Gluten Free Maple Cinnamon Bread is a small batch and refined sugar free recipe made with an almond flour blend and maple syrup. The mini loaf is incredibly moist and highlighted with a cinnamon sugar swirl in the middle and a maple cinnamon glaze on top!
Gluten Free cinnamon loaf
I’m dipping my toe into the fall baking water with this recipe for Gluten Free Maple Cinnamon Bread. I had to dust off the ground cinnamon, but it was all worth it. The warm spice aroma that fills the house when the bread is baking is what fall dreams are made of!
This is another installment of my gluten free and small batch recipes that are also refined sugar free. My mission with these recipes is to create something that taste like traditional gluten and refined sugar baked goods. And I must say, I think I have gotten pretty darn close.
- Does the gluten free cinnamon bread taste gluten free? I don’t think so. In fact, I think you may be hard pressed to tell it is gluten free.
- Is the bread as sweet as a traditional cinnamon swirl bread? No. And I say that because I often find traditional refined sugar baked goods to be cloyingly sweet. Conversely, this bread is delicately sweet. Plus you have a layer of cinnamon sugar in the middle and a maple glaze to balance out the sweet factor.
recipe highlights
A summary of what to expect with this gluten free cinnamon bread recipe:
- Small Batch – This is a true mini loaf. The perfect size for two people, plus a couple extra slices for the next day. Should you have that kind of self control …
- Gluten Free – It is in the name, but worth repeating. This gluten free bread is made with almond flour, sweet white rice flour, tapioca flour, and coconut flour.
- Refined Sugar Free/Naturally Sweetened – The bread is sweetened with maple syrup and it produces a bake that is delicately sweet. And the cinnamon sugar swirl is made with coconut sugar. Note – The maple glaze is not refined sugar free. But I recommend using an organic powdered sugar for a better quality cane sugar.
- Easy – The nature of a small batch helps to make the recipe easy. Additionally, there aren’t any special baking or preparation techniques for this recipe and it comes together in about 15 minutes.
What You Need To Make Gluten Free Maple Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Dry Ingredients
- Almond Flour – Use super fine blanched almond flour. I love using almond flour in gluten free baking because it contributes to the flavor and texture.
- Sweet White Rice Flour – The sweet rice flour adds to the denser texture of the bread, while making it moist. I also used sweet rice flour in the Chocolate Chip Mini Loaf and Lemon Mini Loaf.
- Tapioca Flour – Tapioca flour is also referred to as tapioca starch. It acts as a binder and makes the bread soft.
- Coconut Flour – Coconut flour is very absorbent and a great addition to gluten free baking. Because this gluten free recipe has more moisture than a traditional recipe, the coconut flour balances out the moisture.
- Baking Powder & Salt – For leavening, flavor, and texture.
- Ground Cinnamon – Flavor!
- Coconut Sugar – For the cinnamon sugar swirl. You can swap in another granulated sugar, but keep in mind the bread may no longer be refined sugar free.
Wet Ingredients
- Pure Maple Syrup – Maple syrup is becoming my refined sugar free sweetener of choice. I like it for the buttery, caramel flavor it adds. Plus, it makes a delicious refined sugar free caramel sauce!
- Sour Cream – Full fat sour cream is best to make this bread perfectly dense and moist. You can swap in unsweetened/flavored yogurt. I’ve even use coconut milk yogurt.
- Unsalted Butter
- Egg – 1 egg is all we need!
- Vanilla Extract
Baking Equipment
- Mini Loaf Pan – I use a 3 x 5.5-inch mini loaf pan. You can try a muffin/cupcake pan, or square cavity brownie pan for extra mini loafs!
- Mixing Bowls
- Hand Held Mixer – I love my Breville hand held mixer because of the various speeds. Plus it has a handy ‘work’ light on the bottom!
Tips For Making Gluten Free Maple Cinnamon Bread
Preparation Tips
- Whisk the flours together first – It may be tempting to just add the flours one by one instead of mixing together in a bowl. However, I like to make sure the flours are fully combined to get adequate distribution in the batter.
- Use a stand mixer with a smaller mixing bowl – This isn’t a must, but it does make mixing the batter easy! If you have a tilt-head stand mixer, KitchenAid sells a 3-quart mixing bowl that works with standard attachments. It is the perfect size for small batch batters!
- Let the batter rest for a few minutes – Gluten free batters need a little time to hydrate, especially with the sweet rice flour.
- Line the loaf pan with parchment paper – This makes getting the bread out of the pan easy. And it alleviates any unnecessary cinnamon sugar topping loss!
- Try with the recommended amount of cinnamon – It may seem like a lot of cinnamon, but in testing, I found I needed this much to make the cinnamon flavor pronounced.
- Also try with the recommended amount of cinnamon swirl – It will seem like a lot of cinnamon sugar. But we want a noticeable swirl in the middle of the bread!
Baking Tips
- Bake for the full time – The bread may look done minutes earlier than noted. However, gluten free baked goods need a few more minutes in the oven to fully bake through. So, resist the urge to take the bread out too soon!
