This page brings together five bread-focused recipes, from sweet loaves and bars to two custardy bread puddings and a sourdough loaf with cinnamon swirls.
Each recipe uses familiar pantry ingredients in a distinct way, with methods that range from simple mixing and baking to soaking, glazing, and slow fermentation.
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- Cinnamon Donut Bread
- Banana Bread Brownies: A Decadent Twist on Two Classics
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding
- Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread
- Classic Bread Pudding with Vanilla Custard
Cinnamon Donut Bread
Cinnamon Donut Bread bakes into a sweet loaf with a cinnamon-sugar top that echoes a classic donut finish. The batter starts by creaming softened butter and sugar, then adding eggs, vanilla, milk, and a dry mixture of flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. The instructions stress mixing just until combined so the loaf stays tender.
After the batter goes into a greased loaf pan, a separate cinnamon-sugar topping is sprinkled evenly over the surface. The bread bakes at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean, then cools briefly in the pan before moving to a wire rack. That short rest helps the loaf hold together as it finishes cooling.
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Banana Bread Brownies: A Decadent Twist on Two Classics
Banana Bread Brownies combine ripe bananas, sour cream, and walnuts in a baked bar that leans into dessert territory. The base is mixed by beating sugar, sour cream, softened butter, and eggs until creamy, then folding in mashed bananas, vanilla, dry ingredients, and chopped walnuts. The batter is spread in a jelly roll pan for a thinner, brownie-style result.
The finishing touch is a browned butter frosting made on the stovetop. Butter is cooked until golden and fragrant, then whisked with powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth enough to spread over the warm brownies. Letting the frosted pan cool completely helps the topping set before the squares are cut.
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Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding
Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding turns stale challah into a warm custard bake with raisins throughout. Before the bread is added, the raisins are boiled with water, butter, and cinnamon until plump, then stirred into a custard made from eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon. The cubed bread is mixed in and left to soak for ten minutes.
The soaked mixture goes into a greased 9×13 baking dish and is baked covered first, then uncovered to finish. That two-stage bake helps the custard set while letting the top brown. A glaze of powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and cinnamon is whisked together and drizzled over the pudding just before serving warm.
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Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread
Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough Bread is shaped around a brown sugar and cinnamon filling that becomes a visible swirl inside the loaf. The dough begins with active starter, water, flour, and salt, then rests through an autolyse before being strengthened with repeated stretch-and-fold sets. The recipe uses a long fermentation to build structure and flavor before shaping.
During shaping, the dough is stretched into a rough rectangle and sprinkled with the cinnamon sugar mixture as it is folded and rolled into a boule or batard. After a cold proof in the fridge, the loaf is scored and baked in a preheated Dutch oven with the lid on first, then without the lid to finish the crust. The loaf is cooled on a wire rack after baking.
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Classic Bread Pudding with Vanilla Custard
Classic Bread Pudding with Vanilla Custard is a straightforward baked dessert built from day-old bread, a spiced custard, and an optional handful of raisins. Eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt are whisked together before the milk and cream are added, creating a smooth custard that is poured over the bread cubes in the baking dish.
The bread is pressed gently to help it absorb the custard, then finished with melted butter before baking. After the pudding comes out golden and set, a separate vanilla custard sauce is made on the stove by heating cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla until slightly thickened. The warm sauce is drizzled over each serving.
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