Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread Recipe

This Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread is a soft and gooey recipe, which is made with a sweet yeast dough, layers of cinnamon-sugar, and a rich maple glaze. It’s the ultimate comfort food for a weekend breakfast or brunch, ready after a few hours of rising time.

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Pull-Apart Bread Recipe Ingredients

For the Dough:

2 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Canola Oil
1/2 cup Sugar
2 1/4 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
4 1/2 to 5 cups All-purpose Flour, divided
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Salt

For the Filling:

1 stick Butter, melted
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon

For the Icing:

3 cups Powdered Sugar
2 Tbsp. Butter, melted
1 Tbsp. Maple Extract
1/3 cup Whole Milk
Dash Of Salt

How To Make Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Make the Dough Base: In a large saucepan, heat the milk, canola oil, and 1/2 cup of sugar until it is very hot but not boiling. Turn off the heat and let it cool until it’s just warm to the touch (about 110-115°F).
Activate Yeast and First Rise: Sprinkle the yeast over the warm liquid and add 4 cups of the flour. Stir to combine (it will be a very wet dough). Cover the pot with a lid and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Finish and Chill Dough: After 1 hour, stir in an additional 1/2 cup of flour, along with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. If the dough is overly sticky, stir in up to another 1/2 cup of flour. Transfer the sticky dough to a bowl, cover, and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to make it easier to handle.
Assemble the Loaf: Roll the chilled dough out onto a floured surface into a large rectangle. Drizzle the melted butter over the surface and smear it to cover completely. In a small bowl, mix the 1 1/2 cups of sugar with the cinnamon, then sprinkle this mixture all over the buttered dough.
Stack and Slice: Cut the dough into 6 to 8 long, equal-sized strips. Stack all the strips on top of one another. Cut this tall stack into 6 equal slices.
Second Rise and Bake: Place the stacks of dough sideways into a buttered loaf pan. Cover with a dish towel and let it rise for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center is cooked through.
Make Glaze and Serve: While the bread is still warm, whisk together all the icing ingredients until smooth. Run a knife around the edges of the bread and turn it out of the pan. Drizzle the maple glaze over the top, allowing it to sink into all the crevices. Serve warm.

Recipe Tips

How to prevent a doughy center? The most important secret is to bake the bread long enough. As the recipe notes, this is a very dense loaf. A wooden skewer inserted into the very center should come out clean. If the top is getting too brown, you can cover it loosely with aluminum foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking.
Why is my dough so sticky? This is a very wet, enriched dough, which is what makes the final bread so soft and moist. Chilling it in the refrigerator for at least an hour, as the recipe directs, is a crucial step that makes the sticky dough much easier to roll and handle.
How to get a good rise? The key is to make sure your milk and butter mixture has cooled to a lukewarm temperature before you add the yeast. If it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast and your bread will not rise.
What’s the best way to assemble this? The “stack and slice” method is what creates all the beautiful, pull-apart layers. Don’t be afraid to be a little messy when you’re stacking the cinnamon-sugar-coated strips!

What To Serve With Pull-Apart Bread

This is an incredibly rich and decadent breakfast or brunch dish that stands perfectly on its own. It is the ultimate treat served with:

A hot cup of coffee or a latte
A cold glass of milk
A side of fresh fruit to cut the sweetness

How To Store Pull-Apart Bread

Room Temperature: This bread is best eaten warm on the day it is made. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Gently reheat individual slices in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to restore their soft, gooey texture.

Pull-Apart Bread Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1 slice
Calories: 550 kcal
Carbohydrates: 95g
Protein: 8g
Fat: 18g
Saturated Fat: 10g
Sugar: 65g

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

What’s the difference between this and Monkey Bread?

They are very similar in flavor, but the assembly method is different. Traditional monkey bread is made by rolling individual balls of dough in cinnamon sugar and layering them in a Bundt pan. This pull-apart bread is made by layering long strips of dough and slicing them, which creates distinct, flat, pull-apart layers.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yes. You can let the dough do its first rise slowly overnight in the refrigerator. This cold fermentation can even develop a more complex flavor. You will still need to chill it again after the final mix to make it easy to handle.

Do I have to use a stand mixer?

The original recipe is designed to be mixed by hand in a large pot or bowl with a sturdy spoon. No stand mixer is required, but you will need a bit of arm strength to stir the thick, sticky dough.

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