The Best Monkey Bread
This pull-apart monkey bread is ooey, gooey, and full of buttery cinnamon sugar goodness. The from-scratch dough is so easy to work with!
Monkey bread is a delight that I fully believe everyone should experience. This easy, homemade version is one of our go-to holiday breakfasts. Think of it like a pull-apart cinnamon roll!
Easy-to-Worth-With Dough
Many versions of monkey bread call for using canned biscuit dough. No disrespect to those versions, but making a homemade dough is a game changer for monkey bread.
This dough is simple to make a dream to work with!
- Make the dough and let it rise until doubled
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured or greased countertop and pat into a thick square or rectangle.
- Cut the dough into 64 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a round shape (doesn’t have to be perfect!)
If you end up with a few more or a few less pieces, no biggie. If the pieces aren’t all exactly uniform and resemble dented ping pong balls rather than perfectly round balls, again, no biggie! A rustic attempt is a totally valid attempt here, because it all works out in the end.
Assembling Monkey Bread
Dip the dough pieces in melted butter followed by a roll in cinnamon + brown sugar.
You don’t have to do this one at a time. It works to pile a bunch of dough pieces in the melted butter, let the excess butter drip off, and then load those buttered pieces over to the cinnamon and sugar bowl for a quick dusting.
Layer all the coated dough balls in a well-buttered bundt pan.
Try to arrange them as evenly as possible staggering them slightly so they aren’t stacked exactly on top of each other.
Let the monkey bread rise until very puffy. This step is crucial! Rising long enough here ensures a light and fluffy pull-apart monkey bread that is irresistible (as compared to heavy dense pieces of monkey bread that will only make you very sad).
Bake until golden and then turn out onto a serving tray or plate. While still a little bit warm, drizzle with the glaze. It will sneak into all the little nooks and crannies giving an extra boost to the ooey, gooey charm of this best-ever monkey bread.
Serve Warm
Without a doubt, this cinnamon sugar monkey bread is best served warm.
In fact, when I make it, my family helps devour it before it even has a chance to think about cooling off completely. The nibbly, bite-size, pull-apart pieces are irresistible.
There are hundreds of comments below of people who have tried variations or baked in different types of pans. Read through them for a whole heck of a lot of monkey bread inspiration!
Rave Reviews for Monkey Bread
This recipe has been receiving extremely high praise for over ten years. It really is the best monkey bread recipe.
Isabella: 10/10 love this!!!! Will make again
Sam: I am in love! Someone else commented that these taste like the center of a cinnamon roll and that is spot on. These are pillowy soft and indulgent. Your instructions were clear and I was able to create a picture perfect dessert. My family was certainly impressed. I must thank you so much for this recipe. I will be making these again and again for sure!
Amanda: Every piece tastes like the inside of a cinnamon roll, heaven!! I will never use biscuits again! Thanks for another winner.
Raquel: I made this for the first time today, and it was amazing. I did the make ahead method, and every step is informative and helpful. This really was the most delicious monkey bread I’ve ever had, It has a caramelized flavor that just keeps you going back for more. Wonderful Recipe!
FAQ for Monkey Bread:
Yes! Follow the recipe through step #8. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place the pan in the refrigerator before letting the monkey bread rise up to 12-18 hours. A couple hours before you want to bake it, remove the pan from the refrigerator and let the monkey bread come to room temperature and rise until puffy and risen 1-2 inches below the top of the pan (this exact measurement will depend on the dimensions of the Bundt pan you are using). Bake as directed in step #7 and proceed with the recipe. You can speed up the rising process by placing the refrigerated monkey bread into a warm oven (not warm enough it will bake the bread! just warm enough to help the rising – I preheat my oven to 170 degrees and then once it reaches temperature, I turn it off but keep the oven light on).
I have never baked this in another size/style of pan, but you could definitely experiment with a 9X13-inch pan for more of a rectangular presentation or split the dough into two loaf pans. I do not recommend an angel food cake pan; the sugar/butter mixture will leak out the bottom and make a big mess.
Yes.
