Mohamed Shili Pioneer Woman cinnamon bread is a from-scratch yeasted loaf swirled with cinnamon sugar and butter, made with milk, eggs, and all-purpose flour. It takes about 5 hours with rising time, but only 30 minutes of hands-on work.
This recipe comes directly from Ree Drummond’s official site where she walks through every step with photos from her own kitchen. She baked it one night on a whim and sliced into it the next morning, calling it better than any store-bought version you will ever find.
The dough needs a genuinely warm spot to rise, not just room temperature. Ree learned through repeated failures that cutting the rise short produces dense bread every time. She heats an iron skillet on the stove, turns off the heat, then sets the covered bowl on top to create a warm enough environment for the yeast.
Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Bread
Description
A soft, homemade loaf with a tight spiral of cinnamon sugar running through every slice. The enriched dough gets its richness from butter and eggs, and two long rises give it a light, pillowy crumb you cannot get from a quick bread.
Ingredients
For the dough:
For the cinnamon filling:
For the egg wash:
Instructions
- Heat the milk and butter. Melt 6 tablespoons butter with 1 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat until very warm but not boiling. Remove from heat and cool until warm to the touch, about 10 minutes.
- Bloom the yeast. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk mixture, stir gently, and let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
- Mix the dough. Beat the sugar and eggs in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in the milk-yeast mixture and stir. Add half the flour and all the salt, beat on medium until smooth. Add the remaining flour and beat until just combined.
- Knead the dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes. If the dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and knead another 5 minutes. It should be slightly tacky but not messy.
- First rise. Warm a large bowl with hot water, then drain and drizzle with canola oil. Add the dough and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free spot for at least 2 hours until doubled.
- Shape the loaf. Roll the dough into a rectangle no wider than your loaf pan and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear 2 tablespoons softened butter over the surface. Mix the filling sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle evenly over the butter.
- Roll and seal. Starting at the far end, roll the dough toward you tightly and evenly. Pinch the seam closed and place seam-side down in a generously buttered loaf pan.
- Second rise. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for about 2 hours until the dough crests above the rim of the pan.
- Bake. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Whisk an egg with a splash of milk and brush over the top. Bake on a middle or lower rack for 40 minutes until deep golden brown.
- Cool and slice. Remove from the pan immediately and cool on a wire rack. Slice and serve plain, toasted with butter, or use for French toast.
FAQs
Why does Ree use salted butter instead of unsalted in this dough?
Ree specifically calls for salted butter, not unsalted. The salt from the butter works alongside the 1 teaspoon of added salt to balance the sweetness of the dough and the heavy cinnamon sugar filling.
Most bread recipes default to unsalted so you control the salt level, but this dough is enriched with sugar and eggs. The extra saltiness from the butter keeps it from tasting like cake and rounds out the cinnamon flavor instead.
Why do the eggs need to be at room temperature before mixing?
Cold eggs drop the temperature of the sugar-egg mixture, which can slow down or kill the yeast when everything gets combined. The yeast needs consistent warmth to stay active, and a cold mixture works against that.
Pull your eggs from the fridge at least 2 hours before starting. If you forget, set them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes. That small step protects all the rising time you are about to invest in this loaf.
Why two separate 2-hour rises instead of one longer one?
The first rise develops gluten structure and builds flavor through fermentation. The second rise after shaping lets the dough relax into the pan and creates an even, airy crumb around the cinnamon swirl.
Shortcut either rise and the bread turns out dense and tight. Ree admits she has failed at exactly this point by getting impatient, and the result was bread too heavy to enjoy. Patience is the real skill here.
Why bake on a middle or lower rack instead of higher up?
The egg wash on top browns fast under direct heat. A higher rack puts the loaf too close to the heating element, and the crust burns before the thick, swirled center cooks through.
The middle-lower position gives the inside enough time to bake evenly while the top develops a golden crust without scorching. If the top still darkens too quickly, tent it loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
What is the best way to slice this bread without crushing the swirl?
Let the loaf cool completely before slicing, at least 1 hour. A warm loaf compresses under the knife and the cinnamon filling smears instead of holding its clean spiral shape.
Use a serrated bread knife with long, gentle sawing strokes rather than pressing straight down. Cut slices about 3/4 inch thick so the swirl pattern stays visible and each piece holds together when you pick it up or toast it.
