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This Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread is soft and gooey treat, filled with buttery cinnamon-sugar nestled between each layer and finished with a drizzle of icing. Starting with a simple loaf of frozen bread dough, it’s an easy recipe that takes like homemade comfort!
There’s nothing quite like fresh homemade cinnamon rolls in the morning…. but sometimes you just don’t have the time and energy it takes to make it happen. Well say hello to the much-easier and just-as-delicious cinnamon pull apart bread!!
Not convinced yet? Hear me out…
- Each piece is like a whole slice of the gooey center of a cinnamon roll!
- I takes muuuuch less time, thanks to a package of premade dough!
- It makes the house smell AMAZING!
- It’s fun to assemble (and even more fun to pull apart and eat)!
Ingredients Needed
- Bread Dough – The Rhodes brand frozen bread dough is my favorite! You could also use 12 of their dinner rolls instead.
- Sugars – You’ll use white sugar and brown sugar in this recipe.
- Ground Cinnamon – And plenty of it!
- Butter – I use salted butter as I find that it perfectly balances the sweetness of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Icing Ingredients – Powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk
How to Make Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
Start by cutting the thawed loaf of bread into 16 pieces. I do this by cutting the loaf in half, then cutting the halves in half, etc. to keep the dough pieces similar in size.
In a small dish you’ll combine sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Create an “assembly line” with the dough pieces, melted butter and the cinnamon sugar mixture. Grease a loaf pan so it’s ready to be filled.
Roll each of the dough pieces into a ball and then flatten into an oval. I try to shoot for them being about 3 inches wide.
Working with one piece at a time, dunk the dough into the melted butter and let the excess drip off. Transfer the dough to the cinnamon sugar and lightly coat both sides.
Set the loaf pan so it’s “standing up.” I find this the best way to load the pan without the pieces falling over! The pieces will fill the pan about two-thirds the way up the pan. Once you’ve got them all coated, set the loaf pan down on its bottom and spread the pieces out so they fill the pan.
Cover the bread with a clean town or waxed paper and let the bread rise in a warm spot for an hour. It’ll puff up beautifully!
Pro Tip!
Preheat your oven for just a couple of minutes (til the inside reaches 100-120F). Turn the oven off, add the covered loaf pan and let it rise in the warm oven. This will speed the process up! If it’s nice and puffy after 30-40 minutes, it’s ready to bake!
Next, bake the bread in a preheated oven for 22-25 minutes. To ensure it’s done, you can use an instant read thermometer pressed into the center to make sure it’s at least 190F.
Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Whisk together the simple icing and drizzle on top!
Another way to assemble this bread is to roll the dough out to a square (about 12 x 15 inches). Top with the melted butter and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 3 columns (about 4 inches wide) and 5 rows (each about 3 inches tall). Stack the pieces of dough and place into the prepared pan.
How to Serve Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
Let the loaf cool for 10-15 minutes in the loaf pan. This will allow all that yummy gooey cinnamon sugar mixture to cool and adhere to the bread pieces better. Then, carefully remove the loaf from the pan and place on a serving platter and serve warm!
Frequently Asked Questions
Essentially any bread that can simply be “pulled apart” rather than needing to be sliced. This particular version with the buttery cinnamon filling between then layers is a Dollywood bread copycat recipe!
I like to pull a couple pieces of bread off the loaf and pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds!
Yes! Go ahead and assemble the loaf then cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate (instead of letting it rise). Then, when you’re ready to bake it, remove it from the fridge and let it rise for 1 – 1 1/2 hours in a warm place. Then bake as directed!
There are so many different varieties of monkey bread, but most of them are made with canned biscuit dough and are baked in a bundt pan. I much prefer the flavor and texture of the bread dough (so much more fluffy!) and find pull-apart bread easier to put together!
Other Fuss-Free Breads and Pastries
- Snickerdoodle Muffins
- Cinnamon Roll Donuts
- Raspberry Danish
- Nutella Puff Pastry
- Banana Crumb Muffins
Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
Equipment
- 1 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 loaf frozen bread dough* 1 pound (thawed in fridge overnight)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter
Powdered Sugar Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Place the thawed dough on the countertop or on a cutting board and cut into 16 equal sized pieces.1 loaf frozen bread dough*
- Roll the pieces of dough into balls and flatten them out to a 2-3 inch circle.
- In a small dish combine the sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside.1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish; set aside.1/4 cup butter
- Grease a loaf pan and prop it up on its side (so it's "standing," see photos above).
Assembly
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, dunk it in the melted butter (let the excess drip off) then coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Place the coated dough piece in the bottom of the loaf pan as it stands up.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough pieces; you should have a stack that goes about 2/3 the way up the loaf pan as it stands.
- Place the loaf pan back onto its bottom and adjust the dough pieces so they evenly fill out the pan.
- Cover with a clean towel or piece of waxed paper and let rise in a warm place for an hour.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Uncover the loaf and bake for 22-25 minutes. I like to place a sheet of aluminum foil under the pan just in case the cinnamon sugar mixture bubbles over.
- Remove the baked bread from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Powdered Sugar Icing
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add additional milk, as needed, to make it a desirable drizzling texture.1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2-3 tablespoons milk
- Drizzle the icing over the bread and serve warm.
HI! smells yummy and looks great! Little confused on some of the instructions. YOu say in the recipe to remove from pan and let cool for 10 minutes but when that didn’t go well i looked up in your instructions with pictures and you say the opposite. To leave the bread in the pan for 10-12 minutes then take out of the pan You also don’t say to line the pan with parchement paper but your pictures show it:) So just wondering what is the best for the recipe. I am gathering that waiting 10-12 minutes in the pan then taking out is best. I think it will be delicious!
Hi Andee – No parchment paper needed and yes, I would recommend letting it cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Hope you enjoy!! ~Kelsey