The Best Monkey Bread
Ingredients
For the pan:
- 2 tablespoons softened butter
Dough:
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) melted butter
- 1 cup warm milk (about 105 to 110 degrees F)
- ⅓ cup warm water (about 105 to 110 degrees F)
- ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 ¼ cups (462 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
Brown Sugar Coating:
- 1 cup (212 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (113 g) butter, melted
Glaze:
- 1 cup (114 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, mix together the milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the milk mixture. Increase to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth, 5 to 7 minutes. Add additional flour a couple tablespoons at a time only if the dough is sticking to the bottom of the sides of the bowl. After kneading, the dough should be soft, supple and slightly sticky without leaving a lot of dough residue on your fingers.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let the dough rise until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
- Spread the softened butter evenly in a 12-cup bundt pan, using a pastry brush or piece of wax or parchment paper to ensure all the nooks and crannies of the pan are well-buttered. Set aside.
- Lightly punch down the dough. On a very lightly floured or greased countertop, press the dough into a thick rectangle or square, about 8 or 9 inches across. Use a bench scraper or pizza cutter to cut the dough into 64 small pieces.
- Roll each piece into a round ball shape. It doesn't have to be perfect.
- Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl or shallow dish.
- Dip the dough pieces in melted butter and then roll evenly in the sugar mixture. Place the dough pieces in the prepared Bundt pan, offsetting the dough balls so they aren't stacked exactly on top of each other.
- Cover the Bundt pan and let the bread rise until noticeably puffy and nearly doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the bundt pan and bake until the bread is golden brown and the bread is baked through, 30 to 35 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the bread should read 190 to 200 degrees F.
- Cool the monkey bread in the pan for no longer than 5 minutes (any longer and the bread will be too sticky and hard to remove!). Turn the bread onto a platter.
- In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners' sugar and milk together until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the top and sides of the warm monkey bread. Serve warm.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Illustrated
Recipe originally posted Oct. 2012; updated Jan. 2024 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
This is our favorite and like many others, I’ve been making it for Christmas breakfast for a few years. There’s only 4 of us and we don’t want or really enjoy the leftovers—so I just wanted to share that I’ve had success halving the recipe and just baking it in a standard loaf pan. Works like a charm and suits our needs.
This is SO good fresh out of the oven!
Does it need to be refrigerated after baking?
It’s fine at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
I’ve made this for Christmas morning every year for the past 5 years or so! It’s so good!! I make it on Christmas Eve and therefore follow the “make ahead of time” instructions but note that the step #’s referenced in the “make ahead” FAQs and NOTES are incorrect. You should follow all the steps up until #8 then put in the refrigerator for up to 12-18 hours. Then pull out 1-2 hours before baking to let it come to room temp and finish rising. Then bake as per step #10 (not step #7 – no baking happens in step #7) and proceed with rest of recipe.
I make this every christmas morning and its a fan favourite!
do you think you could freeze this after assembling in the pan but before the final rise? thanks!
Hi Hailie – I haven’t tried that, but usually yeast breads freeze pretty well so I think it is worth a try.
Yummmmm Yummm!
Do you let the yeast work its magic in the warm milk/butter/water/sugar for any period before adding to flour?
If using instant yeast, there is no need to proof the yeast, however it doesn’t hurt if you’d like to do that step before proceeding with the recipe.
Best recipe ever! My little ones devoured it in one day like itty bitty dinosaurs.
I’m confused on the make-ahead directions . . . you reference step 5 in the FAQ section and step 7 in the recipe notes. But based on the directions it sounds like maybe it should be step 9 where you place it covered in the fridge and then proceed with step 10 when ready to bake it in the morning . . . can you clarify for me please? Thank you!
Sorry for the confusion! I edited the FAQ. Basically you want to shape the monkey bread, place it in the pan, cover and immediately refrigerate (don’t let it rise). Then let it rise out of the fridge when you’re ready to bake and bake as directed in the recipe.
How large is a serving? I’m concerned for my diet
This was so yummy and very easy to make. I didn’t make the icing, its sweet enough without it. Thanks for the recipe!
great! did all whole wheat instead of white flour though
I made this with raisins sprinkled throughout the dough balls. It’s Scrumptious! I think I rolled on the brown sugar mixture too heavily because it took a bit more than directed. Note: I love sweet things, but this one is a bit too sweet, even for me! Finally, I have sensitive gums. The stiff baked-on caramel makes my gums sore. Can reducing the thickness of the sugar on the balls resolve this?
