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Everyone LOVES these sweet and fluffy cinnamon roll breadtwists. Homemade dough twisted and baked in brown sugar cinnamon goodness. It’s like eating the middle of a cinnamon roll! Perfect for breakfast, enjoy as a snack, or delicious as a dessert.

I love making cinnamon-flavored recipes because they are so versatile. Like my quick 45-minute cinnamon rolls that are delicious for breakfast or dessert! Cinnamon is also the star of the show in this cake or these cookies. You’ll want to make all of them!

Close view of cinnamon roll breadtwists stacked on a plate.

What are Cinnamon Roll Breadtwists?

From the soft, buttery bread to the sweet cinnamon brown sugar coating. Cinnamon roll breadtwists are like breadsticks but much sweeter! This recipe makes a tasty treat with the most beautiful presentation. It starts with an easy homemade dough that gets slathered in butter and sprinkled with cinnamon and brown sugar. The fun part is twisting the dough into the cutest shape. They bake into soft and fluffy cinnamon roll breadtwists that nobody can resist! It’s like eating the middle of a gooey cinnamon roll.

Speaking of cinnamon rolls, I have lots of delicious cinnamon roll recipes on the blog that I can’t wait for you to try! Make these strawberry cinnamon rolls, these delicious overnight cinnamon rollsand of course, these tasty caramel apple cinnamon rolls. You won’t be able to decide which one to make first!

Ingredients Needed

There are three simple steps to making these cinnamon roll breadtwists. You start with making the dough, then the filling is mixed together and spread over the dough. Finally, the dough is twisted and baked into soft sweet cinnamon roll breadtwists. Here are all of the ingredients you will need. You can find the exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Dough

  • Water: Use warm water to activate the yeast.
  • Instant Yeast: This yeast helps the dough to rise and become soft.
  • Sugar: This sweetens the dough, making this bread perfect for breakfast or even dessert!
  • Butter: I used unsalted butter in this recipe.
  • Flour: I used all-purpose flour in this recipe.
  • Salt: The salt enhances all of the ingredients in the recipe.

Cinnamon and Sugar

  • Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness to the mixture.
  • Cinnamon: Use ground cinnamon for these cinnamon roll breadtwists. It’s the star of the recipe!
  • Unsalted Butter: Melt the butter to brush on the dough so the cinnamon and sugar sticks!

Cinnamon Roll Bread Twists Recipe

Like other homemade bread dough recipes, these cinnamon roll breadtwists do require some preparation and time. But it’s SO worth the wait! However, this bread is easy to make, and the steps are very straightforward. It’s important to remember that the dough does need to be proofed, so plan ahead!

Make the Dough

  1. Proof the Water, Yeast, and Sugar: In the bowl of a stand mixer add the water, yeast, and sugar. Mix and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast is frothy.
  2. Add the Butter, Flour, and Salt: Add in the butter, 3 cups of flour, and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until the dough comes together, about 3-4 minutes. You may want to add more flour at this time, ¼ cup at a time. (I ended up adding an additional ¼ cup). The dough should just come clean from the sides.
  3. Rise the Dough: Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover. Allow the dough to rest for 30-45 minutes until it is nearly doubled in size.
  4. Prepare the Cinnamon and Sugar Mixture: Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper. Melt the butter in a small bowl. In another bowl mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Shape the Cinnamon Roll Breadtwists

  1. Roll Into a Rectangle: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large 9×15 rectangle. About ¼-½ inch thick.
  2. Cut Into Strips: Take a pizza cutter and cut the dough into 12 equal strips. Take each strip and cut them in half lengthwise nearly to the end, but leaving the two pieces connected.
  3. Brush with Butter and Cinnamon/Sugar Mixture: Working one twist at a time, brush with the melted butter on both sides. Cover the buttered dough with the cinnamon sugar.
  4. Twist and Rise: Twist the two strips of dough together, securing the ends so they don’t come undone. Place the twists on the parchment-lined baking sheet and cover. Let the cinnamon twists rise for about 20 minutes.

