The famous Dollywood cinnamon bread is a cult-favorite across theme park fans and Dolly fans alike, and since I am both of those thing, you know I HAD to recreate it! Now, the cinnamon bread you can buy at Dollywood is not baked in a cast iron skillet, but since Dolly is nothing but southern, and my Lodge cast iron feels specifically southern to me, I felt like this recipe had to be made in a cast iron skillet. You can make it in another vessel, of course, but I recommend cast iron to get the best bake and texture on these rolls.
When you think of Dollywood cinnamon bread, I want you to think: cinnamon brown butter filling packed inside ripples of pillowy-soft, pull-apart bread. The secret to what makes cinnamon bread so special is that sticky, cinnamon goo that fills the bottom of the loaf pan that they serve them in at Dollywood, so don’t worry, we have that covered in this recipe! I use a bit of the cinnamon filling and put it in the bottom of the cast iron before the dough goes in, so you are guaranteed cinnamon goo with every bite. But I could go on forever about the details, when I’m sure you really just want to know how to make it. So let’s get into it!
Ingredients you need to make the Dollywood Cinnamon Bread
This recipe has a few elements to it, the dough, the filling and the icing! While in Dollywood they serve it with apple butter OR icing, I opted for just icing here to keep it simple. Here are the ingredients you will need for each section of the recipe!
FOR THE DOUGH
- 12 grams active dry yeast, 4 teaspoons
- 165 grams warm water between 80-95°F, a little over 2/3 cup
- 375 grams all-purpose flour, 2 2/3 cups
- 5 grams Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 2 teaspoons
- 55 grams granulated sugar, 1/4 cup
- 1 medium egg
- 57 grams softened unsalted butter, 1/4 cup
THE FILLING
- 226 grams salted butter, 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 110 grams dark brown sugar 1/2 cup, lightly packed
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
THE ICING
- 90 grams powdered sugar, 3/4 cup, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon milk of choice
How to prepare the brown butter filling
Dolly Parton is queen of all things butter, so it would only make sense that this cinnamon bread filling is heavy on the butter, too! Now the thing is, this filling is special because we are browning the butter first. This gives the filling an extra note of nutty, toasty flavor. Kind of like a toasted-marshmallow effect. A marshmallow is good without it, but when it’s toasted, it’s just that much better. Browning the butter does the same thing for this filling.
So first, brown the butter in the cast iron skillet. This makes it so that the skillet has a nice, buttery base for the rolls, but also just cuts down on dishes.
Right after the butter is browned, transition it to a heat-safe bowl and whisk in the cinnamon. This “blooms” the cinnamon so that it has more depth of flavor. Then whisk in the sugar. This mixture will thicken as it sits.
***If you aren’t baking in a cast iron, you can also do this step using any old pan!
How to shape and fill the cinnamon bread dough
The beauty of this dough is it is nearly impossible to mess up. Even if it breaks, or you stretch it funny, or the filling comes out, it will still be pretty puffy, fluffy and delicious. Also, unlike normal cinnamon rolls, you don’t have to measure and roll these into perfect pieces. Funky pieces will do just fine!
I like to flip the dough onto an unfloured surface and stretch it into a large rectangle with my hands. (See photo). Make sure the longest edge of the rectangle is the one closest to you.
Then, spread 2/3 cup of the filling evenly across the dough, before folding the shorter edges of the rectangle into the center until they meet each other.
Then cut the dough down the long edge of the rectangle and slice it into 1-inch thick strips.
And lastly (because you’ve made it this far!), fold the strips in half and nestle them into the cast iron skillet. You can see an idea of what they should look like below. Cute, right?
From there, you want to let this Dollywood cinnamon bread rise for another hour, or until they are puffier, like you see in the image below!
What can I bake this in besides a cast iron skillet?
This is a great question, and you absolutely don’t need a cast iron skillet to make this work! I also recommend a 9-inch cake pan, a bunt cake pan, or a casserole dish as good alternatives. Increase the baking time by 4-5 minutes, and you will get a great result!
How to top the Dollywood Cinnamon Bread
So you’ve used the filling for the bottom of the pan, you’ve used it to fill the cinnamon bread, and now you get to use it to top the bread as well!
By this time the rolls will be pretty puffy, so be very gentle when you spread the remaining filling on top of them. I like to use a spatula and very softly swipe it across the top of the rolls.
The beauty of this is that the filling on the top of the rolls will form a nice crust, while the filling on the bottom will make a nice goo. It’s a wonderful contrast of textures!
Tips & tricks for how to make this cinnamon bread ahead of time
This dough can be made ahead of time, just let it proof for 24 hours in the fridge, instead of 1 hour at room temperature. Then you can prepare the filling and icing and store those as well. Store the filling in the fridge and the icing at room temperature. However, the next day you will still need to save time for assembly, the second proof, and baking, so this will only save you half of the prep work. But it’s still a good option if you want fresh-feeling cinnamon bread when you are in a time crunch!
