Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

A recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread! This soft, pillowy pumpkin bread is filled with a cinnamon sugar swirl and warming spices for quite the delicious fall treat.

Secret Recipe Club

Secret Recipe Club time again and I’m sharing a recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread!

For those who haven’t seen my previous Secret Recipe Club posts, this club includes three group of bloggers who are assigned a different blog each month and secretly make a recipe to post on their specified Monday reveal day.

I look forward to my assignment email every month and discovering new blogs. It is also fun to see what someone chooses from your blog. Unfortunately, this is the last reveal day for the club. It has been a wonderful 3 years!

For this last reveal, I was assigned to Sarah’s blog- The Pajama Chef. Sarah features “healthy, delicious recipes with a side of indulgence” on her blog.

Along with creating a wonderful assortment of recipes, she also works as an academic librarian and has a Masters in Library Science and a Master of Arts in African Studies. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, baby, and three cats.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

I have been going through a bit of leftover pumpkin puree and was inspired by Sarah’s Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread!

This soft and fluffy yeast-based bread is filled with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, plus a sweet cinnamon brown sugar swirl through the center. It is especially perfect for fall.

The bread is quite delicious on its own, but Sarah also recommends toasting the slices and topping them with pumpkin butter or peanut butter (a favorite with the kids).

Once the bread is a day or two old, it would be great as the base for French Toast or my Pumpkin French Toast Casserole.

A Few Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread Tips

When adding the yeast to the milk and water, make sure the liquid isn’t too hot or it will damage the yeast. The temperature should be about 105˚F (40˚C)- just warm enough to activate. Allow to rest at room temperature until frothy, about 10 minutes.

Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring cup and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.

If the dough is too crumbly and just won’t come together after mixing and kneading everything together for a few minutes, add some more water a splash at a time. Give it some time to blend fully with the flour before adding more.

Add just enough flour to create a smooth and workable dough. Too much flour will cause the texture to become dense.

I baked the bread in a Pullman loaf pan (not covered) with a 1 pound (450 gram) capacity and 4.2 x 7.7 x 4.4 inch (10.6 x 19.5 x 11 centimeter) dimensions.

This recipe uses pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree simply contains cooked and pureed pumpkin. If your pumpkin puree is watery, you may need to add about 1/4 cup more flour or so.

In a warm kitchen, the first rise should take about 1-1 1/2 hours to double in size. During the winter with cooler temperatures, it sometimes takes closer to 2 hours.

For the second rise, allow the dough to rest in the pan until it has almost reached the top, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet just in case any of the cinnamon sugar mixture bubbles out and over the sides.

Check out what everyone else made:

• Cranberry Upside Down Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Coconut Pistachio Biscotti from The Big Sweet Tooth
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Swirl Brownies from The Heritage Cook
• Banana Coconut Bread from Join Us, Pull Up a Chair
• Sausage and Potato Soup with Spinach from Cook with Sara
• Gluten Free Donuts from Loving Life
• Natural Noshing Food from Tea and Scones

This recipe was originally posted in November 2016 and updated in September 2025.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe

Adapted from The Pajama Chef

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5 from 1 vote

Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread

A recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread! This soft, pillowy pumpkin bread is filled with a cinnamon sugar swirl and warming spices for quite the delicious fall treat.

Course Bread

Cuisine N/A

Keyword autumn, bread, cinnamon, fall, pumpkin, pumpkin spice

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings 1 Loaf

Ingredients

Pumpkin Bread:

• 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) lukewarm milk 105-115˚F (40-46˚C)
• 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) lukewarm water 105-115˚F (40-46˚C)
• 4 cups (500 grams) bread flour
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup (125 grams) pure pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter softened at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1 large egg

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl:

• 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

• In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk and water. Stir to combine and let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
• Slowly mix in the frothy yeast with the milk and water, followed by the pumpkin puree, softened butter, and egg to form a soft dough.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature until doubled, about 1-2 hours.

To Assemble:

• Grease a pullman loaf pan with a 1 pound (450 gram) capacity with butter.
• In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the rested dough into a rectangle about 9 inches (23 centimeters) across and 12 inches (30 centimeters) long.
• Brush the top of the rectangle with the softened butter, leaving a 1/2 inch (1.25 centimeter) border around the edges.
• Evenly cover with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
• Fold in about 1/2 inch (1.25 centimeters) of each long end to form a border.
• Roll up the bread into a log shape, short end to short end, sealing the seam to close.
• Place the rolled up loaf seam side down in the prepared loaf pan.
• Cover with a towel and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough has nearly risen to the top of the pan, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Place the oven rack on the lower third of the oven.
• Place the loaf pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until the top is deeply golden and the bread sounds hollow when tapped, 30-40 minutes.
• Allow the bread to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.