Easter is this weekend and I cannot wait to wake up to a slice or five of this delectable Cinnamon Scone Bread! Soft, crumbly, buttery and cakey, with pockets of cinnamon sugar streusel and an eat-with-a-spoon-worthy cinnamon icing, my plan is to dunk slice after slice of this scone-like loaf into my morning coffee and repeat as needed for maximum enjoyment. Join me in these plans, will you?

close-up of a slice of cinnamon scone bread

Cinnamon Scone Bread Recipe

First things first, take a look around: My site got a little refresh this week! It looks similar to how it did before, but there are some nice upgrades that were sorely needed (I’m looking at you, recipes that printed in the tiniest font). Take a minute to reacclimate yourself to this fancy-schmancy new site, and then come back because we have to talk about this scone bread.

What is scone bread, you ask? Great question. It’s a quick bread that is baked in a loaf pan, but the layers are just like scones (think: crumbly, buttery, decadent, flavorful, yum). Instead of baking the scones in triangles or circles, you’re baking them in layers in a loaf pan, which yields similar textures to a scone but also allows for more flavor to bake into the scone (read: cinnamon sugar streusel deliciousness) and honestly, you’ve just gotta try it.

The inspiration for this recipe comes from MrsLarkin at Food52, who is credited with the idea of scone bread. I’ve made a few tweaks and changes to the recipe to make it my own, and here we are: in scone bread heaven (a very good place to be).

overhead shot of cinnamon scone bread on parchment paper

Ingredients You’ll Need

Before we get started, let’s talk about the ingredients needed for this recipe.

There are three main components to this scone bread: the bread itself, the streusel filling, and the cinnamon icing. Together, all three make for a delicious pull-apart loaf that is so good, you might just go after it with your hands (forget the utensils and modesty).

Here is what you’ll need (as always, please scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed directions):

For the streusel:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Heavy cream

For the bread:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Cold unsalted butter (the coldness is key to flaky, buttery scone bread!)
  • Cinnamon
  • Egg
  • Vanilla extract

For the icing:

  • Powdered sugar
  • Heavy cream
  • Cinnamon
cinnamon scone bread on parchment paper

How to Make Cinnamon Scone Bread

The process of assembling this bread is fairly similar to my Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread, and while the instructions are wordy, it’s actually very easy to do.

Just be sure to read through the recipe (at the bottom of this post!) for detailed instructions.

You can also check out my Reel on Instagram for a visual cue on how to assemble this loaf in the pan.

  • Step One: Make the streusel. Combine the streusel ingredients until a sugary blend forms. Set aside.
  • Step Two: Make the bread. Whisk together the dry ingredients, then cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or (my preferred method) with your fingers. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, with a few small pieces of butter sprinkled throughout.
  • Step Three: Assemble the dough. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients of the bread mixture, and stir to combine. Gently knead the dough into a ball shape, then transfer to a well-floured work surface. Pat the dough out into a 6×14-inch rectangle.
  • Step Four: Stack the dough. Cut the rectangle into 12 equal pieces (I used a pizza cutter for this step!). Brush each piece with heavy cream, then top generously with streusel. Flip a non-streusel-topped piece onto a streusel-topped piece (so it forms a streusel sandwich). Brush the top with more cream, then top with more streusel. As you go, transfer a few layers sideways (so the cut sides are facing up) to a 9×5-inch parchment-lined and greased loaf pan, until you’ve stacked all the layers into the pan.
  • Step Five: Top and bake. Brush the top of your loaf with more heavy cream, then top with any remaining streusel. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the bread is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out mostly clean.
  • Step Six: Drizzle with icing. Once the bread is slightly cooled, mix together the icing ingredients and drizzle over the top of the bread. Serve warm or let cool completely before devouring.

Tips for the Best Scone Bread

  • Be gentle when working with the dough. This is scone dough, after all, and like biscuit dough, the gentler you are with it, the more flaky and tender it will be once baked.
  • Keep the butter cold. Keep the butter in the fridge just until right before you need it for this recipe. Cold butter = flaky, soft layers of goodness.
  • Don’t stress about how much streusel to put between layers vs. on top. It’s all going into the loaf in some way so I just kind of eyeball how much will fit on top of each square of dough vs. sprinkling on top. It’s all good!
  • If you want to bake these into more traditional scones, here is what MrsLarkin says to do: Divide the dough into two pieces, pat one piece into a 6-inch circle, brush with cream and sprinkle with streusel. Pat the second piece of dough into a 6-inch circle, brush with cream and place on top of the first circle, cream-side down (to form a streusel sandwich). Cut into 8 triangles, brush with cream and sprinkle with any remaining streusel (or just granulated sugar). Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes.
cinnamon scone bread with a fork on the side

How to Serve Cinnamon Scone Bread

You can serve cinnamon scone bread warm, or at room temperature.

You can pull it apart with your hands, or use a knife to slice the layers. I like to enjoy this bread with hot coffee and fruit for breakfast or on its own as a sweet snack.

And since Easter is this weekend, I highly recommend you serve this bread as part of the brunch spread! This Easy Banana Bread and this Potato Bread are perfect for Easter too!

More Quick Bread Recipes!

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cinnamon scone bread on parchment paper

cinnamon scone bread

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Stephanie
  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 10 servings 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Soft, tender, buttery scone bread flavored with cinnamon-kissed streusel and a sweet cinnamon icing. Serve warm or at room temperature with a hot drink for maximum yums!

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the streusel:

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream

For the bread:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing on dough
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the icing:

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray or butter; line with parchment paper. Grease the bottom of the parchment.
  2. First, make the streusel: In a medium bowl, stir together streusel ingredients until a sugary blend forms. Set aside.
  3. Next, make the bread: In a large bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until combined. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in the cold butter until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, with a few bits of butter sprinkled throughout.
  4. In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup heavy cream, egg and vanilla extract. Add to flour mixture; use a spatula to bring the ingredients together (do not overmix). Once the mixture forms a loose dough, use your hands to fold and knead the dough several times in the bowl to completely form a dough and pick up any dry bits from the bowl.
  5. Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface. Pat the dough into a 6×14-inch rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 equal squares. Brush each square with heavy cream, then sprinkle 6 pieces generously with streusel. Flip the non-streusel-topped squares on top of the streusel-topped squares, cream side down. Brush the tops with more heavy cream, then top with more streusel. Stack again. Transfer the stacks to the prepared loaf pan, cut sides facing up (like a sideways lasagna).
  6. Brush the top of the dough with more heavy cream, then sprinkle any remaining streusel from the bowl or your work surface on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the loaf is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (you may have to place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the loaf while baking if it starts to get too brown).
  7. Cool bread in pan 15 minutes, then use parchment paper to remove from pan to a cooling rack. Finally, make the icing: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream until a drippy icing forms. Use a fork or whisk to drizzle icing evenly over the top of the warm loaf. Serve immediately, or wait for the bread to cool and icing to set before serving.

Notes

  • Recipe adapted from Food52.
  • Store leftover bread, fully cooled and tightly covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  • To freeze: Cool bread completely (with or without icing), then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw, covered, at room temperature. Add icing if needed.