This Braided Cinnamon Bread is basically a giant braided cinnamon roll filled with juicy summer berries. The bread is super soft and slightly sweet, filled with cinnamon sugar, blueberries and strawberries, then topped with a delicious maple glaze.
If you’re looking for something that’s part cinnamon roll, part berry cake, stop right here because this Braided Cinnamon Bread with berries is exactly it. It is made with a milk bread like dough, filled with a cinnamon brown sugar mixture, and a generous helping of fresh berries. Serve it with powdered sugar or drizzle with maple glaze.
Why you’ll love it
- This bread is soft and fluffy.
- It’s sweet but not too sweet since you can control how much glaze to add on.
- It’s great as breakfast with your morning coffee, or as an afternoon snack with tea, and even as a sweet treat after dinner.
- It’s perfect for Easter brunch or Mother’s day brunch.
- The braided roll looks complicated but is actually easy to make.
This braided cinnamon roll is best served warm with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or a drizzle of maple glaze for extra sweetness. Some readers have mentioned that it’s sweet enough even without the glaze, so that is definitely an option for you to consider.
Ingredients and Substitutions
As always, you can find the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- Milk – I typically use whole milk when baking. You could also use 2% milk here.
- Butter – Unsalted butter is used in the bread dough as well as the cinnamon bread filling. You can get away with using salted butter in the bread dough but I wouldn’t recommend using salted butter in the filling, it would make the filling too salty.
- Sugar – Three types of sugar are used in this recipe. Granulated sugar in the dough, to give the yeast food and make the bread a little sweeter. Brown sugar in the cinnamon bread filling. And powdered sugar for the maple glaze.
- Yeast – You can use either active dry yeast or rapid rise instant yeast, the same amount of either type will work. Even with instant yeast, I still like to bloom it in warm liquid first to ensure the yeast is working.
- Flour – Typically, you want to make bread using bread flour for the higher protein content, which will make your bread chewier. However, I like to keep things simple and use all-purpose flour here.
- Salt – I use kosher salt, if you’re using table salt, only use about two thirds as much.
- Cinnamon – gotta have cinnamon in the cinnamon bread filling.
- Berries – I used fresh berries, a mixture of blueberries and strawberries. You can use just blueberries or strawberries by themselves. I didn’t use raspberries because I thought they might add too much liquid, making the bread soggy. I would also try to stay away from frozen berries, they will release too much liquid when baked.
- Maple syrup – I use pure maple syrup for the glaze. I haven’t tried using pancake syrup instead so I can’t recommend it, also I much prefer the taste of pure maple syrup.
- Egg – I only use egg for the egg wash to brush on top of the bread before baking to get a golden brown top crust. You could use heavy cream or milk wash instead, though it may not result in a deep golden color.
How to make braided cinnamon bread
First, bloom the yeast
Start by warming the milk and butter in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Stir in a little bit of sugar to dissolve.
Make sure the mixture cools down to below 110°F before adding the yeast. Note: if the liquid is too hot, it could kill the yeast! Stir and let it bloom for 10-15 minutes, the mixture should puff up.
Prepare the dough
Add the flour and salt to a stand mixer bowl and stir to distribute. Add the bloomed yeast mixture to the flour mixture and knead with the dough hook attachment on low speed for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together.
Tip: if the dough seems too slack and difficult to handle, you could knead it another 5 minutes to develop more gluten to give it more structure.
First rise
Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl and shape into a ball on a lightly floured surface. The dough should be soft but not wet and sticky. You shouldn’t need too much extra flour for shaping and rolling.
Place the dough ball into an oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours until at least double in size.
Tip: you could use oil on your hands and the countertop instead of flour while shaping the dough to help with sticking and also prevent you from adding too much flour which can dry out the bread.
Make cinnamon bread filling
While waiting for the dough to rise, you can make the filling by mixing together brown sugar, cinnamon and softened butter into a spreadable paste.
Tip: If you forgot to leave the butter out at room temperature, you can always microwave it for about 15 – 30 seconds.
Shape the braided cinnamon roll
When the dough is ready, roll it out into a rectangle about 12”x18”. Spread the cinnamon sugar filling over the dough with a soft silicone spatula, sprinkle berries on top and roll it up into a long log.
Use a serrated knife to cut open the log lengthwise leaving 1” intact at one end. Carefully twist the two strands together.
Second rise
Butter a 10” cast iron skillet or similar size round baking pan. Place the roll into the prepared pan in a circle and strategically place the open end on top of the uncut end to cover the doughy part. Allow the bread to rise again in a warm spot for about 30 minutes to an hour.
Bake the bread
Before you bake, brush a little egg wash or milk wash over any exposed part of the dough. Bake at 375°F until the bread is golden brown, this will take about 30-35 minutes.