Thanks Mel
A little confused about the make ahead instructions. Do I roll out the dough, cut, dip in butter and sugar, assemble in pan, and then cover and refrigerate for 12-18 hours? So all I have to do is pull it out, let it rise for 1-2 hours, and then cook? The instructions telling me to refrigerate at step 5 is throwing me off.
Yes, that’s exactly what you do. Just pull it out in time to rise and then bake.
Omg turned out great
I need to make a few tweaks here n there but first time making it, wow, u guys are right u can’t stop at one peice
Just took it out of the fridge I’m on the next step, cannot wait
Just fyi in my first apartment n I’m in my late 50’s n on my own in about 5 years, first time baking by myself in 5 years I can’t wait till I can tell you how it turns out
1st time I made it, I barley let it cool for 3 minutes and my kids devoured it. Had to ask my husband if he would like to try it, he got two bits and gone. Kids gave it a 10, will definitely be making again.
I loved this monkey bread. I felt like eating the whole pan full, but I did share a big portion with my neighbor. It is so delicious.
FYI .. The grams for the melted butter in the dough is inaccurate. With 8 tablespoons at 113 grams, 2 tablespoons would equal about 28 grams.
Yes, sorry, you’re right. I’ll fix that.
This recipe popped up on instagram in one of your stories, and I just had to try!!! It came out absolutely delicious!!! I’m surprised it even lasted 2 days. A new favorite
Followed the directions exactly and the end result was ridiculously delicious.
I’m ready to make these, but want to bake in mini Bundt pans. How long would the baking time be?
I would check them after about 18 to 20 minutes.
I went ahead and made the first one in a regular Bundt pan. It came out perfectly and I gifted it to someone. I’m doing mini bundts today. So excited!
Amazing.
We filled each ball with a little cream cheese square and chocolate and backed doen23 Mims only. Perfection.
Everyone enjoyed this! I realized it was the same recipe as ATK, but your tip to add a couple of tbsp of extra flour if needed was helpful since my dough wasn’t holding together. I also used a thermometer to make sure it had reached 190 before pulling from the oven, which made me more confident that it wasn’t going to be gooey inside!
I’ve made this so many times before and it’s a hit. My question is, can I make this dough and leave it over night and assemble next day?
If you make it the night before, refrigerate the dough (but it works great to do it that way!)
Could I let this sit in the refrigerator longer than 18 hours before baking? I’m wanting to make it today and cook it Christmas morning. I make this every year Christmas Eve for Christmas Day and it’s always a hit. It’s tradition now 🙂
I think it might work! It’s likely to have a stronger yeast flavor if letting it refrigerate longer.
I like the idea of making your own bread dough instead of using tube biscuits — it wasn’t that hard and tasted good. However l think I prefer my mom’s method — melting butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and pouring it over all the bread pieces in the bundt pan, which had been shaken up in a ziploc with sugar and cinnamon coating. Much less work, and I find the end result gives a little more “crunch” here and there between the syrupy bits. All that to say — this was very good! If not a bit too labor intensive for lazy me 😀
How funny, I grew up with my mom having taught me this recipe and we always made dough from scratch. But when I became an adult (and the Internet became more of a thing) I learned you could just use canned biscuit dough and I’ve never looked back. Making dough was always the part I hated and I think the cans taste just as good . But now I have a bread machine so I thought “why don’t I try that!” And this will be the first year in maybe 20 that I’ll make this with homemade dough
10/10 love this!!!! Will make again
These are amazing!
I made the dough in my bread machine (or rather, my 15 year old son did that part) which turned out a little on the sticky side, but as noted, a little flour fixed that. Then my Bundt pan couldn’t be found anywhere. 2 loaf pans to the rescue!
Wow, these are so good!! I’m glad we made these as 2 loaves, so we could give one away. Otherwise I think I would have eaten half of it all on my own.
When we divided the dough into 64 pieces my boys were telling me they were too small. But they rose and puffed up and we’re much bigger by the time it was cooked.
Also, the butter the pieces are dipped in- one stick was more than enough. I drizzled the last bit of butter over the loaves before covering them to rise. But the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture ran out. So we mixed up another 1/4 cup brown sugar with 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
So glad this worked for you!
How long did you bake the two bread pans?
Turned out exactly as hoped.