If you want to make these ahead for a party or brunch, I’d recommend prepping them completely beforehand, all the way through baking. Just leave off the icing. Let it cool to room temperature, then wrap the cast iron in foil. When you are 15 minutes out from wanting to serve the rolls, reheat them in an oven set to 350°F for 10 minutes. Top with the glaze and serve!
Why is this recipe in grams?
Grams is always my preference for baking, and I hope it will soon be yours, too! The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, and not volume. As much as I wish I could give you multiple ways to measure ingredients, in this recipe measuring by cups might cause some volatility and miss-matched results. I want to ensure you get the best results with this recipe (and I want to keep this recipe fool-proof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordable kitchen scale if you want to move forward with this particular recipe!
Looking for other great baking recipes?
Here are a few of my favorites!
These cinnamon rolls are a labor of love, but they are by far the best cinnamon rolls I ever had. The dough is easy to use and will NOT let you down, and the cornmeal brown butter packs a deeply nostalgic flavor that I can’t put my finger on, but if you can tell me what it reminds you of…please report back!
I’m known for making a pretty dam* good cookie, and these brown butter banana cookies are no exception. They have irresistibly crispy edges, a subtle but still noticeable banana flavor, and the best chewy center in the game. They use one whole banana, two sticks of butter, and a whole bag of chocolate chips, so there are no forgotten ingredients in this recipe. And one other perk? No eggs in case there are any egg allergies in the house!
I can confidently say these are the best raspberry muffins ever. They are insanely easy, and the basil syrup is supremely simple, but absolutely takes them to the next level. They are moist on the inside, fluffy throughout, crispy on top, and packed with fresh raspberries. When berry season starts, get ready, because you’ll want to make these on repeat!
And that’s it for this Dollywood Cinnamon Bread!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
If you like this recipe, consider buying my cookbook here. There’s plenty of fun desserts to find in there!
Dollywood Cinnamon Bread
The iconic (iconic!) Dollywood Cinnamon Bread is a longtime favorite at the Dollywood theme park in Tennessee, and I think this is the best recreation recipe for it on the internet. You get the combo of brown butter cinnamon filling and an easy, stretchable dough. Think of it like monkey bread, but with bigger, pull-apart pieces and whole lot of butter. (Which I think would make Dolly Proud!)
Ingredients
For the dough
- 12 grams active dry yeast 4 teaspoons
- 165 grams warm water between 80-95°F, a little over 2/3 cup
- 375 grams all-purpose flour 2 2/3 cups
- 5 grams Diamond Crystal kosher salt 2 teaspoons
- 55 grams granulated sugar 1/4 cup
- 1 medium egg
- 57 grams softened unsalted butter 1/4 cup
For the filling
- 226 grams salted butter 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 110 grams dark brown sugar 1/2 cup, lightly packed
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the icing
- 90 grams powdered sugar 3/4 cup, lightly packed
- 1 tablespoon milk of choice
Instructions
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast and the water. Add in the flour, salt, granulated sugar and egg.
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Using the hook attachment on the mixer, mix on medium until all the ingredients are combined.
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Once the ingredients are just combined, begin adding the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time. When it is fully mixed in, that’s when you know to add the next tablespoon of butter.
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Turn the mixer to medium-high and mix the dough for 7-8 minutes or until it is pulling away from the sides. You can also do the gluten test (see note).
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When the dough is ready, transfer it to a clean bowl and cover and let it rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
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While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Brown the butter in a cast iron skillet. Do this by placing the skillet over medium heat, adding the butter and letting it melt until it starts to fizz and foam. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until you see flecks of brown start forming in the bottom of the pan. Then turn off the heat and transfer the butter to a heat-safe bowl. No need to wipe out the cast iron skillet.
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Whisk the cinnamon into the brown butter while it’s still warm, this will “bloom” the cinnamon’s flavor.
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Whisk in the brown sugar and salt and set aside. This should form a thick paste during the time the dough finishes rising.
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Add 1/3 cup of the filling to the bottom of the cast iron skillet. Spread it around.
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When the dough is ready, place it down on a clean, unfloured surface and stretch it into a large rectangle. The dimensions don’t have to be specific (mine never are), just make sure your dough is about 1 centimeter thick.
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Spread 2/3 cup worth of filling onto the rectangle of dough. (You will have a bit of filling left, save it).
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Grab the two shorter sides of the rectangle and fold them to the center of the dough so that their edges line up with each other, encasing the filling in the dough.
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From there, use a bench scraper to slice the dough into 1-inch thick strips. Fold the strips in half and nestle them together in the cast iron skillet. See the blog post for photos.
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Cover and let this rise for another hour, or until 50% bigger in size.
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Preheat the oven to 400°F.
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When the dough has risen, spread the remaining filling all over the top of the dough.
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Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until the bread is a deep, dark brown on top.
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While the bread is baking, whisk together the icing ingredients to make a glaze.
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Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool until the cast iron is safe to touch. Then drizzle with the glaze and tear apart!
Notes
The gluten test is when you pull a golf ball-sized chunk of dough out and stretch it apart with your fingers. If it can stretch to the point where it’s paper thin, a bit translucent and you can see strands of gluten holding it together, that means it has enough gluten. If the dough tears before that point, it’s not ready.
