Gluten Free Cinnamon Bread with a Swirl

By Nicole Hunn | Published: August 5, 2020 | Posted In: Breakfast & Brunch, Quick Breads

5 from 66 votes

Prep Time : 20

Cook Time : 45

This gluten free cinnamon bread is made from a simple sweet vanilla quick bread swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with a white glaze drizzle, which is sort of optional, but sort of not!

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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!

Cinnamon swirl bread on a white plate with a cup of coffee in back

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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.

A loaf of cinnamon swirl bread on brown surface

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.

Whole baked loaf of cinnamon swirl closeup image

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

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Gluten Free Cinnamon Bread

This gluten free cinnamon bread is made from a simple sweet vanilla quick bread swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with a white glaze drizzle, which is sort of optional, but sort of not!

Course: Quick bread

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 45

Yield: 1 standard loaf quick bread

Author: Nicole Hunn

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.

Notes

Adapted from Taste of Home and my recipe for Lemon Poppyseed Bread. Originally published on the blog in 2015. In 2020, some photos new; video new; recipe unchanged.