Easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf.
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 on Instagram:
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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf.
This light, buttery, super soft, and extra flaky croissant loaf is swirled with sweet cinnamon sugar. Making the most delicious, extra fancy, and super cozy addition to your autumn weekend.
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.
Recipe 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.
Our Favorite Recipes
Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili.
9. not clear on time baked
thanks.
Hi Leslie! The time has been corrected. “Place the bread pans on 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.” Thank you! X Kelly
Can’t wait to back up to your recipes for Fall. Finally, we were granted some reprieve here in the southeast. HBH –Keep up your awesome work!
Happy to hear the cool down has arrived for you Kimberley! Enjoy your fall baking! Thanks for sharing. X Kelly
Really love this bread. Especially how you cut and placed it in the pan. It is open to a variety of flavors too. Although I live the just cinnamon sugar. I usually use vanilla sugar & cinnamon fir something like this. P.S. would really enjoy a scone recipe as well. Love scones.
Thank you so much Joyce! X Kelly
What is the correct amount of butter to be used in the dough? The recipe indicates 8 Tbsp or 1 cup, but 8 Tbsp is 1/2 cup butter. What will then be the correct amount of butter in step 1 of the instructions?
Hi Katie! You’ll use 4 tablespoons room temperature butter in the dough as noted in step 1. Then the other 4 tablespoons of room temperature butter in step 7. The 2 1/2 sticks cold butter are what you will use sliced in the layering of the dough as outlined in step 3. Let me know if you have any other questions as you go along. Hope you enjoy it! X Kelly.
Would you be able to make this recipe with margarine instead of butter?
Hi Lydia! Tieghan has not tested it with margarine so she can’t say for sure, but we would think margarine will be just fine. Please let us know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! X Kelly
The bread looks delicious but the baking instructions seem to be messed up. Please clarify. Thank you.
Hi Maria! It’s been corrected now. “Place the bread pans on 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.” Thanks! X Kelly
This recipe calls for the dough to be rolled out into a large rectangle several times. Twice you note a size of approx. 12 X 18, but in Steps 4 and 7 no size is mentioned. Just want to confirm that you’re suggesting all roll-out be 12 X 18? Thanks! Can’t wait to make this – we’re cinnamon freaks in this house, ha ha!
Hi Marcie! You should roll the dough out to roughly 12×18 inches each time. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Girl, I just can not believe the way you keep turning out gorgeous photos like these! I cam’t think of a single other blog that turns the photos of the entire process into gorgeous art! A pretty bread or cake photo is hard enough, but pics of bread strips soaking in batter in a measuring cup, or in this recipe, sliced butter on rolled dough, each uniquely lovely compositions,….I just am endlessly impressed! AND I want to eat EVERYTHING, to boot! My family sits down to new food, I just say… this is one of TIEGHAN’S… and everyone knows they are in for a treat! Keep this up! You rock!
WOW! That is so amazing to hear, Toni! I am so glad you and your family have been loving my recipes and I hope you continue to! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
This cinnamon croissant loaf looks almost to good to eat! Lol. When I venture into making yeast bread, this will be my first one to bake!
I’m so glad that your brother’s wedding day was perfect and your wedding cakes looked really nice too! See you worried for nothing! Ha!Ha! Beautiful photography as always!
Have a terrific weekend! ☺
I hope you have an amazing weekend J, thank you! Also, so glad you are loving this bread! xTieghan
I think your missing a couple of directions in the last paragraph? Do you bake on a sheet pan and brush with the egg then bake?
Hey Katie,
Thank you so much for catching this! You are correct and the recipe has been updated. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Hi! Can you use GF all purpose flour here? Or would it totally mess it up?
Hi Lindsay! I have never made this with GF flour so I can’t really say how it will turn out. If you do try it, I recommend Cup4Cup flour. Please let me know if you have any other questions and how it turns out. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I have been a huge fan since the “Hot buttered rum apple pie stuffed cinnamon sugar soft pretzels”!! I would love to make this and be able to share it with my future sis-in-law, who is vegan. Are there any rules for substituting out the milk/butter in baking recipes? And of course skipping the egg wash. I love baking but have never really done much vegan baking or cooking. Thank you
Hey Katie! I am not too familiar with vegan baking so, it’s a little hard for me to advise. For the milk, I think any nut milk will work great! For the butter, us your favorite vegan butter brands. I would imagine it will work just the same, but again I am not sure. Let me know how it all goes for yoU!! Hoping the bread is a huge hit with everyone! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you! xTieghan ???
