Snickerdoodle Bread

With some baked goods, the love of the process alone can be satisfactory. Therapy is found in transforming ingredients like butter (or in the case of this Snickerdoodle Bread, Greek yogurt), sugar, and flour into something new. You can find fulfillment in a bite or two and then set the final product aside for whatever lucky person happens upon it next. Not Snickerdoodle Bread. Snickerdoodle Bread is more of a pop back into the kitchen on repeat situation. It’s a slice here, a sliver there, followed by a WHO ARE WE KIDDING GIVE ME THE REST OF THE PAN ALREADY! Dangerous living indeed. Especially during the holidays (just like Eggnog Bread).

Why I Love This Snickerdoodle Bread

I do not mean to belittle the joy of the process of making Snickerdoodle Bread. In fact, quick breads like this are some of my absolute favorite recipes to make. As with its quick bread cousins, Snickerdoodle Bread is gratifyingly straightforward, requires no additional steps like chilling the dough, freezes like a dream (if any leftovers make it that far), and is easy to tweak to make healthy too. For example, this is a Snickerdoodle Bread with Greek yogurt and whole wheat flour, two healthy ingredients whose presence will surprise you once you see how sweet and decadent it tastes.

As its name suggests, Snickerdoodle Bread was inspired by the homey, traditional cookie of the same name. In other words, this bread is pure heaven. The dough (which I based off of my Greek yogurt Strawberry Bread) is mild and buttery, making it an ideal vehicle for a heap of cinnamon flavor. The cinnamon itself comes in as a triple treat: If you prefer to make the Snickerdoodle Bread without cinnamon chips, you can up the amount of cinnamon in the batter and either omit the chips entirely or swap them for a different kind. Butterscotch chips, I suspect, would be particularly delicious.

TWO: Ground Cinnamon. Not a little. A lot.

And the best part:

THREE: THE CINNAMON-SUGAR LID. If you can’t tell, I feel very strongly about the cinnamon-sugar topping that’s smothering this loaf with sweet abandon. It’s representing the signature outer coating on snickerdoodle cookies with pride.

When you sprinkle on the cinnamon-sugar topping, it will feel like a ridiculous amount. Use it all. We are baking a bread modeled off of a cookie. This is neither the time nor place for moderation. Plus, we put Greek yogurt in the batter, remember? Sprinkle away. Then sprinkle some more.

For day-to-day breakfasting and snacking, I like this bread as a standard-size loaf (I use and love this 8×4-inch loaf pan). For holiday gifting (or better portion control), a snickerdoodle mini loaf makes a lovely homemade present. One batch of Snickerdoodle Bread should yield about 3 mini loaves, depending upon the size of your pan. I like this set, because it’s easy to clean and the loaves never stick. A note on Amish snickerdoodle bread: A friend of mine tried one of the rare slices of this bread that I didn’t immediately demolish and commented that it tasted like the Amish friendship bread her mother used to bake. Intrigued, I did a bit of research and discovered that Amish friendship bread is a yeast bread made from a starter that you grow on your counter for 10 days, share with two friends (you will have plenty of extra), then use to make a delicious bread that, like our Snickerdoodle Bread, is heaped with cinnamon. Unlike Amish friendship bread, you don’t need to wait 10 days to start making Snickerdoodle Bread. THANK GOODNESS.

How to Store and Freeze Snickerdoodle Bread

To Store. Store leftovers tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 5 days. To Freeze. Freeze in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then allow to come to room temperature before serving.