I am such a victim of marketing. Every year about this time, I get completely sucked in by all the seasonal magazines. You know what I’m talking about. Holiday Baking. Christmas Cooking. So-and-so’s Best Christmas Ever!!! Anyway, I’ve already bought four or five of these. This recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Baking. There is a section entitled “Nut Breads for Giving” that includes several recipes that all look divine.
I know it’s not exactly Christmas yet, but I do like to get an early start. Otherwise, I wouldn’t get everything baked that I want to try out. This is such a simple recipe – very straightforward. I did use Penzey’s Vietnamese cinnamon, which is a bit stronger than traditional cinnamon. If you don’t own some of their cinnamon, go make your order right now. Worth every penny.
This bread is all a quick bread should be. Quick. And delicious. It would be excellent for breakfast, with coffee, or for dessert. The cinnamon pecan streusel that is swirled through the bread is wonderful. I think I could just eat that by itself. Also, if you like to underbake things a bit like I do, then your bread will be nice and gooey. Get a fork or resign yourself to sticky fingers.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup cooking oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease/flour/spray the bottom and sides of a 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan.
To make the swirl, combine 1/3 cup of sugar, pecans, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Combine 1 cup of sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat egg. Then, stir in milk and oil. Make a well in the flour mixture and add the egg mixture. Stir just until mixed. Do not overmix.
Pour half of the batter into loaf pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon mixture. Repeat. With a wide rubber scraper or spatula, swirl mixtures together with a down and up circular motion.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until done. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Then, cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.
November 2nd, 2006 at 12:54 pm
Yum! pretty picture!
November 2nd, 2006 at 2:10 pm
Yum!
November 2nd, 2006 at 2:59 pm
That looks delicious! Great photo
November 2nd, 2006 at 5:37 pm
Jennifer I LOVE the photo! I am so jealous of your site! I think it’s great that you have printable versions of your recipes…someday I hope to do the same thing (if I can find someone to do everything for me!). Please don’t ever stop baking
November 2nd, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Thanks, guys! I assure you, Nicole, that I will not be allowed to stop baking any time soon. My family and friends would be most unhappy. Who doesn’t like free baked goods?!?
November 3rd, 2006 at 10:48 am
I too am a sucker – I have about 3 so far… and counting!
This looks fabulous. I have to go re-read the ones I have.
November 3rd, 2006 at 3:53 pm
I always buy those things too but sometimes they do have really good stuff…your cinnamon bread for example looks wonderful.
November 4th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
I know exactly how you feel about the marketing that takes place at this time of year. No matter how I try to resist, I always ending buying the magazines!
When I saw this photo on Flickr, I couldn’t wait to read your post about. As always, a beautiful creation!
November 9th, 2006 at 8:44 am
I love pretty much anything with cinnamon in it. There’s just something about that way it tastes and smells that is so comforting and homey.
November 9th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
I’m a sucker for those magazines too! I bought a Cookie one, and then the Cooks Illustrated Holiday Edition. And then when I was feverishly going through it, I realized that all of the recipes were already in my “Best Recipes” Cookbook from Cooks Illustrated. Take $7 and throw it down the toilet. Oh well!
March 3rd, 2008 at 3:11 pm
where can I buy this?
April 28th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I’m so excited! I’ve got mine in the oven right now! It smells amazing!!
April 28th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Carolyn, I hope you like it! I remember it fondly.
May 15th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
This was really good. I especially like the gooeyness of the cinnamon swirls.
May 15th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Rachelle, I’m glad you liked it!
August 12th, 2008 at 11:47 am
This looks really good!
August 12th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Thanks, Hannah.!
October 21st, 2009 at 12:18 am
Wow, this looks great – makes my old recipe not look so appetizing! I was wondering how many loaves your recipe will make? Thanks!
January 14th, 2010 at 12:09 am
I just made this. It is very good. I thought that I had made a mistake when I encountered the gooey part in the center. I just re-read your post and realized that I’m supposed to embrace that part haha. Thanks for another great recipe!
January 14th, 2010 at 2:28 am
Hi,
I made this today. I didn’t have pecans so i used apples instead. It was delicious! People thought it was store-bought!! I can’t wait to try the actual pecan cinammon swirl bread!
January 27th, 2010 at 11:49 am
Love this bread! I made it last weekend to take to sunday school and it was a big hit. I made it with walnuts though, because that’s all I had. I already want to make it again.
Posted about it here if anybody’s interested: http://whatmegansmaking.blogspot.com/2010/01/cinnamon-swirl-bread.html
July 9th, 2012 at 8:38 am
I thought the “bread” part of this dessert was horribly bland. I even added vanilla extract to my batter, and that didn’t help. Maybe swapping out the oil for butter would help it. I will not make this again. There are much tastier recipes for quick breads out there.
August 28th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
I have to agree with Brian. Even with switching out the oil with butter and adding vanilla, the bread was very bland. I’ll wrap it up and let it age a bit, maybe it will improve. If I was going to make it again, I would add another egg, adjusting the flour accordingly. Too bad, really, because the bread IS quite pretty. But with the price of pecans, just not worth it.