I don’t have a stand mixer with a dough hook- only a hand held mixer- would using that totally mess the dough up? Thanks!
Hi there! You can mix the dough using a wooden spoon. It will take a little longer to come together, but just use a little elbow grease and it wil be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Any advice if using active dry yeast instead of instant? I was thinking I’d proof in the milk, but I’d love advice!
Hey Katie! Yes, just proof the yeast first in the milk until it’s foamy on top. This usually takes 5-10 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Can you use regular active dry yeast in place of instant with this recipe?
Hi Sheridan! Yes, just proof the active dry yeast first in the milk until it’s foamy on top. This usually takes 5-10 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Kelly,
My first thought was that any bread that beautiful must be challenging to make.. First off, your directions are flawless and very helpful to the fearful bread maker. Decided this was the perfect recipe for a rainy cold day. My loaves just came out of the oven and they are perfect! I seemed to have plenty of dough so I made a couple mini loaves too. Nothing better than warm cinnamon bread and this one is particularly good with all the crispy nooks and crannies. What a treat and a new favorite! Thank you.
Hi Paula! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Just made this this morning… With GF flour that is supposed to be 1-to-1. I’m certain the gluten-free flour was the problem, as there was SO much butter that it was just not a very nice result. Might try it again with half the cold butter called for in the recipe. It has potential. We love your recipes, Tieghan, but we just can’t have wheat in our house. ? Desserts are a fave, but we usually don’t even try due to the unreliability of using GF flour (nothing acts like real gluten?♀️). Thanks for always coming up with tempting recipes! Tomorrow I’m making your Indian pumpkin & chickpea butter recipe for our dinner. ?✌?❤️
Hi Kristi! I am sorry this did not turn out too well with GF flour, but hopefully it turns out better with less butter… I have a bunch of recipes that do not require flour as well! I hope you check them out! xTieghan
You listed one egg for brushing, but I don’t see it in the instructions. Do we brush the loaf before baking?
Hey Jacob! Yes, you should brush the loaves before baking. I have fixed the recipe. So sorry for the typo! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Made it today and it turned out BEAUTIFULLY! Thank you for the wonderful recipe and making my house smell amazing 🙂 Question— how do you recommend I store it for best freshness?
Hi Aryn! So glad this turned out so well for you! I store the bread in a sealed container at room temp for up to 4 days. You can also freeze for up to 4 months. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you! xTieghan ???
Hi Tieghan!
I made this last night, along with your apple butter and they were tasty!
However, all the butter leaked out out the croissant, leaving the top of the loaf very dry and the bottom basically soggy and fried in butter! I followed your instructions exactly, but I think this may be to do with the final rise right before you put it in the oven, as the butter warms up too much before baking. If I’ve learnt anything from the Great British Bake Off, it’s to put your puff pastry in the oven as cold as possible, so all the butter doesn’t leak out!
Did you have this problem at all? I might try again without the final prove to see how it goes. Lizzie x
Hey Lizzie! I have never had this issue, but it does make complete sense. Thank you so much for leaving this tip! I am going to test this out next time I make this bread. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you! xTieghan ???
Hi!. So excited to try this recipe, but I do have one question. For the thinly sliced butter, am I supposed to use 2 sticks or 2 1/4 sticks? The ingredient list calls for both 2 sticks but the has 1 1/4 cup in parentheses. Thanks!!
Hi Kristin! You only need 2 sticks butter for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Is it possible to bake the slices separately instead in a loaf? And if so, how long would I bake them?
Hi Martha, when you say separately, do you mean like cinnamon rolls? If so, sure! I would bake only 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
This sounds delicious and can’t wait to make it. It does seem a little daunting with all the steps though. I’m a little afraid to mess it up. Would it be possible to do a video?
Thanks!
Hi Amanda! I will work on that! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this and love the flavor and the texture, but cooked it fif 45 minutes and it was doughy in the middle. Havd you ever had this happen? I pug it back in the oven for 15-20 more minutes. Do you usually cook it on a convection setting?
Hey Lisa! My bread is soft and doughy in the center when I bake this, but not undercooked. Was yours underdone? I do not use the convection when baking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you loved this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
I could use some help from the comments section! I’ve tried making this recipe twice now, and I can’t seem to get past the first step! My dough keeps coming together well before 4-5 minutes, and it doesn’t slowly pull away from the bowl like the video Teighan posted on Instagram. It forms into a lump of dough within like a minute. It’s almost too neat, if that makes sense. So then I add in butter because I don’t want to over mix it. But then it doesn’t rise. I have no idea what I’m doing wrong—anyone have any suggestions or feedback?
