I Tried Dolly Parton’s Famous Southern Cinnamon Bread and It’s So Good, I Could Eat the Entire Pan

A top queen of country music, Dolly Parton has a few other major career achievements on her list. One of those is having a theme park in Tennessee named after her — Dollywood. Located under an hour from where Dolly Parton is from, the park offers a range of rides, attractions, and delicious dining options. And while you can certainly enjoy a day of fun and then sit down for a savory meal of fried chicken or a pit ham dinner, there’s one stop on the Dollywood map that’s a can’t-miss for curbing a sweet tooth.

The Grist Mill honors the state’s first mill to grind wheat and corn with the power of a water wheel. Cinnamon bread is made on-site, and rumor has it, there’s a constant long line to get your hands on a loaf. With that popularity, we knew we had to put Dolly Parton’s cinnamon bread recipe to the test to see just how delicious it really is. It takes a few steps and a bit of patience, but it certainly is well worth the wait.

Get the recipe: Dolly Parton’s Cinnamon Bread

This recipe requires quite a few steps, but each uses simple ingredients.

I actually made this recipe twice and ended up scrapping the loaves on the first try. There is very little yeast and water in this bread recipe, and it requires warmth in order to thrive. I simply didn’t have the dough rising in a warm enough space (it is winter, after all) in order for it to achieve the proper texture. The second time, however, I left it closer to a heat source which helped. This recipe produces two small loaves, similar to how you would get them at Dollywood. It’s not your typical large, fluffy loaf of cinnamon pull-apart bread. Next time I might consider scoring, topping, and baking the whole loaf as one.

While I do wish they were a bit bigger and puffier, the flavor of these little loaves made up for everything else. It was just like what you would expect from a theme park treat. Every bite is so incredibly flavorful, without being overwhelmingly sweet. The topping makes for a slightly crunchy, chewy exterior — it’s just like the loaf had been deep-fried and then doused in cinnamon sugar, without ever going into a fryer.