Sweet Sticky Pull-Apart Bread (Printable Version)

Tender dough balls coated in cinnamon sugar and butter, baked to golden perfection in a bundt pan.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast
03 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 teaspoon salt
05 - ¾ cup warm milk
06 - ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
07 - 2 large eggs

→ Coating

08 - 1 cup granulated sugar
09 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
10 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

→ Optional Glaze

11 - 1 cup powdered sugar
12 - 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
13 - ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

# How to Make It:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, instant yeast, granulated sugar, and salt.
02 - Add warm milk, melted butter, and eggs to the dry mixture. Stir until a soft dough forms. Knead by hand or with a mixer for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
03 - Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm environment for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
04 - Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in one bowl. Place melted butter in a separate bowl.
05 - Punch down the risen dough and divide into 40 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a small ball approximately 20 grams each.
06 - Dip each dough ball into melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the coated balls evenly into a well-greased bundt pan.
07 - Cover the bundt pan and allow the dough balls to rise for 20 to 30 minutes until slightly puffed.
08 - Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake the dough balls for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
09 - Let the bread cool in the bundt pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
10 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle over warm bread before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's designed for sharing and reaching—everyone grabs their own warm, sweet piece straight from the pan.
  • The dough is forgiving enough for beginners but satisfying enough to make you feel like you've accomplished something in the kitchen.
  • It transforms simple ingredients into something that tastes like you spent way more effort than you actually did.
02 -
  • Don't skip the second rise—rushed monkey bread bakes up dense and doughy instead of light and pullable.
  • Flip it onto the plate while it's still warm but not steaming; wait too long and the butter cools and sticks, wait not long enough and it falls apart.
  • The cinnamon sugar coating is where the flavor lives, so measure it properly and don't be tempted to halve it thinking it's too much.
03 -
  • Room temperature matters—if your kitchen is cool, place the rising dough in a turned-off oven with the light on to maintain warmth and speed the rise consistently.
  • Overworking the dough during shaping makes it tough, so shape gently and resist the urge to knead it smooth like a formal bread—slight imperfection is actually your friend here.
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