Hey Becca! from what you are explaining, it sounds like your dough is coming together perfectly. My only question is why your dough is not rising. Are you using instant yeast or active dry yeast? Any details you can provide me with will be really helpful in problem solving and understanding what might be happening to your dough. Thank you! xTieghan ???
Hi,
This recipe indicates there is baking powder in the recipe however; there is no mention of it in the list of ingredients. Does it really use baking powder with yeast?
HI there! There is no baking powder used within this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
This recipe is so delicious as every recipe you show us. I follow you and have tried many of your recipes and love everything you do with food ?
I am so glad you loved this Rita! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This looks delicious. Have you ever tried making bread with any of the “measure for measure” gluten free flours? I’ve used them for other baking, but not bread. Wondering if it would work?
Hi Elaine! I know they have worked for others, but I have never personally tried it. I am sorry about that! xTieghan
So easy, so fun, uses tons of butter which is something I can’t get enough of! Its beautiful and leaves the house smelling like a fall day. Who doesn’t want to come home to the smell of baking cinnamon bread! All and all a great day and can’t wait until it comes out of the oven. I know the taste will match its beautiful presence!
I am so glad this turned out amazing for you Jill! Thank you! xTieghan
Just made these and they are scrumptious and relatively simple to make. I added raisins, as my husband loves the combination of cinnamon and raisins. Yum!! The lamination technique, folding the dough with the butter and rolling, was pretty cool. Definitely made the flaky layers, as promised! A few tips, though, that I think need to be included: The yeast measurement at 1 tablespoon is easier to think of as two of the typical square packets. And when you bake the loaves, put a tray or jelly roll pan underneath them. The amount of butter and height of the dough from rising makes a butter drip over the pans. We had a smoke-filled kitchen before I added the pan! Luckily no burned butter smokiness spoiled the dough. I’m adding this recipe to my collection!
I am so happy to hear that these turned out so well for you Jeanne! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I made this and I recommend using WAY LESS BUTTER in step 3. I used 1.5 sticks and once I put it in the oven, it all melted out of the bread and to the bottom of the pan, making the bottom crust really hard. So maybe go for just 1 stick of butter during that step. Otherwise, the bread was great!
Hi Greta! I am glad you still enjoyed this and hope you enjoy it more with less butter! Thank you! xTieghan
Could you bake these as separate rooms instead of in a loaf?
Hi Martha, I am not sure what you are asking. Can you clarify? Do you mean to say rolls? If so, yes you can bake into rolls. Just bake for much less time, maybe 15 minutes or so. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Hello, this looks so delicious! I was wondering if it’s possible to make a gluten free version? Thank you
Hi Daria, I have never made this with GF flour so I can’t really say how it will turn out. If you do try it, I recommend Cup4Cup flour. Please let me know if you have any other questions and how it turns out. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Just made this bread and wanted to share for anyone else wondering about this: I only have one loaf pan, so I baked the leftover slices of dough individually in the cups of a muffin tin and they are FABULOUS. 20 minutes at 350F was all I needed for mine. The butter oozed out and hit the bottom of my oven and my kitchen filled with smoke and I for sure thought all lost but they came out so much better than expected. These would be a perfect brunch bread to serve next to eggs and potatoes.
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Lila, especially with all of the fuss haha! Thank you so much! xTieghan
How much softened salted butter goes into the dough? The recipe says 6 tbsp and then it has a 1/2 cup in parenthesis, which is actually a whole stick. Then in the directions it says only 4 tbsp of softened butter. Helllp lol
I Rebekah, you need 6 tablespoons of room temperature butter and then another 2 sticks (16 tablespoons or 1 cup) of COLD butter that is thinly sliced. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
This was my first time making dough like this and it was a total success! I took one loaf to the office and it was VERY quickly devoured with rave reviews.
That is so great! Thank you so much Laura! xTieghan
Hi. I wanted to make this bread, however can I substitute whole milk for almond milk? Please let me know. It looks delicious.
