Our Ultimate Cozy Cinnamon Sugar Donut Bread Recipe

Have you ever imagined capturing the essence of a warm, sugary cinnamon donut within a soft, shareable loaf? That wonderfully comforting scent wafting through the house, the delightful crunch of cinnamon sugar, and the light, fluffy texture – it’s truly heavenly. Well, your daydreams are about to become a reality! We have developed the ultimate Cozy Cinnamon Sugar Donut Bread Recipe that brings all the delight of a freshly baked donut right to your kitchen, but without the hassle of deep-frying.

This recipe is so much more than a simple sweet bread; it’s a whole experience. It makes a perfect centrepiece for a relaxed weekend brunch, a wonderful after-school treat for the little ones, or a comforting partner to your morning cup of tea. We’ve created this baked donut bread to be an uncomplicated bake that yields impressive results every time. Our philosophy is all about creating food full of flavour and happiness, from comforting bakes like this one to quick weeknight meals like our much-loved Sticky Chicken Rice Bowls. Prepare to fill your home with the divine aroma of cinnamon and bake a loaf that will have everyone asking for the recipe.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• All the Donut Taste, Without the Frying: We have successfully bottled the soul of a classic cinnamon sugar donut—its flavour, texture, and aroma—into a straightforward, oven-baked loaf. This is comfort food at its absolute best.
• Incredibly Simple to Prepare: This recipe calls for basic pantry staples and follows an easy method. With no yeast or complex procedures, it’s ideal for bakers of every experience level.
• The Ultimate Pull-Apart Treat: We’ve crafted this as a cinnamon sugar pull apart bread. Each morsel is bathed in buttery, sugary goodness, making it incredibly enjoyable to share and devour.
• A Divine Scent: While it bakes, your kitchen will be filled with the most amazing, warming fragrance of cinnamon, butter, and sugar. It’s almost worth baking for the aroma alone!
• Ideal for Any Occasion: Serve it warm for a special breakfast, pack it for a picnic lunch, or present it as a dessert. It’s a wonderfully versatile bake that is guaranteed to be a hit.

Ingredients

• plain flour
• caster sugar
• baking powder
• ground nutmeg
• whole milk
• large egg
• unsalted butter
• vanilla extract
• ground cinnamon

To bring this wonderful donut flavored bread to life, you will only need a handful of simple ingredients that are probably already in your cupboards. We’ve organised them into two sections: one for the dough and another for that irresistible cinnamon-sugar coating.

• For the Dough:
• 280g (2 ¼ cups) plain flour
• 50g (¼ cup) caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 180ml (¾ cup) whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 85g (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
• 85g (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 150g (¾ cup) caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Step-by-Step Instructions for the Perfect Donut Bread

Just follow our straightforward steps to bake a loaf of warm, gooey, cinnamon-dusted perfection. We will walk you through preparing the dough, coating each piece, and assembling your stunning pull-apart bread.

1. Preparing Your Tin and Dry Ingredients

First and foremost, let’s get everything organised. Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C Fan / Gas Mark 4). Thoroughly grease a 9×5 inch (2lb) loaf tin and line it with baking parchment, ensuring some hangs over the sides. This simple trick makes it much easier to lift the finished loaf out later on.

In a large bowl, it’s time to combine the dry dough ingredients. Add the plain flour, caster sugar, baking powder, salt, and the crucial ground nutmeg. Whisk them all together until they are well combined. This is an important step for achieving an even texture and taste throughout the bread. For the best accuracy, we always suggest weighing your flour. If you prefer to use cups, this helpful guide from King Arthur Baking shows the correct spoon-and-level technique to avoid compacting the flour.

2. Mixing the Wet Ingredients and Forming the Dough

Using a separate medium bowl or a jug, whisk together the room-temperature milk and egg. Once combined, gently whisk in the slightly cooled melted butter and the vanilla extract. It’s vital that the butter isn’t piping hot, as this could cause the egg to scramble.

