Buttery Pull Apart Bundt Bread

This buttery pull apart bundt bread is fabulous! So easy to make, it’ll wow everyone at the table and is sure to become a favorite. That golden buttery goodness can’t be beat!

This bread. It’s amazing. Talk about taking your every day dinner roll to the next level. Not only is it a showstopper in the looks department, but that crispy, buttery goodness is other-worldly delicious. 

And I promise I’m not just saying this, but you guys, this bread is really easy to make. It definitely looks harder than it actually is, which will make you look like a total rock star. The dough is so easy to work with and comes together fast. Plus armed with yesterday’s baking with yeast tutorial, you’ve totally got this.

I got this recipe from a super awesome MKC reader, Madison G. (thanks, girl!) who not only shared her deep and abiding love for this easy pull apart bundt bread, but she also sent me step by step photos of her making the bread. Now if that’s not true dedication, I don’t know what is. (I’ve included her step by step photos at the end of this post!)

So Easy Your Kids Can Make It

We’ve made this bread so many times since Madison sent me the recipe. I think you can easily say we’re obsessed. Over the last few months, I’ve been delegating Sunday dinner assignments to the kids (and deliberately leaving myself out of the rotation so they can get some good hands on time executing a recipe start to finish, and also because, Sunday nap).

So, for instance, one kid will be in charge of main dish, another will tackle dessert, yet another will do a side dish, and since we usually have homemade bread of some sort on Sunday, I give at least one kid the assignment of homemade rolls. They each get to pick the recipe they want to make as long as they approve it through me first.

The kids have totally surprised me with their ability to conquer homemade bread. And this buttery pull apart bundt bread has been one of the most oft-chosen bread recipes to make on Sundays. My 12-, 13- and 15-year olds have each successfully made it all by themselves. I could cry with happiness.

Because this bread is meant to be a little rustic in appearance, it’s perfect for kids to make (and let’s be serious, for me to make, too).

This bread is not hard to make, but I still put together a little tutorial just because sometimes visual learning is the turning point between “maybe” and “dude, totally.”

As with most bread making, I use my Bosch to mix up this dough. It’s a small amount of dough, so I think a KitchenAid can handle it just fine, as well. The dough should be soft without being overly sticky. Add flour gradually until you get there (the exact amount of flour will depend on a lot of factors so don’t stress about how much you use as long as the dough forms a ball, clearing the edges of the bowl and is still soft). 

The dough will rest in the mixer for 10-15 minutes until slightly puffy. That’s right! No need to transfer it to another bowl to rise. Totally low maintenance. 

After it puffs a bit, you can press or roll it out on a lightly floured or greased countertop. Madison, who sent me the recipe, cuts out rounds with a biscuit cutter, but I’m kind of lazy, so I press the dough into a rectangle about 12X10 inches and then cut the rectangle into four strips the long way and six strips the short way which gives me 24 little squares. Following? 

It’s not rocket science. Basically you want about 24-26 pieces of dough to layer into the bundt pan. 

What if I don’t have a bundt pan? 

Well, don’t you worry. This bread will convert really well to a couple loaf pans. You may not get quite the same wow factor as the bundt pan-effect, but hey, all that really matters is how it tastes. And I promise this bread tastes incredible no matter what it looks like. 

Pour 4 tablespoons melted butter evenly in the bottom of the bundt pan. Then, one by one, take a square (or circle if that’s how you chose to cut them) and dip into the butter and then lay the piece of dough down slightly on top of the one before it. Kind of like a trail of dominoes that’s been knocked down by an annoying sibling.

Please tell me that random visual makes sense to someone else other than me.

You’ll continue doing that until all the pieces of dough have been dipped in butter and laid to rest in a single layer around the bottom of the pan. 

Toward the end with the last few pieces, you may need to reach in and adjust the dough squares a little bit to fit in the remaining pieces. 

Cover the bundt pan and let the dough rise until noticeably puffy. Then, and don’t think twice about this, pour the remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter over and around the top of the bread and pop it in a 375 degree oven to bake for 20 minutes or so. You’re going for super golden. Super crispy. Super buttery. 

