Dolly Parton Inspired Cinnamon Sourdough Bread
First of all - WE LOVE YOU DOLLY!
If you've ever visited Dollywood and had a loaf of that famous warm cinnamon bread, you know this isn't your average cinnamon swirl bread. It's soft, buttery pull-apart bread coated in cinnamon sugar, baked until golden and caramelized, and served warm with icing.
This sourdough discard version takes inspiration from that iconic treat but gives it an Acts of Sourdough spin. The discard adds a subtle depth of flavor to a soft, enriched dough, while plenty of butter and cinnamon sugar create those gooey, pull-apart pockets.
Don't over-flour your dough. This is the big one. A soft, slightly tacky dough creates a much fluffier finished bread. Flour-heavy dough = dry cinnamon bread, and nobody came here for that.
Get the cinnamon sugar into the cuts. Don't just sprinkle it over the top. Use your fingers to gently open each section and get butter and cinnamon sugar down inside. Those little pockets become gooey and caramelized as the loaf bakes.
Be generous with the butter. Butter isn't just adding flavor here—it helps the cinnamon sugar adhere to the bread and creates those sticky, caramelized edges.
Use a metal loaf pan if you have one. Metal conducts heat more efficiently and helps the bottom and sides caramelize nicely.
Put the loaf pans on a sheet pan. Cinnamon sugar + butter + enthusiastic rising dough can equal bubbling sugar on the bottom of your oven. Save yourself the cleanup.
Don't rush the second rise. You want the bread noticeably puffy before baking. If your kitchen is chilly, it may take longer than 45 minutes.
Watch the top. All that sugar means the bread can brown quickly. If it's looking perfect but the center isn't done, tent it loosely with foil.
Shape the Cinnamon Bread
Use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to make several deep cuts across the top of the dough, being careful not to cut completely through the bottom. Think thick pull-apart sections rather than slices.
Here's the fun, dip the loaf in the melted butter, making sure some gets down inside those cuts. Generously coat the entire loaf with cinnamon sugar, working plenty of it down into the crevices.
Transfer to the prepared loaf pan and repeat with the second loaf.
Why Use Sourdough Discard?
The discard isn't being used as the primary leavening agent here—that's what our yeast is for. Instead, it brings a subtle tang and deeper fermented flavor that works SO well against the sweet cinnamon sugar.
It also makes this the perfect recipe for those days when your discard jar is getting dangerously close to becoming a permanent refrigerator resident.
Your discard can be active or unfed for this recipe.
Make It Even More Dolly-Inspired
The famous Dollywood cinnamon bread is often served with icing or apple butter, and that combination is absolutely worth borrowing for this homemade version.
Serve your warm sourdough discard cinnamon bread with:
- Vanilla icing
- Homemade apple butter
- Cinnamon honey butter
- Warm sautéed apples
- Or, obviously, more butter
For fall, I'd absolutely serve this with homemade apple butter. Warm cinnamon bread + apple butter + coffee is pretty hard to beat.
Make-Ahead Option
Prepare the dough and complete the first rise. Shape and coat the loaves, place them into their pans, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, remove the bread from the refrigerator and let it come toward room temperature and finish rising until noticeably puffy. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this could take 1–2 hours.
Then bake as directed.
This makes it such a fun recipe for Thanksgiving morning, Christmas breakfast, brunch, or a cozy fall weekend.
How to Store Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Bread
This bread is definitely at its best warm and fresh, when the inside is pillowy and all that cinnamon sugar is still wonderfully gooey.
Store leftovers tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days.
To bring back some of that fresh-from-the-oven magic, microwave an individual piece for about 10–15 seconds.
You can also freeze the completely cooled bread for up to 3 months. I'd freeze it without the glaze, when possible, then thaw, warm, and glaze before serving.
One More Tip...
Don't slice this one neatly.
Set the warm loaf in the middle of the table, drizzle it with icing, pour some coffee, and pull it apart with your hands.
It's messy. It's buttery. Cinnamon sugar will probably end up everywhere.
That's kind of the point.
Dolly Parton Inspired Cinnamon Sourdough Bread
Courtney Moody
8
20 minutes
30 minutes
673
American
If you've ever visited Dollywood and had a loaf of that famous warm cinnamon bread, you know this isn't your average cinnamon swirl bread. It's soft, buttery pull-apart bread coated in cinnamon sugar, baked until golden and caramelized, and served warm with icing.
This sourdough discard version takes inspiration from that iconic treat but gives it an Acts of Sourdough spin. The discard adds a subtle depth of flavor to a soft, enriched dough, while plenty of butter and cinnamon sugar create those gooey, pull-apart pockets.
Ingredients
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¾ cup whole milk, warm
2¼ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
1 tbs honey
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½ cup sourdough discard
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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4 - 4½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
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1 stick melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
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1 cup powdered sugar
2 - 3 tbs heavy cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Directions
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Add the warm milk, yeast, and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer. If using active dry yeast, let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy. Instant yeast can move right along.
Add the sourdough discard, egg, ½ cup milk, melted butter, and vanilla and mix until combined.
Add the salt and 4 cups of flour. Knead with the dough hook on medium-low for 6–8 minutes, adding additional flour a tablespoon at a time only as needed. The dough might be a little sticky but that is okay, it is a rich dough!
The finished dough should be smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. Don't keep adding flour until the dough feels too dry, soft dough is one of the secrets to soft cinnamon bread :)
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 2 hours, or until roughly doubled in size.
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While the dough rises, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt in a shallow pie pan.
Melt your butter in a pan. And yes, we are using a lot of butter ;)
Grease two 8x4-inch loaf pans generously with butter or oil, this is important because the sugar coating will melt and this will keep the bread from sticking.
Punch down your dough to release the air, turn it over onto a clean workspace and divide it in half with a sharp knife or bench scraper.
Working with one half at a time, gently stretch or roll the dough into a rough rectangle about the length of your loaf pan.
Use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to make 4 - 5 deep cuts across the top of the dough, being careful not to cut completely through the bottom. Think thick pull-apart sections rather than slices.
Roll the loaf in the pan of butter and then transfer it to the sugar pan and roll it in cinnamon sugar, making sure the entire dough is coated, including the inside of the cuts.
Place your sugar-coated dough in the sandwich pans.
Cover and let rise another 45 minutes - 1 hour until noticeably puffy.
Preheat your oven to 390 degrees and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.
For the most reliable result, check the center with an instant-read thermometer. An enriched yeast bread is generally done around 190°F internally.
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While your bread is baking, make the glaze by whisking together your powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and salt.
Drizzle it all over the bread while it's still slightly warm. Or serve the glaze on the side and tear, dip, repeat. But most importantly - ENJOY!