Thank you
Hi there! I have never used almond milk in this bread, but I am sure it will be just fine. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
hi
i wanted to make it pumpkiny
you said to use it in place of butter
can u explain some more?does it mean i shouldnt use butter and just add pumpkin pureé?
and if yes whitch butter(what step)should i do it?
thanks
Hi Amalie! I recommend using pumpkin butter and spreading it over the dough before adding the cinnamon sugar. So in step 7, replace the 2 tablespoons salted butter with 1/4 cup pumpkin butter, then add the cinnamon sugar. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
I just made this today and had to do it by hand with a wooden spoon because I don’t have a stand mixer. My loaf came out more like a series of connected cinnamon rolls instead of a distinct bread loaf. It still tastes amazing of course! But I wish I’d been able to have the loaf consistency. I can’t really cut into the loaves because they break apart. Additionally, they don’t have many air pockets in them if I do cut a “slice” (lump, more like), it’s very dense and doesn’t look like yours does in the pictures. Did I under bake them? Or was it something else? Like other people, I had an excess of melted butter after baking them and had to drain it out of the loaves into a little bowl. Overall it tastes and looks great!! Love the recipe, just wondering how I can make my next attempt better!
Hey Meg!! It sounds like your dough was not fully kneaded (due to the hand mixing) which will cause a denser loaf. As for the shape, how did you shape the loaf? Did you make this in a loaf pan? Where there any other changes to the recipe by chance? Any details would be helpful so I can best know what might be happening. Thank you!
This looks so delicious!
Would it be possible to roll these as croissants? I feel like they would be great at a brunch.
Hi Fiona! Yes! That will be great and very pretty! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
It’s cooking in the oven, but I had several issues! Hoping I could get some help troubleshooting. First, my dough never really doubled in size or even close. It felt very dense the whole time. I followed the recipe exactly, other then that I don’t have a mixer with a dough hook so I mixed and kneaded by hand. Next, I suspect is related to the dough… even after rolling out several times and cutting in half as you said, I only got 8 slices out of each half which didn’t really stuff my bread pan. Thoughts?? Trying to figure out what didn’t go correctly!
Hey Stephanie, I think the biggest issue is that you kneaded the dough by hand. My guess is that it was not properly mixed and this caused the dough to not rise well and left you with a dense dough. Unfortunately, this recipe is best when made with a stand mixer. I AM SORRY that’s my only answer for you, but some recipes just need a mixer. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you! xTieghan
This is the greatest recipe of all time. My husband and I both cried.
I am so glad you both loved it! Thank you Maddi! xTieghan
The recipe is delicious!! Any tips for rolling out the dough after it has been in the freezer?? That was super challenging on the first and second fold.
HI! You can let the dough sit on the counter for 5 minutes to soften slightly, but don’t let it sit too long or the butter will also soften, Please let me know if you have any other questions. I so glad you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
A cross between croissant and cinnamon roll, hell yes !!!!!!!!!!!
This bread was so warm and comforted ( also easy to make ) – comfort food at its best .
YES! I am so glad you like this! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this a few weeks ago and it turned out AMAZING! I’ve really struggled with the lamination process in the past- but slicing up the butter before adding it has made all the difference for me- thank you so much for the new approach!
I’ve made quite a few of your creations in the last few months- and the techniques I’ve learned + the flavor profiles you use have inspired me to get a little creative. Yesterday I decided to use the dough from this recipe with a savory filling- and it worked like a dream. Instead of cinnamon and sugar I added diced/cooked potatoes, Parmesan cheese and chopped rosemary. I cut into pinwheels, stuffed them in muffin tins and baked for about 30 mins at 350 F. The result was flaky and delicious- and my coworkers are smitten.
Keep up the excellent work- I can’t wait to continue to learn from you and see what you come up with next!
I am so glad you loved this recipe Cassandra! Thank you so much! Also, so sweet of you to share with coworkers! YES! xTieghan
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this but for rolls. Do you think I could make cinnamon rolls with this?
HI! Yes, cinnamon rolls will be delicious when using this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and Merry Christmas! xTieghan
Really good! This was my first time making something this complex. Made a couple of adjustments to lessen the amount of fat and sugar, I also mixed the dough by hand and kneaded it for about 5 minutes because I didn’t have a mixer. First, I halved the amount of cold butter. Second, I halved the amount of cinnamon sugar filling. This resulted in a slightly denser bread than shown in the pictures, but it was still amazing with some banana foster butter! I think next time, I’ll increase the amount of butter and sugar a little more for a richer flavor 🙂
I am so glad you enjoyed this Ginny! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Good morning,
The measurements are different for US customary and metric. Can you please confirm which is correct? Thank you!
