Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread

This easy cinnamon roll pull-apart bread has all the buttery cinnamon-sugar flavor of homemade cinnamon rolls, without all the work! The dough is quickly rolled into balls, coated in melted butter and covered in gooey cinnamon filling then spread with luscious cream cheese frosting.

It’s basically what would happen if our favorite homemade cinnamon rolls and monkey bread got together, except I might like this version even more because you don’t have instead of being rolled into individual spirals you just roll, dunk, coat and bake!

And whatever you do, don’t skip the frosting while the bread is warm. It melts down between all those cinnamon-y pieces and you’re looking at the gooiest pan of deliciousness.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Dough

• Warm water: Provides the warm liquid needed to activate the yeast. It should feel warm, never hot.
• Heavy cream: Adds richness and helps create an extra-soft, tender bread.
• Instant yeast: Gives the bread its rise. Your 4½ teaspoons equals 2 standard packets, which I would mention because that’s much easier for readers.
• Granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough and gives the yeast a little boost as it activates.
• Buttermilk: Adds moisture, richness and a subtle tang that balances all that cinnamon sugar.
• Sea salt: Essential for balancing the sweetness and bringing out the flavor of the dough.
• Canola oil: Adds moisture and helps keep the bread soft.
• Butter: Adds richness and buttery flavor to the dough.
• Eggs: Give the dough structure, richness and tenderness.
• All-purpose flour: Start with the lower amount and add more only as needed. The finished dough should be soft and slightly tacky rather than dry.

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• Unsalted butter: Every dough ball gets dipped in melted butter so the cinnamon sugar sticks and the pieces bake together into buttery layers.
• Light brown sugar: Creates a deeper, caramel-like cinnamon sugar coating.
• Granulated sugar: Helps balance the moisture of the brown sugar and gives the coating its classic cinnamon-sugar texture.
• Ground cinnamon: The star of the filling. And with more than 2 tablespoons, there’s no shortage of cinnamon flavor here!
• Cornstarch: Helps thicken the buttery cinnamon sugar mixture as it bakes so more of it stays around the bread instead of becoming a thin syrup in the bottom of the pan.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream cheese: Gives the frosting that rich, slightly tangy flavor that works so well with cinnamon.
• Unsalted butter: Makes the cream cheese frosting smooth and rich.
• Corn syrup: Helps create an extra-smooth, glossy frosting that melts beautifully over the warm bread.
• Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and rounds out the cream cheese flavor
• Powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting. Add it gradually until it’s as thick or pourable as you’d like.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread

1. Activate the yeast. Warm the water and cream until just warm to the touch. Stir in the yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar and let it sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy. Warm the buttermilk separately, then stir it into the yeast mixture.
2. Make the dough. Combine the remaining sugar, salt, oil, butter and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast mixture, then gradually mix in the flour with the dough hook.
3. Knead and rise. Once the dough comes together, knead it in the mixer for about 3 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1–2 hours, or until doubled.
4. Coat the dough. Melt the butter and combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Divide the dough into balls, dip each one in butter and roll it generously in cinnamon sugar.
5. Rise again and bake. Arrange the coated dough balls between two greased 9-inch pie plates. Cover and let rise until doubled, then bake at 350°F for 20–30 minutes.
6. Frost it WARM. Beat together the cream cheese and butter, followed by the corn syrup and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar, then spread the frosting all over the bread while it’s still warm.

Troubleshooting Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

2½-ounce vs. 3½-ounce Dough Balls

Which Size Dough Balls Should I Make?

For more individual pull-apart pieces and lots of cinnamon-sugar edges, use 2½-ounce dough balls. For bigger, fluffier pieces that feel more like individual cinnamon rolls, use 3½-ounce balls.

I actually prefer the 2½-ounce dough balls but the photos show 3½-ounce balls because the bigger rolls photographed better.

Can I Use a Bundt Pan?

Yes, you can make cinnamon pull apart bread in a Bundt pan, but I actually prefer using pie plates.

When the dough balls are packed together in the pie plates, you get more dough touching dough, which means more of those soft, gooey pull-apart sides. The pieces touching the metal pan brown more, so changing the pan changes the ratio of soft interior edges to golden exterior edges.

For us, more gooey cinnamon bread wins.

Storage Tips

Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days, then gently warm individual pieces before serving. Because of the cream cheese frosting, they need to be stored in the fridge.

Freezer: The unfrosted bread should freeze particularly well. Wrap tightly, freeze, thaw and warm before adding fresh frosting.

There is just something ridiculously satisfying about pulling apart warm pieces of cinnamon bread instead of slicing yourself a neat little serving. Especially when every one of those pieces has been dunked in butter, covered in cinnamon sugar and topped with cream cheese frosting.

This cinnamon pull apart bread gives you all the fluffy dough, buttery cinnamon filling and frosting you love about a cinnamon roll—just in a much more fun, pull-it-apart-with-your-fingers kind of package.

And since the recipe makes two pans, technically one is for sharing.

Technically. 😉

More Sweet Breakfast Recipes:

• French Toast Sticks
• Strawberry Sheet Pan Pancakes
• Buttermilk Pancakes
• Waffle Love Liege Waffles
• Better Than Starbucks Coffee Cake

Watch How This Cinnamon Bread is Made…