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 #5. 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
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Illustrated
Recipe originally posted Oct. 2012; updated Jan. 2024 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
The recipe is great. Only change for me was using twice as must butter and brown sugar to coat the bread. I use all organic ingredients. I also cook with foil covering bundt cake pan for the first 25 minutes.
This recipe is not done correctly the measurements are way off. Your dough wont rise because the person put 3 1/4 cups of flour when in reality is close to 5-6 cups of flours. If not put enough you wont get dough the dough it’s not smooth and fluffy it came out really chewy so I had to make some Ganges. This recipe it’s not well done and it’s not good I don’t recommend it because your monkey bread wont come out, at the end you will have to change stuff because the recipe is that bad.
Sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you! I’ve made it dozens and dozens of times and the ratio of liquid to dry ingredients is actually spot on, although sometimes depending on humidity levels and the time of year, I do have to add a bit more/less flour. However, if you are having to add a full 2-3 cups more flour, it sounds like maybe something was mismeasured at the beginning. I’m glad you were able to repurpose the dough for something else!
Are you sure your measuring cup is a true 250ml? I have a 200ml one that says it’s a cup, but recipes (specifically bread) never worked with it; I always had to add lots of flour. When I finally compared meaduring cups, I realized the one I’d been using is much too small. I now make sure that I’m using a big enough cup when measuring flour.
I have a file of zucchini breads that I have thought to be “best” but yours is definitely is.
I do appreciate your time and effort in giving us excellent recipes. Well done!
Thank you!
Delicious! I cut the recipe in half and put it in an 8 by 8 cake pan for my husband and I-didn’t even make the glaze and it was amazing!
I absolutely love this recipe. One quick question. I’ve made it three times now, twice it rose to perfection once it did not, I used all the same ingredients and followed recipe the same. Any idea what might have happened?
Hmmm, it’s almost impossible for me to know what may have happened, especially if you didn’t change anything. Any chance on the non-rising time that the dough was overfloured at all?
I was thinking this would be nice to try as a garlic parmesan bread. How would you suggest I do that without it being overpowering?
Not sure – I haven’t tried it! Maybe just a simple concoction of garlic powder, melted butter with some freshly grated Parm in there? Good luck if you try it.
I dont have a bundt pan, what size pan could I use instead? Thank you.
You could try two loaf pans??
I have used your recipes for years and I don’t think I have ever commented. While my firecracker chicken (family favorite) is in the oven, I was printing some recipes for Easter and found this. I would love to try it this weekend because we are hosting a houseful of teens and college students. But how can I make it so it is ready for breakfast? Have you tried the last rise happening overnight?
Yes! I make it this way all the time. I shape the rolls and put them (and the brown sugar mixture) in the bundt pan and then cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, put it in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning I let it come to room temperature and bake OR the lazy way is I pop it in the oven while the oven preheats and then bake for the allotted time. Hope that helps!
I let mine rise a second time in the Bundy, and then put it in the fridge and it sunk a LOT! I assume I have to let it rise again before I bake it? I’m so sad it sunk so much. It has risen to perfection last night but I wanted to bake it fresh for Easter today. I wish I had thought about how much it would it would recess so I could have set a timer to wake up and take it out and let it rise again. Lessons learned!
I just discovered your website via a link to this recipe. I admire your philosophy since making bread is relaxing, makes the house smell great, and is great for the hands and mind. (I detest canned biscuits and love cream-of-anything soups.) I’ve spent too long! exploring your recipes and haven’t found even one I wouldn’t like to try, and I’m pretty fussy! Thank you so much for sharing your creativity, imagination and talent in the kitchen. Now I need to get busy cooking, but what to try first?!
Thanks, Catherine – I hope you love any of the recipes you decide to try!
Omg this was the best desert my family and I have ever tasted. I am not a baker by any means, this recipe was easy and fun! And the kids had a blast. Such gooey deliciousness! A little piece of heaven! Thank you for this recipe.
Gena
This was a really great recipe which I will make again. Just for fun, I spread a layer of chopped walnuts in the bottom of the pan before adding the dough balls. The walnuts adhered nicely to what became the top of the bread and added a very nice taste and texture.