Hi Carolyn, we use US measurements. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hello there,what a delicious recipe. This bread looks so yummy! I can’t wait to make it this weekend.
I wanted to clarify a couple of things. The recipe calls for 6 TBSP of salted butter ( step 1- 4 TBSP, step 7-2 TBSP.) However, I noticed in some of the comments provided for other readers there is mention on 8 TBPS of butter. So I wanted to clarify which amount to use? I am also wondering about making this bread overnight. The suggestion is to not let bread rise at room temperature. So if I am reading this correctly, I would skip the rising in Step 2, but still follow all the freezing steps 4 & 5, is that right? Thank you 🙂
Hi Olya! I amounts of butter listed within the recipe are the amounts you should use 🙂
You should do the rising in step 2 and then also the freezing steps. Then, finish rising in the fridge overnight. Does that make sense?
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
We just ate this for breakfast and it was phenomenal. I added chopped 70% chocolate on top of the sugar and cinnamon. Great recipe and really not hard, just a bunch of steps!
Hi Connie! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
I’m confused. It states the recipe uses four sticks of butter but only uses two sticks and six tablespoons. Don’t get me wrong- butter is my best friend! I must be missing something.
Hi there! You need 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature and then 2 sticks (1 cup) cold salted butter, sliced into thin pieces. Does this make sense?
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Can you substitute whole milk for non dairy milk?
Hi Elizabeth! I have not tried it with this recipe, so I would not feel comfortable recommending it! If you do try, please let me know! xTieghan
Am I able to use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast? I don’t have any instant yeast but I still want to make this as a fun quarantine activity!!
HI! Yes, that works perfectly. below are directions. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
To Use Active Dry Yeast: Mix 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast with the warm milk. 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.
Hi! I don’t have bread pans… can I use something else? If so, does it change the cooking instructions?
Thank you! Can’t wait to try it
Hi Amberley,
You can bake these in a 9×13 inch baking dish and they will be more like mini cinnamon rolls. Leave everything the same!
As the auto-generator of metric measurements is off by quite a bit, I’ve manually calculated them, if you (like me) bake by weight than volume.
420ml whole milk
1.5 tbsp instant yeast
2 tbsp honey
585-650g AP flour
2 tsp salt
85g room temp salted butter (30g reserved)
225g cold salted butter
100g granulated sugar (caster sugar in Europe)
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
Excellent recipe, worked so well and tasted amazing!
Hi Holly! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Also, thank you so much for sharing the metric ingredients! xTieghan
Fantastic!!! Had to bake an additional 20 min. Switched to convection for those last 20. This is the easiest laminated dough I have ever made. Thank you so much!!!!
Thank you Christina! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
Hi, I want to make this recipe tomorrow but was wondering if there was any danger in halving the recipe? I don’t want to mess up the laminating process or anything. Thanks!
Looks delicious! Have you had any success with vegan butters and croissants? I can’t have dairy but I’d love to make this recipe! 🙂
Hi Cachae! Unfortunately, I have not tired this with vegan butter. If you do, please let me know! xTieghan
Hi! How long do we let the dough sit after freezing it each round? I feel like it will be tough to roll out frozen dough! (Just don’t want to mess anything up!)
Hi Hannah,
You are going to work with the dough directly out of the freezer, just put a little muscle into it😉 I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Hannah,
You are going to work with the dough directly out of the freezer, just put a little muscle into it:) I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Is there any substitutes for yeast?
Hi Leigh,
So sorry you need the yeast for this recipe! I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Leigh,
So sorry but you will need the yeast for this recipe. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Would it make a difference using bread flour??
Hi Justin,
You can use bread flour for this! I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi there, looking forward to giving this a go! How thin should the butter slices be?
Hi Jade! The slices should be pretty thin! Check out my second or third photo to see how thin I did it! I hope you love this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hello,
can I make it with a sour dough starter that I made according to your recipe and love the bread I made with it!!!
Thanks,
Uliana
Thank you Uliana! xTieghan
This was so easy and so amazing ! I am baking my way through containment and between HalfbakedHarvest and OnceUponaChef they are two amazing chef’s with great recipes.
This was a huge hit ! NOTE: Let the loafs sit and cool on rack before slicing….. self control….
Hahah yes let them cool! I am so glad you are loving this recipe, though! Thank you Libby! xTieghan
So flipping good! Took a good bit of the afternoon, but was easy and pictures were so helpful!
