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This gluten free cinnamon bread is easily made by swirling some cinnamon and sugar between two layers of vanilla quick bread. There's no yeast to let rise like in traditional gluten free cinnamon rolls but your house will still smell amazing!
No matter how smoothly things seem to be going on busy mornings, eventually we'll end up having breakfast issues in my house. Once we get into a groove with a make-ahead breakfast that all 3 of my kids like and I feel reasonably good about, well I settled in to that groove.
As my kids got older, maybe I should have just let them just.eat.cereal. I was just never really willing to give up, though. Instead, I've always tried to clear the decks by serving up something nearly too good to reasonably be called breakfast, like this cinnamon swirl gluten free quick bread.
I can almost guarantee that, if you serve it for breakfast with some fruit you'll be like me. Surprise, surprise, there is not one complaint.
How to make all that cinnamon sugar quick bread texture
The layered and then swirled batter doesn't necessarily mean that the cinnamon-sugar mixture makes its way into every single nook and cranny of the quick bread. But it's not meant to.
The swirling makes for a perfectly craggy and nubby top, one that makes the whole business taste like the perfectly tender coffee cake which it basically is, after all. And spreads out the cinnamon-sugar just enough.
It's not nutritious like baked oatmeal cups, but it does remind me and my children alike that I can, in fact, make something that they love for breakfast. Sometimes, you just need a win.
Popular ingredient substitution suggestions
Dairy free
You should be able to replace both the buttermilk and the butter in this recipe. The buttermilk can be replaced with half (by volume) unsweetened nondairy milk (my favorite is almond milk) and half (by volume) unsweetened nondairy plain yogurt.
You can also make this swap with dairy-containing ingredients if you just don't have buttermilk. The butter should be able to be replaced with your favorite vegan butter.
I like Melt and Miyoko's Kitchen brands best. I would avoid Earth's Balance buttery sticks, since they're not my first choice for baking.
Egg free
In place of each of the 2 eggs, you can try using one “chia egg.” Place 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds in a small bowl, add about 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mix and allow to gel.
Cornstarch
If you can't have corn, try replacing the cornstarch with potato starch or arrowroot. If you're using an all purpose gluten free flour blend like Cup4Cup brand, which already high in starch, don't use the extra cornstarch. Replace it with an equal amount, by weight, Cup4Cup.
FAQs
How do you store the cinnamon bread?
Once the bread has cooled completely store it in a properly sealed container, or ziplock bag. Ideally keep the bread at room temperature as refrigerating the bread can dry it out.
Can I freeze the cinnamon swirl bread?
Yes, you can freeze the bread in slices, which are best stored wrapped individually in foil and frozen separately, or you can freeze the loaf as a whole and defrost it to enjoy in one go.
Can I reheat the bread?
Yes, slices of the cinnamon swirl are delicious when lightly toasted in the oven or toaster.
How to make gluten free cinnamon swirl bread
Gluten Free Cinnamon Bread
Ingredients
For the quick bread
- 1 ¾ cups (245 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (I used Better Batter; please click thru for appropriate blends)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- 10 tablespoons (54 g) cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the cinnamon-sugar mixture
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the (optional) glaze
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk, plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and line with unbleached parchment paper a standard 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan and set it aside.
Make the quick bread batter.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. The batter will be thick and fluffy.
Make the cinnamon-sugar mixture and assemble.
- In a small bowl, place the granulated sugar and cinnamon, and mix to combine well.
- Scrape half of the quick bread batter into the prepared loaf pan, and spread into an even layer with a wet spatula.
- Place half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top and shake into an even layer.
- Place the remaining batter on top followed by the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture, in the same manner.
- Using a wet butter knife at an angle perpendicular to the bottom of the loaf pan, carefully swirl the batter in all directions. The top of the batter should be craggy and uneven.
Bake the loaf.
- Place the loaf pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F.
- Lower the oven temperature to 325°F, rotate the loaf pan 180°, and continue to bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs attached, and the top is light golden brown and firm to the touch (about another 15 minutes).
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the baking pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze.
- In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix well, until a thick paste forms. Add more milk by the 1/4-teaspoon, mixing to combine well, until the glaze falls off the spoon slowly, in a thick but pourable glaze.
- Add milk very slowly, as it is much easier to thin, than to thicken, the glaze. If you do thin the glaze too much, add more confectioners’ sugar a teaspoon at a time to thicken it.