Bake

  1. Preheat the Oven: While the cinnamon roll breadtwists are rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Bake: Once the twists have nearly doubled in size, bake them for 15-20 minutes or until the twists are golden brown.
  3. Enjoy: Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying them!
First photo of dry ingredients added to the wet ingredients. Second photo of the dough mixed in a stand mixer. Fourth photo of the dough strips. Fourth photo of the cinnamon roll bread twists being shaped.

Tips and Variations

This recipe takes a little extra time, but everyone is going to be impressed! Follow my tips and variations below to make these cinnamon roll breadtwists a success.

  • Yeast: There is a difference between Instant and Active dry yeast, but whichever one you have, proof both of them. Technically you do not have to prove the instant yeast, it does not require “activation” as active yeast does. But I like to “activate” my instant anyway. This way I know whether or not the yeast is good. If your yeast does not bubble and rise after 10 minutes, throw it out. It isn’t good anymore.
  • Pizza Cutter: Using a pizza cutter works wonders when cutting the dough into strips. It glides right over the dough.
  • Serve with a Sweet Dip: These cinnamon roll breadtwists are wonderful on their own but are even better when dipped in a sweet dip like Cannoli Dip or Marshmallow Cream Cheese Fruit Dip!
Top view of the bread twists baked on a baking sheet.

Leftover Cinnamon Roll Breadtwists

Keep the completely cooled cinnamon roll breadtwists in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days. I like to reheat them slightly in the microwave before enjoying them!

Close view of a cinnamon bread twist dipping in frosting.

More Delicious Cinnamon Recipes

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Cinnamon Roll Breadtwists

5 from 1 vote
By: Alyssa Rivers
Everyone LOVES these sweet and fluffy cinnamon roll breadtwists. Homemade dough twisted and baked in brown sugar cinnamon goodness. It's like eating the middle of a cinnamon roll! Perfect for breakfast, enjoy as a snack, or delicious as a dessert.
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8 Breadtwists

Ingredients 

Dough

Cinnamon Topping

Instructions 

Make the Dough

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer add the water, yeast, and sugar. Mix and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast is frothy.
  • Add in the butter, 3 cups of flour, and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until the dough comes together, about 3-4 minutes. You may want to add more flour at this time, ¼ cup at a time. (I ended up adding an additional ¼ cup). The dough should just come clean from the sides.
  • Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover. Allow the dough to rest for 30-45 minutes until it is nearly doubled in size.
  • Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper. Melt the butter in a small bowl. In another bowl mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Shape and Bake the Bread Twists

  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large 9×15 rectangle. About ¼-½ inch thick.
  • Take a pizza cutter and cut the dough into 12 equal strips. Take each strip and cut them in half lengthwise nearly to the end, but leaving the two pieces connected.
  • Working one twist at a time, brush with the melted butter on both sides. Cover the buttered dough with the cinnamon sugar.
  • Twist the two strips of dough together, securing the ends so they don’t come undone. Place the twists on the parchment-lined baking sheet and cover. Let the cinnamon twists rise for about 20 minutes.

Bake

  • While the cinnamon twists are rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Once the twists have nearly doubled in size, bake them for 15-20 minutes or until the twists are golden brown.
  • Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes before enjoying them!

Nutrition

Calories: 457kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 6gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 300mgPotassium: 95mgFiber: 3gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 715IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

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38 Comments

  1. I wish you had replied to questions fm readers. Esp for those of us who don’t often bake. What size square do you roll out? Does glaze go on while warm or wait till cool? Half and half still not listed in glaze step…

  2. Alyssa,

    I’m reserving my judgement on how they taste when they come out of the oven but i wanted to let you know you are missing some steps in your directions. For example, how thick do you roll out the dough? How big of rectangle do you make? Because this info was missing it’s hard to tell how they’ll turn out because I had to guess the size. If you could go back and add this information it might help someone later down the road who wants to make them.