Once it comes out of the oven, let it rest for a couple minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a plate. The easiest way to do this is to turn a plate upside down over the top of the pan and then grabbing both the plate and the pan at the same time, do a quick flip so the baked bread pops out onto the plate.

You can leave it bottom side up or flip the bread one more time (with your hands) so the craggy, golden edges are facing up. It doesn’t really matter either way. The golden pieces of bread pull apart easily, and it is delicious eaten plain as can be or spread with a little jam. It makes a fantastic side dish for everything from soup to pasta.

We haven’t done much experimenting yet because we love this buttery version so much, but I have a feeling this would adapt really well to a Parmesan or Asiago pull apart bread. And adding fresh or dried herbs would be a very, very good idea! 

As an added layer of support, here are the step by step pictures Madison sent me when she emailed me the recipe. I threw them into a quick collage so you could see how it looks to cut the dough out into circle shapes. Also, Madison uses all the butter on the bottom of the pan (vs pouring half on top like we do). 

Truly, this buttery pull apart bundt bread is special. Really, really special. It makes a fantastic “gift” for new neighbors or friends or to throw in with your next take-in meal. 

Also, I think it would make a an awfully pretty centerpiece too. Thanksgiving, maybe? Although it’s doubtful anyone would be able to keep their hands off it as they sneakily try to snitch buttery piece after buttery piece. Yeah, after typing that out loud, I think this bread is meant to be freely enjoyed. Dig in! 

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Four Years Ago: Double Chocolate Greek Yogurt Cookies
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Buttery Pull Apart Bundt Bread

Yield: 10 Servings

Prep Time: 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

4.76 stars (330 ratings)

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Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast (see note for active dry yeast)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 ¼ to 3 ½ cups (462 to 497 g) all-purpose flour (see note for whole wheat)
• ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, melted

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Instructions 

• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (you can make this by hand, too) add the warm water, sugar, yeast, egg, oil, salt, and 2 cups of flour.
• Mix until combined – it’s ok if it is a little lumpy. With the mixer running, continue to gradually add flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and forms a ball that is soft but not overly sticky. Knead for 2-3 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl, and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes. It should puff slightly.
• Pour half (4 tablespoons) of the melted butter evenly in the bottom of a bundt pan (if you don’t have a bundt pan, you can use loaf pans).
• On a lightly floured or greased countertop, press or roll the dough into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle, about 12X10 inches. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 24 semi-equal squares.
• Grab one square at a time, dip the bottom of the square in the butter in the pan and layer the squares against each other (kind of like a trail of dominoes that has fallen over on each other). See pictures in the post for a visual. All 24 squares should fit in a layer around the bottom of the pan. Lift and rearrange the squares, if needed, to fit them all in.
• Cover the bundt pan and let the dough rise until noticeably puffy, 45-60 minutes. After the dough has risen, pour the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over and around the top of the bread.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bake the bread for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top and baked through. Remove the pan from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a plate or platter (lay the plate upside down over the bundt pan and holding onto both the plate and pan at the same time, flip it over so the bread falls out onto the plate).
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Yeast: to substitute active dry yeast, use increase the amount to 1 1/4 tablespoons and dissolve the yeast in 3-4 tablespoons water, letting it rest until the mixture is bubbly and foamy. Use in the recipe as directed.

Flour: I’ve successfully made this bread with half whole wheat flour/half all-purpose flour. I haven’t tried it with bread flour (should work great) or 100% whole wheat flour.

Cheese + Herbs: I think this bread would adapt VERY well to other flavors. Maybe sprinkle Parmesan or Asiago cheese on the bottom over the butter before layering in the dough? Or some fresh or dried herbs? Yum.

Author: Mel

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Method: Bake

Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 291kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 322mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g

Recommended Products

Pizza Cutter

Bosch Universal Stand Mixer

Bundt Pan

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from a recipe a MKC reader, Madison G. sent me

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