- Drizzle the glaze in zigzag patterns all over the top of the cooled quick bread. Slice thickly and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How strange!! I left a comment yesterday about I would like to order the book for out granddaughter in law since she is GF. I also would like the one about bread making. Do you have to pay shipping if you ore order? My comment isn’t here.
All of my books are available wherever books are sold, Charlotte. If you order through amazon.com and you have Amazon Prime, shipping should be free, but you’ll have to check with the retailer!
would i be able to use coconut sugar in place of the sugar
You might be able to if you grind it a bit finer, Karla, but coconut palm sugar is a better substitute for brown sugar than for granulated sugar. Feel free to experiment!
thank you I probably will tomorrow morning
made it using the coconut sugar. used as is in the batter but did process it finer to mix with cinnamon.
i also chucked up an apple into the batter. only have 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 loaf pan so that is what i used. took a little longer to bake but turn out great. moist and good flavor and not overly sweet which i like
I miss Hostess Ho Ho’s.
I have both “Gluten Free on a Shoestring” & “GFOAS
Bakes Bread” and they are absolutely dog-eared, dripped upon, etc. from
use. I use them almost daily. My grandsons love the GF baked goods
I make, even though they have no gluten sensitivities. The 14-year old loves to
cook and proclaimed your recipe for New York Times-Style GF Sugar Cookies the
best sugar cookie he’s EVER tasted…and I agree. It’s my favorite treat.
Thanks for the wonderful recipes!
I love your comment, nancy! Would you do me a favor, though, and repost it on the Giveaway Thread? I want to make sure it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.
Oh Nicole – how I feel your pain. Today I got the grumpies to scrambled eggs. Like what is there not to like about eggs? I love them – eat ’em every day but not my kiddos. But we are not short order chefs so sometimes they just have to deal UNTIL.. you post something out of this world like this! YUM! can’t wait to make it!
Oh you know I hear you, Jennifer! My youngest swore she hated scrambled eggs for years. And now proclaims her love for them. Oh the humanity!
Heavy sigh! I miss eggs! I get gluten type reactions from them now. Oh to be able to eat an egg or two again…poached, hard boiled, scrambled, over easy, egg salad…and deviled! Heavy sigh!
Breakfast is hard for me, never mind the rest of my family. I am so not a morning person. I want to stay in bed until the last possible moment. I can’t even eat until I am at my desk at work (my stomach doesn’t like food too early)! I can no longer tolerate eggs. I need all the help I can get with fast, take away breakfast foods and I get tired of oatmeal. Oh, and I love cinnamon, so this is a win-win for me!
My husband is the same way with breakfast, Mare. And I think my little one may be as well, which makes her extra hard to please. I think when she grows up, she’ll be like you. :)
Hi Nicole. this looks great! We love quick breads! And quick breads for breakfast are even better. So you have girl,boy,girl? Going on 13,11 and 9? Same thing here.
Yup! Girl-boy-girl. My daughter Bailey will be 13 next month, my son Jonathan is 11 and my daughter Ava is 9. They’d love this blog to be alllll about them, but since it’s about food I don’t really talk about them too much!
Can you give a ballpark estimate of the amount of additional time to give it when you lower the temp to 325? This looks yummy!
So sorry, Rita! I included the total time of 45 minutes, and the initial time (30 minutes) but forgot to add the 15 minute time estimate for the final run. It’s in there now. Thanks for pointing that out!
Thanks ! Making this tonight!
My kids are older than yours, and I refuse to give up on putting out something for breakfast! They need more than a glass of water and a dry rice cake, which is their idea of morning nutrition. I may not do well by breakfast everyday, but I try. They still all sit down at the same time and we check in about the day ahead. At least it is early enough that they are too tired to do a lot of complaining! This bread looks great, and I don’t have a plan for tomorrow. Nicole to the rescue (again)!
My kids never seem to be too tired to complain, Anneke! Glad to know you haven’t given up on breakfasts with your older kids. When they’re not going to school, I’m okay phoning it in sometimes. But when it’s a school day, you gotta have a good breakfast! ;)
Can you cook this in a bread maker? what would you change?
I would not recommend making this in a bread maker, Jackie. It’s a quick bread, not a yeast bread, which means it’s basically cake in a loaf pan!
WOW, and yes, we all need a win sometimes! We’re in a breakfast slump here too, and I imagine this delicious looking treat will pull us right out. Thanks Nicole!
Sadly, Dana, a breakfast slump would seem like a step up to us. We’d been in a breakfast collapse!
Hmm I wonder how this would work with a wetter inside, like Enterman’s cream cheese coffee cake?