Aw I am really happy to hear that Heidi! Thank you for trying this one! xTieghan
Can you break down this into yeast packets? It seems like it’s 1.25 yeast packets? But do you just use two? I saw someone in the comments used two. (Instant yeast)
Hi Dux! Yes, it is about 1.5 yeast packets! Please let me know if you have any other questions I can help with! xTieghan
I’m very new to bread baking but this was so easy and delicious! My husband is considered an “essential worker” so I had him take the second loaf in for his colleagues and he said it was devoured within minutes! I will absolutely be making this again.
Aw wow that is so amazing and sweet of you! So glad everyone enjoyed this one, Kyra! xTieghan
Took a long time but it was so worth it! I used whole wheat flour because with the state of things during this virus, it’s all that’s been available and it turned out delicious!
Thank you so much Lydia! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi, This recipe looks delicious but I was hoping to only make half (one loaf), if I did this do you have any recommendations for the size I should be rolling it into? Do you think 12 x 9″ might be a good idea?
Thanks for all your amazing recipes and for keeping us in quarantine activities!
Hi Jen,
This recipe actually makes two loaves, so if you cut the recipe in half you should have enough to fill one loaf pan. I hope this helps, please let know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! I am so excited to make this!! I only have a hand mixer and don’t have a dough hook. I was wondering if you can mix the dough mixture with your hands?
Hi Lily! Yes you can mix it with a wooden spoon! It will just take a bit longer! I hope you love this! xTieghan
I have tried to make this recipe 3 times and the dough does not rise
Hi Sara! I am sorry yours did not.. Is there anything that you could have done differently? Or maybe did not have fresh yeast? Please let me know! xTieghan
This was so fun! It was so cool to the the lamination in the bread from the butter and the flakiness was so yummy. We made a simple glaze for one of the loaves and left the other one plain and both were delicious.
Amazing!! Thank you Megan! xTieghan
Hi there. For three croissant loaf, you say the recipe uses four sticks of butter, but the recipe that’s listed only uses two sticks plus 6 tablespoons. Am I missing something? Did i miss a stick of butter somewhere? Thank you
Hi Mindy,
I am not sure where you are getting the 4 sticks of butter from but the recipe calls for 2 sticks plus 6 tablespoons. Please let me know how I can help. xTieghan
Hi. I am now reading through the comments. I saw one comment regarding the butter where you said the recipe states 8 tablespoons room temperature butter, four for the dough, and four for covering the rectangle. Then you said to the questioner- and 2.5 sticks cut up cold Mx. the recipe that I am reading on your website that I can see says to use six tablespoons room temp butter, and one cup (two sticks) of cold butter. Which one is it? In the writing it says the recipe uses four sticks? But I am still not seeing where the four sticks go? Can you explain. Thank you
Hi Mindy,
So sorry for the confusion, please follow what the recipe calls for, 2 sticks and 6 tablespoons. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Im so excited to make this loaf to bring to my mom for mother’s day, (she always asked for cinnamon buns for Mother’s Day morning, when I was a kid— I thought this would be a fun twist!) and I wanted to make the dough tonight— so it’s ready after I bake it first thing. I’m a little confuse on the make ahead instructions: should I skip letting the dough rise for the hour+ in step 2? Or skip the 15 min ride in step 8? Or both?
I totally understand if you don’t get this/have time to respond before I make it tonight (ahh procrastination! Sorry, my fault!) I’ll try to use my context clues better and make it anyway! Thanks so much! Happy spring! Be well!!
Hi Jana,
Just remove the bread 30 minutes prior to baking and bake as directed. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! 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
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! 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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Hi! Could I half the recipe to make just one loaf?
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
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!
Thank you so much! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Are there any recommendations or changes if you live in a place with high altitude?
Hi Isabel! My recipes should work great for you as I am at around 9000′ xTieghan
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!!!
I am so happy you decided to make this one, Alexandra!! Thank you so much! xTieghan
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!
Wow I am really glad you loved this recipe! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
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.
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
I have tried to ssee the video but it is coming out very jacked up, wavy pictures repeating. Is anyone else having a problem?
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
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.
Thank you so much Ashley!! I am really glad this turned out well for you! xTieghan
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?
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
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.
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!
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
Hey there,
I am thrilled that you liked the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Have an awesome week:) xTieghan
Is there a way to not use the cinnamon sugar and just make a plain buttery loaf?
Hey Laura,
I would give this recipe a try:
https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/flaky-honey-brioche-bread/
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan