Dollywood Cinnamon Bread with a Sourdough Twist

This homemade Dollywood Cinnamon Bread features a soft, pull-apart texture, a lightly crisped cinnamon-sugar crust, and a sourdough twist using an overnight levain for a rich, balanced flavor. Add up to thirty-five percent white whole wheat flour for a touch of wholesome nuttiness.

For the bimonthly bake, the Bread Baking Babes are heading to the charming, cinnamon-scented hills of Tennessee with Dollywood Cinnamon Bread.

Our host, Karen from Karen’s Kitchen Stories, discovered this enticing bread in Anne Byrne’s delightful cookbook, Baking in the American South. This wonderful book brings together 200 classic recipes sourced from tea rooms, churches, boarding houses, and home kitchens across 14 Southern states.

Among these beloved recipes is the famous Dollywood Bread. The original version is baked fresh daily at Dollywood’s iconic Grist Mill—a charming, historic mill that’s been grinding flour for over a century.

This mouthwatering cinnamon bread is legendary, with Dollywood reportedly selling over 350 loaves every hour. Warm, buttery, and generously dusted with cinnamon sugar, it’s traditionally served with luscious vanilla icing or rich apple butter.

Inspired by this classic, I’ve put a sourdough spin on the Dollywood Cinnamon Bread. I used a combination of the two example recipes provided by Karen – the Dollywood Bread from the book and  America’s Test Kitchen’s recipe.

I referred to America’s Test Kitchen method when adapting the dough because I wanted to bake my bread in an 8 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 loaf pan.  I used the topping ingredients and shaping method from Baking in the American South recipe because it used less butter. My sugar coating was a little stiff so in hindsight perhaps I should’ve used more butter.

By incorporating an overnight levain, the bread gains depth of flavor, balancing the sweetness with a subtle tang. The result is a soft, fluffy loaf that’s deliciously addictive and beautifully nostalgic.

Why You’ll Love This Dollywood Cinnamon Bread

Sweet, Spiced Southern Comfort: The sweet levain provides depth that perfectly complements the rich sweetness of cinnamon and sugar. It’s a beautiful balance of warmth, spice, and subtle sourdough complexity—like a cozy hug from a Southern kitchen.

Soft, Pull-Apart Interior: Each layer of this bread is incredibly tender and fluffy, making it perfect for pulling apart by hand and savoring bite by bite.

Lightly Crisped, Caramelized Crust: As the cinnamon filling is drizzled over the top before baking, it melts into the crust and creates a lightly crispy, caramelized exterior—a delightful contrast to the soft interior and an irresistible finishing touch.

Chill the Dough Overnight for Best Results

The author recommends chilling the dough overnight before slicing so that it’s firm enough and won’t get mangled. Letting the shaped dough chill overnight, allows you to easily slit the loaf with a serrated knife.

The first time I made this bread, I missed the tip about chilling the dough first, so I made the slits while it was still at room temperature. Because the dough was too soft and the slits weren’t deep enough, it was tricky getting the filling in between the layers. Most of the cinnamon mixture ended up on top and along the sides—but that worked in my favor. It created a deliciously crispy, caramelized coating that added great texture and flavor!

The next time I made this cinnamon bread, I let the dough chill overnight before shaping and making the slits and it resulted in lovely round pull-apart discs.

Serving Suggestions

This Dollywood Cinnamon Bread can be enjoyed as is—warm, soft, and fragrant right from the oven—or you might enjoy it with one of these delicious pairings:

A Drizzle of Vanilla Icing: For the classic Dollywood touch, top your loaf with a simple vanilla glaze while it’s still warm.

Homemade Apple Butter or Whipped Honey Butter: Add a Southern-inspired spread for even more comfort and flavor.

Toasted with Breakfast: Lightly toast a slice and enjoy it with fresh fruit, yogurt, or your morning coffee or tea.

Turn it into Dessert: Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for a cozy treat.

Storage & Reheating Tips

• Storage: Store any leftover Dollywood Cinnamon Bread wrapped tightly or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or refrigerate for up to one week to maintain freshness.
• Freezing: This bread freezes beautifully—wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, then seal them in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to two months.
• Reheating: For best results, reheat slices briefly in a toaster or preheated 350°F oven for about 5-10 minutes until warmed through and fragrant. If frozen, thaw slices at room temperature before reheating.

Dollywood Cinnamon Bread with a Sourdough Twist

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• Author: Bread Experience
• Yield: 1 Loaf 1x

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Description

This homemade Dollywood Cinnamon Bread features a soft, pull-apart texture, a lightly crisped cinnamon-sugar crust, and a sourdough twist using an overnight levain for a rich, balanced flavor.

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Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

Sweet Levain:
25 grams (scant 1/4 cup) whole wheat flour
25 grams (2 Tbsp. / 1/8 cup) water
15 grams (1 level Tbsp.) sourdough starter, active and fed
1/2 tsp. sugar

Final Dough:
211 grams (1 2/3 cups + 1 Tbsp.) all-purpose flour + more for sprinkling *See Notes*
138 grams (1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp.) warm water (about 110 degrees)
Levain, all of the above
1/2 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast
28 grams (2 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
25 grams (2 Tbsp.) granulated sugar
6 grams (1 tsp.) table salt

Sugar Coating:
57 grams (4 Tbsp. / 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more if desired
50 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
48 grams (1/4 cup) lightly packed light brown sugar
8 grams (1Tbsp.) ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt

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Instructions

Day 1: Make Sweet Levain

In a small bowl, mix the starter and water. Add in the flour and ¼ tsp. sugar. Stir well. Cover the bowl and set aside in a warm place for 8-10 hours, or overnight, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.

Day 2: Prepare Final Dough

Combine the flour and water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix until there are no dry bits of flour. Cover, and let the mixture rest for 20-30 minutes.

Scrape the levain into the bowl, and sprinkle ½ teaspoon dried yeast over the top. Mix thoroughly on low speed for about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Add melted butter, sugar, and salt to the dough and mix on low speed until butter is fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue to knead until dough is smooth and elastic and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to reach a workable dough.

Place the dough into a large bowl, cover, and let rise on the counter at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place in the refrigerator overnight. You also have the option of letting it rise at room temperature until puffy, 1-2 hours.

Note: Chilling the dough overnight helps it firm up, making it easier to roll into a spiral for beautiful pull-apart discs, and prevents the dough from getting crushed when you cut the slits.

Day 3: Shape, Fill & Bake

Line an 8 by 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Remove the parchment and set aside on a baking sheet.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and transfer it to a lightly floured counter.  Using a rolling pin, roll it into an 8 by 7-inch rectangle. Starting from the short end, roll the dough into a spiraled loaf and place it, seam side down onto the parchment.

Melt the butter and whisk the sugars and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Combine the butter and cinnamon sugar.

Slit the loaf (almost to the bottom) 6 to 8 times with a serrated knife and stuff the slits with the butter and sugar/cinnamon mixture. Using the parchment, lift the loaf and place it into the pan. Spread with the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Let dough rise until puffy, about 1 hour. The sugar coating may crack during this time, but don’t worry about that. It makes a lovely design.

With a rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for about 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. The center of the loaf should register 205 to 210 degrees and the loaf should be well browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes

For a touch of wholesome nuttiness, reduce the all-purpose flour to 150 grams (scant 1 1/4 cups) and add 61 grams (1/2 cup) of white whole wheat flour.

• Category: Cinnamon Bread
• Method: Sourdough
• Cuisine: Southern

Happy Baking!  See you in the kitchen!

Cathy