Scratch-made Pull-Apart Monkey Bread

Sticky, gooey, fluffy, and soft, this cinnamon caramel bread (aka monkey bread) is created with several layers of fluffy dough balls coated in cinnamon brown sugar and baked until bubbly.

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 30 minutes

Rising time (2 Rises) 3 hours

Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes

YIELD 1 bundt cake

Author Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet.

Ingredients

Dough:

¼ cup water
¾ cup milk
2 ¼ teaspoons (7 g/0.25 oz) dry yeast
¼ cup (56 g/2 oz) butter, melted
1 large egg
¼ cup (50 g/ 1.7 oz) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 ¼ – 3 ½ cups (about 450 g/16 oz) all-purpose flour

Cinnamon-sugar coating:

½ cup (113 g/4 oz) butter, melted
1 cup (200 g/7 oz) dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

In a small saucepan, heat water and milk until lukewarm (110F-115F). Pour the mixture into a mixer bowl and sprinkle yeast over it. Let sit for 10 minutes until frothy.
Add butter, egg, sugar, and salt to the milk mixture and stir until combined. Add 3 ¼ cups of flour. Fit your mixer with the dough hook attachment and mix on a low speed (or if you don’t have a mixer, mix by hand) until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is still wet at this point, add more flour – 1-2 tablespoons at a time (up to 3 ½ cups total). The dough should be soft, smooth, elastic, and just slightly sticky. Once it has reached this consistency, keep kneading on low speed in the mixer for 5 minutes, or by hand on a floured surface for 7-8 minutes.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 1-2 hours until it doubles in size.
Make the cinnamon-sugar coating: In a medium bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, place the melted butter. Set aside. Generously butter a 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside.
When the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it to remove air. Pat the dough into an 8-inch square and cut into 64 pieces by using an 8x8 grid. It’s ok if the pieces are slightly different in size. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then roll into the melted butter and generously in the cinnamon-sugar coating. Place each piece in the Bundt pan and layer. Gently press the top layer to make it even. Cover the pan and let rest to rise for 45-60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
Bake bread in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until the top has browned and a skewer inserted into the dough comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a large serving plate.
You can either cut the bread into generous slices like a cake, or pull apart the balls by hand.
Serve warm or reheat before serving.
Monkey bread is best served the same day it’s made.

Recipe Notes

See full post for variations and more details.

Serving Instructions

Best served at room temperature or still warm out of the oven.
Toppings add extra moisture and flavor. As pictured, you'll see a homemade caramel sauce I poured on top. Other versions use a basic powdered sugar icing glaze. To make a glaze, mix: ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk.
Store monkey bread in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days for maximum freshness, texture, and taste. Reheat for a few seconds in the microwave to warm up.