I don’t often leave reviews but this was perfect! Tried it out a couple weeks ago, a half recipe in a loaf pan and kind of skimped on the butter. It was okay, but a little dry (I overcooked it) and didn’t stick together too well. Last night I did the full recipe for a brunch and followed it to a tee! Refrigerated overnight, pulled it out about an hour before baking it, cooked it right at 30min, came out perfect!! Wish I could leave pictures! Thanks so much!
I am in love!
Someone else commented that these taste like the center of a cinnamon roll and that is spot on. These are pillowy soft and indulgent. Your instructions were clear and I was able to create a picture perfect dessert. My family was certainly impressed.
I must thank you so much for this recipe. I will be making these again and again for sure!
Every piece tastes like the inside of a cinnamon roll, heaven!! I will never use biscuits again! Thanks for another winner.
Can I make the dough in my Bread Machine?
I don’t have a bread machine so I haven’t tried it, but it’s definitely worth experimenting. I’m thinking it should work just fine.
What kind of milk should I use? This might be over-the-top, but would using heavy cream instead of milk make it extra delicious?
I use 1% or 2%. Sometimes using heavy cream can make the dough dense, but you could try it.
I made this for the first time today, and it was amazing. I did the make ahead method, and every step is informative and helpful. This really was the most delicious monkey bread I’ve ever had, It has a caramelized flavor that just keeps you going back for more. Wonderful Recipe!
Well, I made this yesterday and took it into work. My coworkers absolutely loved it! I baked it fresh at work so it was served warm. Everyone remarked that it was a keeper recipe and I agree! Easy to make and simply delicious. I wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks for sharing this recipe – I am sure it will become part of my regular rotation.
I am here to say this is the BEST monkey bread EVER!!! I’ve made and eaten quite a few recipe variations of this over the years, but nothing compares to this recipe. This is the HOLY GRAIL of monkey bread!!! I made it Christmas Eve and popped it in the fridge overnight, pulled it out Christmas morning to rise for 1.5 hrs and baked it. I’ll never make another recipe. The groans of tastebud heaven were loud and numerous while eating it. This is the recipe!!!!!
Can I make this with gluten free flour?
Unfortunately, I don’t think it will work out with gluten free flour.
You can!! We have this every year for Christmas breakfast but since I have eaten GF for the past several years I still make it for the family but am SO SAD to miss out! Last year I bought a bag of GF flour at Costco and decided to try it. It was scary… The dough was weird… Didn’t look like it rose properly… And I was bracing for disappointment. But it was Yum! Even the gluten eaters were impressed. Now I will make. Regular and a GF one every year.
I made this earlier today and I didn’t turn out like monkey bread, more like cake still good tho I recommend
This recipe was perfect and I’ll definitely be making it again, it reminds me of the inside of a cinnamon roll, so good and won’t last for more than a day!
Love this recipe. Great Sunday morning breakfast on the beach.
Make-ahead note says make through Step 5. But Step 5 is just cutting into 64 squares. Doesn’t make sense. Can you recheck the two make-ahead notes?
Hi Mel! I have made this monkey bread many times and it is delicious!! I made it again this weekend and did the overnight method. It seemed to work great, the bread looks amazing, however, the dough tastes sour. We are in anyways! Any idea what would make the dough have a sour taste so I can avoid this outcome next time?
Hi Sarah, it’s probably the increased flavor of the yeast due to the overnight rise. You can try decreasing the yeast a bit if rising overnight – that might help!
I am just getting ready to make these for conference and imagine my surprise to find that America’s Test Kitchen Monkey Bread is exactly this recipe! But their bread book was published in 2016. Seriously, is has all the exact same ingredients and ingredient amounts AND it says 8×8 inch square cut into 64 pieces. Is that even legal?
Hey Emily! You can see below the recipe up there that I have a Recipe Source link. I adapted this recipe just a little from Cook’s Illustrated (which is basically the same company as America’s Test Kitchen). I think the only thing I changed was I use salted butter (not unsalted like the original recipe) so it’s close to the original recipe, which is why I always include a recipe source for my recipes.
oh gosh, this makes so much more sense. haha. your recipe also suggests putting it in the fridge at a different time.
Has anyone tried this recipe and put little cubes of cream cheese in the center of each roll? Curious how it turned out. I want to do this but don’t want to ruin anything
I haven’t – sorry!