I used coconut oil instead of butter in the dough was real good
Hi! great recipes! want to try this one this weekend
Can i replace the yeast with baking soda and lemon juice or with baking powder?
is there a difference in the process? Thank you!
Unfortunately, I don’t think either of those would sub well for yeast.
Hi Mel! I couldnt find instant yeast. What about fresh yeast or active dry? how should i use them?
thx thx thx
You could use active dry…proof it in a teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 cup warm water until it’s bubbly and then use it in the recipe.
My daughter made these for a cooking test at school. Her teacher even gave her and her group 2 extra credit points because it tasted so good. She bring me home some, and I have to say, they we delisous. She is going to make them for Thanksgiving and I’m really excited to see how they turn out. Thank you so much Mel, your recipes are delicious and I recommend this recipie to everyone. It took her a few hours, especially cutting the 64 pieces, but I think it was worth it. Can’t wait to get more and more of these
That’s amazing! Tell your daughter, way to go!
If it takes 2 hours for the first rise in the bowl outside the oven, how long should I wait for it to rise in the oven?
It kind of depends on the warmth of the kitchen but I’d say about an hour or two.
If I have a whole bunch of melted butter left at the end of dipping the bread balls what do I do with it? Discard it or should it all be drizzled on top of the unbaked bread??
I think you could pour it on top or just discard it. Either way!
You do not need to allow the yeast to proof, correct?
Not if you are using instant yeast.
Sorry, just to clarify…is active the same as instant? Thanks Mel!
Nope, active dry yeast requires proofing in warm water (until it is bubbly and foaming) before adding it to recipes whereas instant yeast can be added directly to a recipe without proofing.
our fav part of Christmas morning is this bread. We now make it early in the day on Christmas eve and put in the fridge covered in plastic wrap before the final rise. Then,late on xmas eve night, after all the wrapping and cleaning up (usually about 1 am ) we throw it on the counter (it is very cold after a day in the fridge) and from 1-7 am it comes to room temp slowly and does it’s final rise. At 7-8am ish when we wake up, we throw in the oven and it is PERFECT- and no fuss on Christmas morning. THANKS MEL!!
Can you make this at all the night before? We were hoping to have it for breakfast (my husbans’s request!) and I can’t imagine getting up early enough for all the rising! Thanks.
Yep! I’ve made it the night before and taken it out in the morning in time to rise and bake.
Okay…so I followed the instructions but the dough isn’t rising. Any idea why it’s not rising? Maybe I didn’t put enough extra flour or mixed it too long?
Those two factors wouldn’t normally cause it to not rise – usually overflouring can be a culprit as well as expired yeast, something like that.
Hi, I was wondering if this recipe was okay to make a day before it would be needed? Thank you.
If it’s made start-to-finish (including baking), it might be a bit drier on the 2nd day but you could slightly warm it in the oven and see how it fares.
Mel, I discovered your website a couple of months ago when I searched through google for “how to make homemade green enchilada sauce” (I didn’t want to pay the price it costs in the store!). I’ve enjoyed making a good number of your recipes since then and now have my sister hooked too! =)
I realize this is a stretch but if anyone has attempted to make this recipe gluten-free (ha! good luck!), please let me know! I’m planning to make it Christmas morning for my family, but I have Celiac Disease so have to eat gluten-free quite strictly. Thankfully for my family, I derive a strange pleasure just from the feel and smell of real bread dough and bread as I make it. One of our sons is allergic to tree nuts and eggs so baking is a challenge but we’re managing. Looking forward to trying this!
Hi Amy – I haven’t tried this with gluten-free flour. Sorry! I’m amazed at your initiative for home-baked goods despite the health challenges and allergies of your family. You are amazing!
I’m a total beginner when it comes to baking. I tried this recipe today without ever having had monkey bread before, but that picture looked so enticing that I had to try.
The dough ended up amazing: fluffy, moist and subtly sweet. The whole thing tastes like a very good cinnamon roll, BUT… I must have done something wrong, because my monkey bread was dry on the outside 🙁 There was no wet caramel layer like in the photo, just a tiny bit of wetness on top. The sugar didn’t melt. It was hard and crystallized, but the dough was already cooked so I could not leave it in longer. Any idea what I might have done wrong?
