Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

The recipe makes two loaves, and one of my favorite things about it is how good it is straight from the oven. Brush the warm loaves with butter, slice one while it's still warm, and save the second loaf for later—or share it with someone you love.

Why You'll Love This Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

• Soft and fluffy. Pumpkin adds moisture and tenderness to the yeast bread.
• Sweet cinnamon swirl. Each loaf is rolled with cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Makes two loaves. Bake one for your family and share the other.
• Perfect for fall. Pumpkin and warm spices make this a cozy autumn bread.
• Amazing toasted. This bread makes especially good toast with butter.
• Freezer-friendly. The loaves can be wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months.
• A fun yeast bread. If you enjoy homemade bread, this recipe is worth the extra time.

What Makes This Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread So Good?

Unlike pumpkin quick breads, this recipe uses yeast, so the result is soft, fluffy, and sliceable rather than dense and cake-like.

Pumpkin is mixed directly into the dough along with a little nutmeg, giving the bread subtle pumpkin flavor and a beautiful color.

The dough is rolled into rectangles, sprinkled with a mixture of cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, and ground cloves, then rolled into loaves. As the bread bakes, the cinnamon mixture creates a sweet swirl throughout each slice.

One of my favorite tricks is using water instead of butter to help the cinnamon-sugar mixture stick to the dough. The water keeps the swirl from separating and helps prevent the bread from unrolling when you slice it.

What Others Are Saying

I love how this bread turned out! What a great idea to add pumpkin and the swirly bits. I enjoy baking bread and this will be an addition to my bread recipes that I will happily make year around. To save time/trouble I just used pumpkin pie spice...Thanks for a great recipe that was easy to make.--CC

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

• Let the dough rise until doubled. The first rise takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes, but the exact time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen.
• Don't add too much flour. The dough should be soft and workable. Add a little additional flour only if it is too sticky to handle.
• Use bread flour or all-purpose flour. Both work well in this recipe.
• Don't skip the second rise. Let the shaped loaves rise for about 40 minutes before baking so they have time to become light and fluffy.
• Use water for the cinnamon swirl. Lightly spritzing the dough with water helps the cinnamon-sugar mixture stick without making the finished bread prone to unrolling.
• Roll the dough tightly. A snug roll gives you a more defined cinnamon swirl and helps keep the loaf together.
• Pinch the seams closed. Make sure the ends and seam are sealed before placing the loaves into the pans.
• Brush with butter while warm. As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, brush the tops with butter for a soft, flavorful crust.
• Don't slice too soon. I know it's tempting, but allowing the bread to cool for a little while makes it easier to slice.

Ingredients

• Water: Many bread recipes call for milk. I often use milk in roll recipes, such as my Texas roadhouse rolls, which I want to be soft and rich. However, for bread, I typically use water.
• Yeast: You can use instant yeast or active-dry yeast. I prefer instant yeast, but proof the yeast no matter what type I use.
• Sugar: Sugar adds a bit of sweetness to the bread. You can just reduce it by half if you'd like, or use honey, but don't omit it altogether.
• Salt: For flavoring.
• Oil: Vegetable or canola oil works well.
• Pumpkin puree: 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
• Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour.
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves: I like using my own blend of spices, but you could also use pumpkin pie spice.
• Cinnamon and sugar: A mixture of cinnamon and sugar is the base for the delicious swirls in the dough.
• Spray bottle with water: This is my secret weapon for achieving perfect swirls.
• Butter: Just a small amount to brush over the loaves as they come out of the oven.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Step 1: Mix water, yeast, and sugar. Allow to sit 5 minutes or until the yeast looks foamy. 

Step 2: Add remaining dough ingredients and mix in a stand mixer or with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed and a soft dough forms. 

Step 3: Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes by hand, 3 minutes if using a bread hook on your stand mixer).

Step 4: Add 1 Tbsp. oil to bowl, place dough into the bowl, and coat dough on both sides. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warmed oven. Let rise for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Step 5: Once your dough has doubled in size, dump it onto your workspace. Divide into two sections. Roll each section into a 9x13 rectangle. Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and sugar in a small bowl. Lightly spritz dough with water.

Step 6: Sprinkle sugar and spices over dough. Then spritz the layer of sugar and spices with a little more water from the spray bottle. This will help the sugar spices stick to the dough. Roll dough tightly into a log. Pinch ends tightly to close, as well as the seam.

Step 7: Place into greased bread pans, seam side down. Let rise for 40 minutes. Bake loaves for 30-35 minutes. Rub the top of each loaf with softened butter.

What to Serve With Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Try serving this bread with:

• Butter
• Cream cheese
• Apple butter
• Pumpkin butter
• Honey
• A cup of coffee
• Hot apple cider

My favorite way to eat it is warm and toasted with a little butter.

Pumpkin Swirl Bread FAQs

More Pumpkin Bread Recipes

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