- Cool the bread completely – I find that gluten free baked goods taste better when they are completely cool. In addition, gluten free bakes have a tendency to fall apart/crumble when they aren’t cooled completely.
- Careful with the milk in the glaze! – A little liquid goes a long way in a powdered sugar glaze. The good new is it is very forgiving. If you add too much liquid, add a little more powdered sugar. And vice versa!
Common questions For Making Gluten Free Maple Cinnamon Bread
I have not tested it a larger batch. But if you do try it, let me know how it turns out!
I have not tested this recipe with a 1:1 flour. In my experience, the 1:1 flours are a little more dry and may require wet ingredient adjustments.
Honey will likely not work. It requires ingredient adjustments and baking temperatures. For other granulated sugars, I can’t say how the recipe will turn out as I have only tested it with the maple syrup. Because it is a liquid, ingredient adjustments may be needed for any swaps.
The recipe will yield about 3 to 4 muffins. Or, you can use a square cavity brownie pan to make super mini loafs. Like the Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread recipe.
I don’t recommend it. For one, the glaze will melt if poured onto warm bread. And secondly, I find gluten free baked goods need time to cool completely to allow the bake to stay intact and the flavor deepen.
The bread by itself is – as long as you use maple syrup in the bread and coconut sugar for the filling. The glaze, however, is not. I do recommend using an organic powdered sugar to at least get a better quality cane sugar.
The bread can be stored at room temperature in a covered container/dish.
I think freezing un-glazed securely wrapped bread is fine, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator when ready to enjoy.
Looking for more recipes to get you ready for fall
While this gluten free cinnamon loaf is a good teaser of fall bakes to come, I do have a full catalog of fall recipes to capture the true essence of the season.
Specifically more small batch bread recipes with apple and pumpkin – like the mini caramel apple banana bread, and the gluten free small batch pumpkin bread. And have no fear, more fall recipes are being tested as we speak … 🙂
Gluten Free Maple Cinnamon Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
Gluten Free Maple Cinnamon Bread
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons sweet white rice flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons full fat sour cream, room temperature (or greek yogurt)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Swirl Filling
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or any granulated sugar)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Maple Cinnamon Glaze
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 and 1/2 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon milk, any kind
Instructions
Gluten Free Maple Cinnamon Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Grease a mini loaf pan (3 x 5.5 inch) and line with a strip of parchment paper long enough to hang over the sides of the pan.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and maple syrup. Using a hand held mixer and medium high speed, beat until the mixture is combined. It may look a little curdled and that's ok. Add the egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Tip – You can also use a tilt-head stand mixer with a smaller 3-quart mixing bowl to make the batter.
- Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until no dry streaks remain. Tip – If using a stand mixer, sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet and mix on medium-low speed until no dry streaks remain.
- Let the batter rest in the mixing bowl while you make the cinnamon swirl filling.
Cinnamon Swirl Filling
- In a small prep/mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. It will seem like a lot of cinnamon sugar, but we want a noticeable swirl inside the bread.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar over the top of the batter. Pour the remaining batter on top and spread out evenly with a spatula if necessary. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the top of the batter and gentle swirl into the batter with a knife or toothpick.
- Bake the bread for 33 to 35 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown, the sides of the bread are pulling away from the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Cool the bread in the loaf pan set on a wire cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Gently lift the bread out of the loaf pan using the parchment overhang and cool on the cooling rack completely. Tip – I find gluten free bakes taste much better when they have cooled completely.
Maple Cinnamon Glaze
- When the bread has cooled and you are ready to serve, make the glaze. In a small mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Stir until the powdered sugar is moistened. Depending on how thick you prefer your glaze, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of milk (or water if you prefer). If you want an even looser glaze, add another 1/4 teaspoon of milk. A little milk goes a long way to loosen the glaze!
- Pour the glaze over the top of the bread, and allow it to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes for the glaze to set. You can even place the glazed bread in the refrigerator to speed up the process. Slice and Enjoy!
RECIPE NOTES
- Serving Size – This recipe makes 1 3 x 5.5-inch mini loaf. You could also try using a cupcake/muffin pan – fill 2/3 full – and may yield 3 to 4 muffins. Or a square cavity brownie pan for cute super mini loafs – fill 1/2 full – and may yield 3 to 4 mini loafs.
- Stand Mixer vs. Hand Held Mixer – A hand held mixer works great. But, if you have a tilt-head stand mixer, you can also use a smaller 3-quart mixing bowl on the mixer. It works perfectly to make small batch batters, and it works with the standard attachments!
- Cinnamon – It may seem like a lot of cinnamon in the filling and glaze. This is by design so the cinnamon flavor comes through. You can certainly adjust to your preference.
- Glaze – A little liquid goes a long way to make the glaze. Adjust the amount of powdered sugar and/or milk to suit your preference on how thick you like the glaze.
about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
I've tested, written, and photographed hundreds of recipes on my website. Here you'll find the tastiest small batch gluten free and traditional desserts - all homemade, all simple, and all for you!
This recipe is spot on for texture, sweetness and flavour!
This is so great to hear – thank you Ruth Ann! Thank you for visiting the blog and trying the recipe.
I tried this recipe and it turned out really good. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you!