Best Monkey Bread Recipe

This monkey bread recipe has been our Sunday morning tradition for eight years, turning sleepy weekends into something Emma gets excited to wake up for. What started as a way to use up leftover biscuit dough has become the most requested breakfast from neighbors who smell that cinnamon-sugar magic drifting from our kitchen. Through years of testing different techniques and countless sticky-fingered taste sessions with Emma, we've figured out this pull-apart bread that disappears faster than I can make it.

A monkey bread recipe ring topped with caramel glaze and chopped nuts, served on a decorative plate with a bowl of extra caramel sauce in the center.

Why You'll Love This Easy Monkey Bread Recipe

From years of making this for weekend brunches and watching families eat it up, this monkey bread recipe wins people over because it's simple but looks fancy. If you've ever been scared of yeast breads or worried about timing, you'll see how forgiving this recipe is. The dough comes together quickly, and even if you mess up the shaping, it still turns out good - that's the beauty of pull-apart bread.

What makes this recipe work is how it gives you the same good results without tricky steps. Emma loves helping me roll the dough balls, and even his friends (who usually don't like anything homemade) ask when we're making it again. This isn't just breakfast - it's the kind of weekend treat that gets everyone to the kitchen table before they're fully awake.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Easy Monkey Bread Recipe
Ingredients for Monkey Bread Recipe
How To Make Monkey Bread Recipe Step By Step
Smart Swaps for Monkey Bread Recipe
Monkey Bread Recipe Variations
Equipment For Monkey Bread Recipe
Storing Your Monkey Bread Recipe
Our Family's Hidden Recipe Legacy
Top Tip
Why This Monkey Bread Recipe Works
FAQ
Your Pull-Apart Dreams Come True!
Related
Pairing
Monkey Bread Recipe

Ingredients for Monkey Bread Recipe

The Dough Base:

All-purpose flour
Active dry yeast
Warm milk
Granulated sugar
Unsalted butter
Large eggs
Salt

Baking essentials laid out in bowls, including flour, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, butter, and salt, ready to make the dough.

The Coating Magic:

Brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
Melted butter
Vanilla extract

Optional Add-ins:

Chopped pecans
Orange zest
Cream cheese glaze
Caramel drizzle

See recipe card for quantities.

Small bowls of brown sugar, ground cinnamon, caramel sauce, butter, pecans, and crumbled cheese arranged on a wooden board.

How To Make Monkey Bread Recipe Step By Step

Prep Phase:

Warm milk to bath temperature
Dissolve yeast with sugar
Let foam for 5 minutes
Prepare bundt pan with butter

Hands whisking flour into a bowl of wet dough mixture, with flour scattered around on a white surface.

The Dough:

Mix wet ingredients
Add flour gradually
Knead until smooth
First rise for 1 hour

A bowl of foamy yeast mixture with a whisk resting inside, placed on a countertop with a kitchen towel and ingredients in the background.

Assembly Time:

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls
Dip each ball in melted butter
Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture
Layer in prepared pan

A bundt pan filled with cinnamon-sugar-coated dough balls, surrounded by flour, melted butter, sugar, and chopped ingredients, with a loaf of dough resting in a wooden tray.

Final Steps:

Serve warm
Second rise for 30 minutes
Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes
Cool 10 minutes before flipping

A golden-brown monkey bread baked in a bundt shape, covered in sticky caramelized glaze, served on a plate with a jug of coffee in the background.

Smart Swaps for Monkey Bread Recipe

Dough Options:

All-purpose flour → Bread flour
Active dry yeast → Instant yeast
Whole milk → Plant milk
Regular eggs → Flax eggs

Sweetener Changes:

Granulated sugar → Coconut sugar
Brown sugar → Maple sugar
Regular → Sugar-free blend
Standard → Raw honey

Dairy Swaps:

Butter → Plant-based butter
Whole milk → Oat milk
Regular → Dairy-free options
Standard → Coconut milk

Flavor Twists:

Standard → Cardamom
Cinnamon → Pumpkin pie spice
Vanilla → Almond extract
Regular → Orange zest

Monkey Bread Recipe Variations

Sweet Versions:

Apple cinnamon with diced apples
Orange cranberry with zest
Chocolate chip surprise
Maple pecan delight

Savory Twists:

Garlic herb with parmesan
Everything bagel seasoning
Bacon cheddar morning bread
Pizza monkey bread

Holiday Specials:

Pumpkin spice fall version
Eggnog holiday twist
Strawberry cream summer style
Lemon blueberry spring mix

Kid-Friendly Options:

