Monkey Bread

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Once you start eating Monkey Bread, it’s really hard to stop! This pull-apart bread is soaked in cinnamon, sugar, and butter and couldn’t be easier to make.

I plate of monkey bread resting on top of a wooden cutting board.


 

It is a simple pull-apart bread is OOZING everything that is delicious about breakfast sweets: Cinnamon, sugar, and butter.

This tasty bread is a brunch staple across the Midwest, especially at the holidays. A big thank you shout-out to my sister-in-law Erin, an Iowa native, for sharing her family’s version! It’s a keeper.

How do I make Monkey Bread?

Start with refrigerated biscuits (aka “exploding biscuits” in some circles), quarter, and toss them in a simple cinnamon-sugar topping.

Add them to your bundt pan, then smother in a mixture of boiled sugar, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla.

A collage of three photos showing steps to making monkey bread.

Why do you call it Monkey Bread?

The name comes from the fact that you can eat this delicious dessert by hand. You can pick it apart with your fingers the way a monkey would. (source: Wikipedia)

It is also known as:

  • Monkey puzzle bread
  • Sticky bread
  • Hungarian coffee cake
  • Golden crown
  • Pinch-me cake
  • Pluck-it cake
  • Pull-apart cake
Two small plates with servings of monkey bread and forks on them.

Does Monkey Bread need to be refrigerated?

No need to refrigerate the bread. It could dry out and become stale, and you will have to call it funky monkey bread.

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Monkey bread on a white plate.

Monkey Bread

Once you start eating Monkey Bread, it’s really hard to stop! This pull-apart bread is soaked in cinnamon, sugar, and butter and couldn’t be easier to make.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 16 servings
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 176
5 from 8 votes

Ingredients 

For the Monkey Bread:

For the glaze:

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a Bundt pan generously with vegetable shortening or nonstick spray.
  • Whisk 2/3 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut biscuit dough into quarters. Drop the dough pieces into the sugar and cinnamon mixture in batches, tossing to coat. Transfer to prepared pan.
  • In a small saucepan, combine remaining 2/3 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon with butter and vanilla. Bring to a boil and pour evenly over the dough.
  • Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool about 10 minutes in the pan, turning out onto a serving plate while the bread is still warm. Loosen around the edges of the pan with a plastic knife if necessary to help dislodge the bread.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together powdered sugar, water, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over the bread and serve warm. 
  • To reheat the bread from room temperature, warm in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

Notes

The 4 tubes of 7.5 ounce biscuits are sold in a shrink-wrapped 4-pack. Both “original” and “buttermilk” varieties are delicious in this recipe!

Nutrition

Calories: 176kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 54mgPotassium: 5mgFiber: 1gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 178IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

    1. Hi Cherie, yes! The bake time may vary and depending on the pan, you may need to slide a knife along the side to get the bread to release. Hope this helps! – Meggan

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