Make maple glaze
Simply whisk together maple syrup and powdered sugar to make a maple glaze to drizzle over the warm bread for serving.
If you don’t want to add too much sugar, you can simply serve this braided cinnamon bread with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Variations
If you don’t want to use fresh berries or if berries are out of season, you can use other fruits such as:
- Apples or pears in the Fall
- Stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, and plums in the Summer
- You could also use raisins, dried figs, dried blueberries, etc.
Baker’s Tips
- Always check that your yeast is working properly before continuing with the recipe to ensure success. If the yeast mixture doesn’t puff up when bloomed, it is best to start over. Otherwise, your dough will not rise.
- Make sure you’re blooming the yeast in temperature 110°F or cooler. If the liquid is hotter than this, you will kill the yeast.
- Rising time can vary, depending on the environment: temperature, humidity, barometric pressure. The dough will rise faster in warmer weather compared to colder weather, in higher altitude compared to lower altitude, etc.
- If at first, the dough seems too slack after 5 minutes of kneading, instead of adding more flour, try to knead the dough another 5 or 10 minutes to develop more gluten. This will give the dough more structure and should make it easier to handle. But remember that more gluten will make the bread chewier, if you want softer bread, knead only as much as necessary.
- Using oil on your hands and the countertop when shaping and rolling the dough can prevent you from adding too much flour and risk drying out the bread, making it too hard.
FAQs
Can I use frozen berries?
I have not tested this recipe with frozen berries. However, I don’t recommend it because frozen fruits tend to release a lot of water once thawed, this could make the bread too soggy.
Can I make this recipe without a cast iron pan?
I used a 10” cast iron skillet to bake this. If you have any round baking vessel around 9”-10”, it should work for this recipe.
Can I make the dough the night before?
Yes, you can and here are some tips:
- Allow the dough to complete the first rise at room temperature. Shape the dough and prepare it for the second rise in a round baking pan.
- At this point, allow it to rise for 20-30 minutes, only half way through. Then refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, take the dough out to let it come to room temperature and finish the second rise before baking.
- To speed up the last step, you can make a proofing oven by placing the bread in your oven middle rack and adding boiling water to a tray placed underneath. The steam will create a warm environment for your bread to rise.
- I recommend using a cake pan or pie pan here instead of a cast iron pan because refrigeration will create moisture which you don’t want to expose the cast iron pan to over a long period of time.
Whenever making bread ahead, you have to be mindful not to let the dough over-rise, especially during the second rise, because over-risen dough will actually deflate and you’ll end up with very dense hard bread. That said, I never had trouble with cinnamon rolls over-proofing in the refrigerator since the colder temperature will slow down the fermentation.
But if you are following these tips for making ahead, make sure this is the last thing you do the night before, so you can put the bread in the fridge at bed time and limit the amount of time it is fermenting in the fridge, and then baking the bread is the first thing you do the next morning.
How do I serve this bread?
Cut into wedge slices as you would a cake or a pie and serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of maple glaze. Serve it with coffee, tea or ice cream!
Storage
- Room temperature: because this braided cinnamon bread contains fresh berries, I recommend only storing it at room temperature, covered, for 1 day.
- Refrigerator: you can keep this bread in the fridge for up to a week. Warm a slice up in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute before serving.
- Freezer: you can freeze this bread for up to 3 months, but note that the berries may become soggy when defrosted. It is best to freeze individual pieces so you can thaw just as much as you want to serve. Again, warm the bread in the microwave before serving.
More delicious sweet rolls
- Pani Popo (Samoan Coconut Buns)
- AnPan (Japanese Red Bean Buns)
- Orange Cranberry Hot Cross Buns
- Macadamia Coconut Rolls
- Coconut Brioche Buns
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📖 Recipe card
Braided Cinnamon Bread
Equipment
- Cast Iron Pan
Ingredients
Bread dough
- 1 cup whole milk (240 g)
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (28 g, 1 oz)
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast (8 g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (45 g, divided)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (321 g)
- Extra flour for rolling
Cinnamon filling
- 2 oz unsalted butter (57 g, room temperature)
- ¼ cup brown sugar (47 g, tightly packed)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (2 g)
- 2 cup fresh berries (265 g, 9 ⅜ oz, chopped strawberries and blueberries)
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon of water or milk
Maple Glaze
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup (69 g)
- ½ cup powder sugar (50 g)
Instructions
- Add milk and butter in a heat proof bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir to dissolve the butter and check the temperature with a thermometer to ensure it is below 110°F. Let the mixture cool to below 110°F if necessary.