S'mores monkey bread
Birthday cake flavor
Cinnamon roll style
Nutella swirl

Equipment For Monkey Bread Recipe

10-12 cup bundt pan
Large mixing bowl
Measuring cups/spoons
Kitchen scale (helpful)
Clean kitchen towels
Wire cooling rack

Storing Your Monkey Bread Recipe

Counter Storage (2 days):

Cool completely first
Cover with plastic wrap
Store at room temperature
Reheat in microwave briefly

Fridge Storage (5 days):

Wrap tightly
Store in airtight container
Warm before serving
Add butter when reheating

Freezer Method (2 months):

Cool completely
Wrap in plastic, then foil
Label with date
Thaw overnight at room temperature

Make-Ahead Tips:

Add 10 minutes to bake time
Assemble night before
Cover and refrigerate
Let rise in morning

Our Family's Hidden Recipe Legacy

My grandmother had a secret with monkey bread that she never wrote down anywhere. For years, she'd make this version that tasted different from everyone else's, but whenever anyone asked for the recipe, she'd just smile and say "it's all in the feel." It wasn't until I was twelve that she finally let me help her make it, and I discovered her trick wasn't in the ingredients at all.

She'd save the brown sugar coating that inevitably fell to the bottom of the bundt pan and mix it with a little extra butter and cream. Then, right before serving, she'd spoon this gooey mixture back over the top of the monkey bread. "Waste not, want not," she'd say, but really she knew it created layers of flavor that made every bite different. Now when I make this monkey bread recipe, I always think of her hands showing mine how to scrape every bit of sweetness from that pan. Sometimes the best family secrets are hiding in plain sight.

Top Tip

From years of testing this recipe and helping countless bakers troubleshoot, the best tip for monkey bread is using an instant-read thermometer. Stick it right into the center of the bread - it should read 190-200°F when done. This one simple check prevents the most common monkey bread problem: golden tops with raw, doughy centers. I learned this lesson after making dense, undercooked monkey bread for Emma's school bake sale years ago.

Visual cues can fool you with monkey bread because the outside browns much faster than the inside cooks. The bundt pan shape means the center takes longer to heat through, and all that butter and sugar coating makes the outside look done way before it is. A thermometer takes all the guesswork out and makes sure you get that fluffy texture every time. Trust the numbers, not your eyes - your monkey bread will turn out much better.

Why This Monkey Bread Recipe Works

From years of testing different techniques and understanding how yeast behaves, this monkey bread recipe succeeds because of a few key factors. The warm milk activates the yeast without killing it, while the sugar feeds it to create that fluffy rise. The double rise - once in the bowl and once in the pan - gives you those soft, pillowy layers that pull apart easily.

The real magic happens with the coating method. By dipping each ball in butter first, then rolling in the cinnamon sugar, you create individual flavor pockets that don't all blend together during baking. This means every piece has its own little burst of sweetness, rather than just one big flavor. The bundt pan shape also helps - the center tube allows heat to circulate evenly, so you get consistent baking without any raw spots in the middle.

FAQ

What is Monkey Bread Recipe and why is it called that?

Monkey bread gets its name because you eat it by pulling apart pieces with your hands, just like a monkey would. It's a sweet pull-apart bread made with balls of dough coated in cinnamon sugar and baked in a bundt pan. The dough balls stick together while baking but separate easily when served.

What are the ingredients of Monkey Bread Recipe?

Basic monkey bread needs flour, yeast, milk, sugar, butter, eggs, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Some recipes use refrigerated biscuit dough as a shortcut, but homemade dough gives better texture. The key is the cinnamon-sugar coating that creates those sweet, sticky layers.

What is another name for a Monkey Bread Recipe tree?

The monkey bread tree is called baobab, but it's not related to the dessert at all. The bread got its name from how you eat it - pulling pieces apart with your hands. The tree name comes from its fruit, which monkeys eat in Africa.

What country is Monkey Bread Recipe from?

Monkey bread started in the United States, though it has roots in European pull-apart breads. It became popular in American homes during the 1970s and 1980s, especially when recipes using refrigerated biscuit dough made it easier for busy families to prepare.

Your Pull-Apart Dreams Come True!

Now you have all the secrets to making monkey bread that brings people to the kitchen before they're fully awake - from grandmother's hidden coating trick to the timing that keeps it tender. This isn't just breakfast; it's the kind of weekend tradition that creates those sticky-fingered memories families talk about for years.

Ready for more crowd-pleasing recipes? Start your morning right with our Best Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats Recipe that tastes like dessert for breakfast. Craving something baked? Try our Healthy Apple Cider Donuts Recipe that captures fall in every bite. Or impress guests with our The Best Chicken Liver Pate Recipe that's become our go-to appetizer for special occasions!