This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.
Hi Bold Bakers!
WHAT YOU GET: A completely indulgent breakfast recipe treat of super-soft, stretchy yeasted monkey bread dough, perfect for making ahead.
This pull-apart homemade cinnamon roll monkey bread is simply the best of what a cinnamon roll has to offer. The dough itself is incredibly soft and stretchy, and the flavors are incredible! The dough is layered in a bundt pan, along with a buttery caramel sauce, and baked until all the cinnamon sugar has become deeply caramelized. After the bread is finished baking, I top it all off with a finish of cream cheese glaze. It hits all the right notes! It’s gooey, flavorful, and so addicting you’ll keep going in for another piece of the pull-apart bread.
Don’t just save it for breakfast, either. Feel free to serve this monkey bread warm, topped with vanilla ice cream, for a show-stopping dessert too!
If you’d like cinnamon rolls but aren’t too keen on using yeast yet, try my 1-Hour No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls.
What Is Monkey Bread?
Monkey bread, which can also be called pull-apart bread or bubble bread, is a soft, sticky bread that got its name from the way you eat it — pulling it apart from the way a monkey might. It’s a popular treat around the holidays or for special breakfasts. It is a Hungarian Jewish dessert, originally, that was brought to America by immigrants around the 1880s. It’s been a fan favorite ever since.
The dough is yeasted, making it incredibly soft and stretchy, giving you the ideal “pull-apart” texture. This may be an upgraded version of typical cinnamon roll monkey bread you’ve had in the past, as I also include a caramel sauce that really amps it up!
I do have other recipes for monkey bread, like my Stuffed Monkey Bread with Pecans & Caramel and Pizza Monkey Bread (Pull Apart Bread).
Can I Make Monkey Bread Overnight?
Yes! This recipe is perfect for making the night before and baking off in the morning. Simply assemble the bread in the bundt pan, wrap it well in plastic wrap, and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. The next morning, be sure to let it proof for a bit longer (around 1 1/2 hours) outside of the fridge before you bake!
Does Monkey Bread Have To Be In A Bundt Pan?
Monkey bread is for the people — so don’t click out of the recipe if you don’t have a bundt pan. You can also make this recipe in a 9×13 inch (23x33cm) baking dish. To make monkey bread in a baking dish instead of a bundt pan, pour 1/2 of the caramel sauce in the bottom of the dish, arrange the cinnamon rolls in the pan, and then top with the remaining caramel sauce and bake.
Tools You Need To Make Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- Mixing bowls
- Small pot
- Bundt pan or baking dish
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
- You can add 1 cup (6oz/170g) of toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts to your cinnamon filling if you wish!
- This is very sweet and rich, and it will feed a lot of people. It is also best served the day it is made. If this is for a smaller crowd, you can halve the recipe and bake it in a smaller pan, like a 9-inch (23cm) casserole dish.
- Make this for dessert instead and serve it hot, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
- This is a great make-ahead recipe — see my notes on that above.
Make More Cinnamon Rolls
If you love the idea of cinnamon rolls, I have plenty of cinnamon roll recipes for you to try!
- Cinnamon Roll Muffins
- Make Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls Right At Home
- Gemma’s Best-Ever Cinnamon Rolls (No-Knead, No Machine)
- Make A No-Yeast GIANT Cinnamon Roll
- 1-Hour No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
- Giant Cinnamon Roll in a Skillet
- Cinnamon Roll Cake
- Crazy Dough Cinnamon Rolls
Learn new skills and level up your baking in the Bold Baking Academy — now open for subscription, featuring the Bold Baking Concierge for direct access to Gemma & her team for all your baking help.
Try These Recipes!
Watch The Recipe Video!
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 3 ¼ cups (1 lb1oz/461g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (2oz/57g) granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup (8floz/240ml) whole milk
- ⅓ cup (2½floz/71ml) water
- 2 tablespoons (1oz/28g) butter (diced)
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- ½ cup (4oz/115g) butter, melted
- 1 ¼ cups (7 ½ oz /210g) dark brown sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Caramel Sauce
- ¾ cup (6oz/170g) butter
- 1 ½ cups (9oz/255g) packed dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (2½floz/71ml) heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Glaze
- ½ cup (4oz/115g) cream cheese, at room temperature (at room temperature)
- 4 tablespoons (2oz/57g) butter (softened)
- ¾ cup (3oz/85g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
To Make the Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- In a microwavable measuring jug, heat the milk, water, and butter until lukewarm and the butter is melted.
- Turn the machine on low speed and slowly add the milk mixture. Mix for 2 minutes on low to wake up the yeast.
- Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is shiny and smooth, 6-8 minutes. This dough will be on the wetter side.
- Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, turn to coat lightly, cover, and let the dough rise until doubled, 1 ½ -2 hours. While the dough is proofing make the recipes below.
To Make the Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
- Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
To Make the Caramel Sauce:
- Combine the butter, brown sugar, cream, and salt in a small pot. Warm over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Set aside to cool.
To Make the Cream Cheese Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Stir in the sugar, vanilla extract, and milk until fully combined and there are no lumps. Refrigerate until ready to use. (This recipe makes enough so you can serve extra on the side of peoples plate)
Assembling the Monkey Bread:
- Pour ⅓ of the caramel sauce into a bundt pan. Set aside.
- On a floured surface roll the dough out into a 12x18-inch (30x46cm) rectangle, about ¼-inch (6mm).
- Rewarm the filling until it is liquefied and spread it all over the surface of the dough.
- Starting with a long edge, roll the dough into a tight log and then cut into ½ inch (12mm) thick slices.
- Place ½ of the slices cut side down in the bundt pan.
- Pour another ⅓ of the caramel sauce over the slices.
- Lay the remaining cinnamon rolls on and pour the remaining sauce over the rolls.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough almost reaches the top of the pan, about 45-60 minutes.
- Once the dough has risen, heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Uncover the monkey bread and bake for about 45-55 minutes, until deeply browned and caramelized.
- Allow resting for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Rewarm the cream cheese glaze until it is pourable and drizzle over the monkey bread.
- Serve immediately. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 250°F (120°C) oven for 15 minutes before serving.
Hi Gemma and team!! I made this this morning/noon and it’s absolutely fabulous!!!! It was easy and fun to make! I’m not sure how to post a picture here but it’s very nice ????????????
Oh my goodness! That looks marvelous. I’ve done the quick method of using tube cinnamon rolls and cut each n half, roll up a tap of cream cheese in the center, punch closed and assemble it the same way. My version I used ice cream caramel topping, chopped pecans and your cream cheese glaze. Yum to the max!
Hi Gemma. What kind of mixer are you using in this recipe? Thank you !!
You have been listing quite a few recipes lately containing caramel. What would you suggest for those of us who don’t care for caramel (for this recipe in particular)?
Thanks for the recipe gemma…. Just wanna know if i substitute flour to wheat flour? How much would i use? ???? Will try this soon????❤️
I’m excited to make this! I noticed that you did not butter, or grease the inside of the bundle pan. When I use mine, everything sticks to it. Did you have this problem?