It sounds to me like it may have baked too long. What kind of pan are you using (dark, nonstick or light aluminum)? You might try reducing the baking temperature just a bit.
It is a light metal springform pan. I used the bottom that turns the circle into a ring so it looks like a bundt pan, but it is flatter than a real bundt pan.
I baked it for 30 minutes at 175 Celsius. It tasted really great, even with the drier sugary exterior :p can’t wait to make this right this time.
Thanks so much for replying!
I love this recipe, and serve it the morning after Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to our overnight house guests. Can I make it a few days ahead and freeze it before the second rise? Then take it out the night before and refrigerate it to final rise? Finishing the rise in a warm place if necessary before baking? It is always a chore to do all the preparation after everyone has gone to bed and I’m exhausted.
I’ve never frozen it at that stage but most breads freeze quite well. I think it stands a decent chance of working. Good luck!
Terri did you ever try freezing the bread?? I’m with you, too much to much to do on Christmas Eve and I’m trying to get as much as I can done early.
When I wanted to ride the dough in the oven, I put plastic wrap on the bowl and shoved it in at 93C, but obviously in hindsight the wrap melted and now I’m concerned the dough is cancerous. This is an obvious mistake but if the recipe could make it clearer how to quicken the dough rising and possibly lower the temperature to around 30-40C that would be helpful
Never mind, blonde moment ☺️
Do you need caramel for this? If you do when do you put it in?
Hi Mel. I made your MB last night and it turned out looking beautiful (even without the glaze):
https://www.evernote.com/l/AAGbbiYWDy1Ct58Z-Q6awjBWfqmXJU6_gycB/image.png
But the non-caramelized parts at the bottom were dry once the bread had cooled. I baked for 32m in 50% humidity but had some trouble determined when to take it out of the oven, “deep brown” being a bit subjective. 🙂 (Caramel never bubbled around the edges, perhaps because I was using a silicone “pan”.)
Any ideas for avoiding a dry result next time?
Thanks!
Can we freeze the baked dough, then get out thaw and glaze morning of?
I think they’ll taste best/freshest if they are baked and then glazed but I haven’t tried it the way you questioned so it’s always worth a try.
I’m a home Baker with a pretty good reputation for making delicious stuff and this ranks up there as one of the best. I was actually shocked at how incredibly delicious (and beautiful) it was! A perfect Easter treat! As a sidenote I baked it in a springform pan which worked great and also I used almond milk instead of regular milk and it was perfect.
May 25th 2015 Hi Mel, I just read your recipe. I got all the ingredients out and they turned out so yummy. I will definitely make this again !!!!! They were wonderful!!!!! Thank you so much. I just didn’t want to use the biscuits
This is AMAZING!!!! Seriously this is my favorite treat right now!! Even though it doesn’t have chocolate 😉 You’re the best source of all of the best recipes!
This really is the best! The dough is fantastic to work with. I’ve made it with instant yeast and with regular yeast following your directions in the comment section and it turned out great either way. I make it Saturday night and put it in the fridge after the first rise and then pull it out before church. Pop it in as soon as we get home and it’s just heavenly!
This is an amazing recipe! Mine just came out of the oven. I made your pretzel rolls and this monkey bread today! Now we just need some company to come eat some!
I made this tonight and it was absolutely sublime! Truly delicious. It was all gone in 20 minutes as my family stood around gobbling it down. Thank you so much for posting this delightful recipe. I will be making it again and again.
Made for Christmas breakfast- Delish!!!! Made the night before and stored in fridge. Solo much better than cut up biscuits that taste, l like biscuits.
Can the dough for this recipe be made in a bread machine?
I don’t own a bread machine so I can’t say for sure but as long as the measurements match up, it might be worth a try.
I just made one today in a christmas tree mold. It came out very nice and it is yummy. I followed the recipe as you written. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Decided to not add the glaze at the end. My family rated it a 10/10 served warm with vanilla bean ice cream on the side. 5 people devoured all but 1/8th of it. Everyone had seconds. My 15 year old is looking forward to the last pieces for her breakfast tomorrow after microwaving them a few seconds.
Just made this recipe, verbatim and it was amazing! It came out really similar to yours and it was extremely tasty! Thank you!