- Add a teaspoon of sugar to the warm milk mixture, mix to dissolve. Sprinkle the active dry yeast over the milk and stir to submerge all the yeast. Let it bloom for about 10 – 15 minutes; the mixture should puff up.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the remaining sugar, flour and salt, mix with a whisk to evenly distribute.
- Add the bloomed yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Use the dough hook to knead on low speed for 5 minutes, and longer if necessary. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
- Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop, shape the dough into a ball.
- Place dough into an oiled glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for 1 – 1.5 hours until at least double in size.
- In the meantime, mix together softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to make a paste. Set aside until ready to use.
- When the dough is ready, scrape it out of the bowl onto a lightly floured counted top and punch the air out. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 12”x18”.
- Spread the cinnamon sugar filling on top of the dough with a spatula as evenly as possible. Sprinkle berries over the filling. Roll it up into a long log.
- Cut the log in half, lengthwise to expose the filling, leaving about 1” uncut at one end. Twist the two strands together by carefully lifting one strand over the other.
- Butter a 10” cast iron skillet or similar size round baking pan. Place the roll into the prepared pan in a circle and strategically place the open end on top of the uncut end to cover the doughy part.
- Allow the roll to rise for 30 minutes to an hour while preheating the oven to 375°F.
- Beat an egg with a tablespoon of water or milk to make egg wash. Brush any exposed part of the dough with egg wash.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 – 35 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
- Make the maple glaze by whisking together maple syrup and powdered sugar. Drizzle all over bread before serving.
Notes
- Always check that your yeast is working properly before continuing with the recipe to ensure success. If the yeast doesn’t puff up when bloomed in warm liquid, it is best to start over. Otherwise, your dough will not rise.
- Rising time can vary, depending on the environment: temperature, humidity, barometric pressure. The dough will rise faster in warmer weather compared to colder weather, in higher altitude compared to lower altitude, etc.
- Using oil to shape the dough will help with sticking and prevent you from adding too much extra flour to the dough.
- If you forgot to leave the butter out to soften for the filling, you can always microwave it for about 15 – 30 seconds.
Nutrition
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Hello! How did you get to the two pieces to braid?
Hi Ana, please see the process photos and descriptions in the middle of the post. You cut the log in half and layer one side over the other to braid.
Delicious! The process of constructing this looked a little intimidating but was actually quite easy. Made it exclusively with blueberries but I could see how it would easily work with pears, apples or even chocolate. Excellent well-written recipe! This is my third recipe of yours in a week and all have been spot on!!
Thank you so much for trying out my recipes, Joanne! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions at all. I hope to keep your trust and keep you coming back for more delicious treats. 🙂
Just tried this, turned out awesome!
Thank you so much for the feedback!
Just beautiful. As well as being delicious, this is such a showstopper
Can I make the dough a day before and bake it the next day?
Hi Francis, making yeast bread dough usually has two steps to rising so I’m going to give you some suggestions:
1. After making the dough a letting it rise for about an hour, you can refrigerate it overnight. Take it out of the fridge the next day and let it come to room temperature before continue on rolling it out, putting together the filling and allow it to rise the second time and then bake. But I think this might not be what you’re after…
2. If you want to get the dough with filling and everything ready in the pan, I think this is doable, but keep it in the fridge overnight. Don’t keep it at room temperature unless it’s really cold in your house because the dough can over rise and then collapse. The next day, let it come to room temperature, and maybe even allow it to rise more if needed before baking. I’ve done this with cinnamon rolls before, but not with fruit filling. I think it would work.
Let me know how it turn out! 🙂
I made it today and it wonderful, we finished all. Thank you
Excellent Irina! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back here and let me know. I really appreciate it and am so happy you enjoyed this recipe.
Would it work if I bake it the night before and heat it up a bit in the morning before serving?
Of course, just bake it all the way through the night before, let it cool on the counter. You can either reheat in the oven or microwave individual slices. I reheat left over throughout the week and it’s still delicious!
I was looking for a bread recipe for the whole family and I stumbled on this article. I read and followed the instructions carefully and I made it deliciously! Every member of my family is so happy! Thanks for this
Thank you so much for the feedback. It makes my day to know you and your family enjoyed this recipe 🙂
What is the equivalent of 1 package of active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoon) if I were to use SAF instant yeast? Would be best if the weight of instant yeast is provided rather than in packets format. Else, teaspoon measurement is good too.
Hi Tan, I’ve never used instant yeast before but I think it would be safe to use the same amount. Yeast is an organism that will multiply, so even if you use a little less, you should still be able to achieve the same result in bread but in a longer time. So more yeast less time, less yeast time. As long as your dough doubles in size, you’re good 🙂
Very delicious,I love it