Next, pour this wet mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. With a spatula, carefully fold everything together until a soft, slightly tacky dough comes together. The most important rule here is not to overmix! You should stop as soon as the dry streaks of flour have disappeared. Overworking the dough develops too much gluten, which can result in a tough loaf rather than a tender one.

3. Shaping and Coating in Cinnamon Sugar Goodness

Now we get to the really enjoyable part! Lightly flour a clean work surface and turn out your dough. Gently press it into a rough rectangle, about half an inch in thickness. With a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, slice the dough into small, bite-sized squares – roughly 1-inch by 1-inch is ideal.

Then, prepare your coating station with two shallow bowls. Into the first, pour your 85g of melted butter. In the second, stir together the 150g of caster sugar and 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon until they are evenly mixed. Taking a few squares at a time, dip each piece of dough into the melted butter, allowing any excess to drip away. Immediately toss the buttered dough in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until it is generously coated on all sides.

4. Assembling and Baking Your Pull-Apart Bread

As each piece of dough is coated, start arranging them in your prepared loaf tin. Avoid simply tipping them in; we want to stack them loosely, either vertically or horizontally, to achieve those lovely, distinct pull-apart layers. Keep going until all the dough is coated and settled in the tin. If you find you have any leftover melted butter or cinnamon sugar, don’t hesitate to drizzle it over the top for an extra-rich finish.

Put the loaf tin into your preheated oven and bake for 40–50 minutes. The bread is ready when it has turned a deep golden brown on top and a skewer pushed into the centre emerges clean. The surface should also feel firm when gently pressed. We promise your kitchen will smell absolutely heavenly by now!

After baking, allow the bread to cool inside the tin for around 10 minutes. Then, use the parchment paper overhangs to carefully transfer it to a wire rack. This sweet breakfast bread is at its most delicious when served warm, while the centre remains soft and wonderfully gooey. See if you can resist pulling a piece off straight away!

FAQ

Conclusion: Your New Favourite Sweet Treat

And there we have it – a straightforward yet truly spectacular recipe for a bread that tastes just like a warm, freshly prepared cinnamon donut. This Cozy Cinnamon Sugar Donut Bread Recipe is the perfect example that you don’t need a deep fryer or a complex method to enjoy one of life’s greatest sweet pleasures. With its buttery, pull-apart texture and generous cinnamon-sugar coating, it is sure to become a cherished favourite in your baking collection. It is the perfect bake for bringing people together, whether for a family breakfast or a cosy afternoon with friends.

So, why wait any longer? It’s time to get that oven preheated and fill your home with the glorious scent of this incredible bread. We are certain you will adore it just as much as we do. If you’re on the lookout for other easy, crowd-pleasing meals, you might also like our simple one-pan Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe, perfect for a weeknight dinner.

We would be thrilled to see your beautiful donut bread creations! Please do give the recipe a go, and be sure to leave a comment below to tell us how you got on. Happy baking!

Recipe Card

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 40-50 mins
Serves: 8

Ingredients

• For the Dough:
• 280g (2 ¼ cups) plain flour
• 50g (¼ cup) caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 180ml (¾ cup) whole milk, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 85g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the Coating:
• 85g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
• 150g (¾ cup) caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan). Grease and line a 9×5 inch loaf tin. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 50g caster sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, 85g of cooled melted butter, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
3. On a floured surface, press the dough into a rectangle and cut into 1-inch squares. In two separate shallow bowls, place the remaining 85g of melted butter and the mixture of 150g caster sugar and cinnamon.
4. Dip each dough square first into the melted butter, then toss to coat in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
5. Arrange the coated dough pieces loosely in the prepared loaf tin. Drizzle any remaining butter and cinnamon sugar over the top. Bake for 40–50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Let the bread cool in the tin for 10 minutes before lifting it out onto a wire rack to serve warm.