This was unbelievable. It was fool proof (purchased a $5 thermometer for the yeast mixture) It was devoured in less than five minutes. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
I wanted to make this to duplicate something we had as children called “pull-apart cake” from a bakery in Ventnor, NJ. I added 2 Tablespoons of room temp. whipped cream cheese to the frosting only because that was how I remembered it. Perfection!
This is pretty much the best thing I’ve ever eaten!!! It is addicting!
Hi Mel,
I actually found you by browsing online for photos of monkey bread. Random, eh? Is there any chance you would let me use your photo of this monkey bread for a family cookbook I’m putting together? I would be more than happy to credit the photo to you. We’ll be making these available on Amazon, just so you know. No worries if you’d rather not. I’m just out of time to take my own photos at this point! Anyway, LOVE your blog!
These were so delicious! We made them the day before, just like others had posted; prepared as directed up to the second rise stage, but instead of having them rise a 2nd time, we covered in plastic & put in the fridge overnight. Next morning, heated the oven to 200, turned it off, and let them rise for 30 minutes, then baked as directed. They were GREAT!
Do you know how long it takes the dough to rise in the preheated oven? Or if I can let it rise overnight in the fridge? Just trying to plan father’s day breakfast, hoping I don’t have to get up at 4am 🙂
Shalon Gough – If it were me, I’d prepare the monkey bread all the way up until rising and baking the night before and cover it with greased plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge overnight. Then pop it in the oven while it preheats and it should bake up just fine!
Kelsey, I used a round cake pan, and it worked okay… didn’t have quite the gooeyness because there was only one layer, but an 8 or 9 inch may have worked for that. Loaf pan is probably the best option for that gooeyness, though! (I actually made a savory one in the cake pan, so it didn’t need to be gooey anyway.)
Also, for those who have done the overnight option, did you have a problem with it sticking in the pan? I buttered my pan VERY generously and was sure to get in all the nooks and crannies, but the top half of my loaf still stuck in the pan. I don’t know if there are any tricks for greasing for overnight or if I just left it in the pan 1 or 2 minutes too long. Suggestions?
Lastly, this recipe was AMAZING! Very easy and tasted sooooo good!
Jodi – I’ve made them several times overnight without them sticking so it might be more due to leaving them in the pan too long. I’ve done that and it is a terror trying to get them out! I am sorry they stuck. I am glad you liked the recipe though.
I can’t seem to find the instructions for how to make these overnight. Can you please let me know? Thanks!
It’s in the comment thread, I believe. I basically assemble the entire panful and place it covered in the refrigerator overnight (before it rises the second time). I either wake up early and take it out to come to room temperature and rise or the lazy way (which I do often) is to put it from the fridge into the oven while it preheats and then bake (maybe take a minute or so off the baking time). It doesn’t get quite as puffy as letting it rise until doubled but it’s a great shortcut.
I love to chop some pecans or walnuts and sprinkle them on each layer of dough!! so freaking good!!
Wonderful recipe! I’ve always made monkey bread using the canned dough. I’m definitely going to try this recipe. I also like to sprinkle small pecan pieces throughout the bread.
I give this recipe 5 stars…gooey, sweet, makes a full bunt pan. Delicious!! I added some cream cheese/vanilla to my frosting due to my love of cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting, but I think the glaze alone would still be yummy. My kids loved helping roll the dough in sugar making it a fun family-memory-treat. I love that you can make it with ingredients I always have on-hand (although it takes a little longer) it’s a great recipe because it doesn’t require a trip to the store to buy biscuits 🙂 Thanks for another great recipe, Mel!
Also, followup to my last comment (sorry for not being concise!) do you think you could make this recipe with almond milk instead of dairy milk?
Kelsey – I haven’t tried it, but another reader made this in 2 loaf pans and said it worked great. Also, I haven’t tried subbing almond milk but if you have done so successfully in other bread recipes in the past, it’s definitely worth a try. Good luck!
I am dying to make this recipe but I do not have a bundt pan! Can you recommend another kind of pan that would be next-best to the bundt?
I used a springform pan and it worked great!
made night before: all directions up to coating stage. Arranged in pan, covered with plastic wrap placed in fridge overnight. Next morning took out for 45 min and then followed baking time. Turned out perfectly! 🙂