bit tackier & I probably use more flour, but it’s really yummy. Using this for our Christmas brunch french toast bake!
Sounds amazing Jennifer! Thanks for the positive review and I hope you loved your French toast bake!
Love this recipe and about to make it. However, your prep time is way off. If you have 2 rises of 30 minutes, and the time for creating the dough, 10 minutes kneading dough, plus time to roll it out….that’s at least 75 minutes prep.
Thanks for the heads up Aisha! But prep time just refers to active time. The rise time is not included because it’s hands-off. Hope you enjoy your bread!
This recipe sounds like it would smell amazing!!! What a yummy breakfast!
perfectly swirled 🙂
The addition of apple butter is genius! Love this twisty bread!
So sorry – the ratings are below “post comment) so I didn’t see it in time on my phone.