This easy monkey bread recipe is made with 5 simple ingredients and makes the perfect pull-apart dessert or snack! It tastes like a giant cinnamon roll!
Looking for more easy dessert recipes? I think you’ll love my husband’s Cinnamon Rolls, my soft and chewy Sugar Cookie recipe, and my Gingerbread Cookie recipe. Yum!
Easy Monkey Bread
This classic monkey bread recipe has been around for ages and is one of the recipes I would make for holiday brunches, desserts, or to share with family and friends. Each bite of the delicious bread tastes so much like a cinnamon roll topped with a caramel sauce that makes the most delicious gooey recipe!
Homemade Dough vs Prepared Dough for Monkey Bread
Depending on the amount of time you have, you can make this monkey bread recipe using homemade or premade dough. For the quickest and the easiest monkey bread, you’ll use the premade dough. For a completely from-scratch monkey bread recipe, you’ll use homemade dough. Both are delicious; it really depends on your personal preference and the amount of time you have for the preparation.
For the quickest and easiest recipe, you begin with balls of premade biscuit dough coated with cinnamon and sugar. Again, if you prefer to take a little bit more time to make your own dough at this stage, by all means, do! But we all need a simple shortcut version from time to time for a back pocket easy dessert recipe (or for brunch!) that everyone loves and that you can depend on. This is it!
To make this recipe, you cut your dough into pieces.
- Prepared Biscuit Dough – If you use prepared biscuit dough, you will cut each biscuit into quarters, or 4 equal-sized pieces.
- Homemade Dough – cut the dough into about 64 individual pieces.
Then, add the granulated sugar and cinnamon to a large zip-top bag. Quickly shake to combine. Add 8 – 10 pieces of the dough to the cinnamon sugar mixture and toss to coat. Layer the coated dough in the prepared bundt pan and repeat until all of the dough has been layered into the pan.
Caramel Glaze
Add the butter and brown sugar to a medium saucepan and cook on low, constantly stirring, until they are melted and smooth. Pour the caramel over the dough.
Bake until golden brown. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
How to Make Ahead, Store and Freeze Monkey Bread
Monkey Bread is so delicious freshly baked and from the oven, but it also makes a great make-ahead recipe!
To make ahead. Bake your bread as directed and then cover it with a cake dome, wrap it well with foil, or place it into an airtight container. You can also roll your unbaked dough and place it into the prepared bundt pan. Then, cover well with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight. Your monkey bread will be ready to bake fresh the next morning.
To store. Baked Monkey Bread keeps well under a cake dome on the counter for a few days.
To freeze. Baked Monkey Bread freezes well. Allow the bread to cool completely, then wrap well in plastic wrap followed by foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Here’s my Easy Monkey Bread Recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Related Recipes
Monkey Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 (12 ounce) cans (380 g) refrigerated biscuits
- 1/2 cup (99 g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons (7.8 g) ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (213 g) brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup (169.5 g) butter, cut into pieces
Homemade Monkey Bread Dough
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) warm milk
- 1/2 packet (3.5 g) active yeast
- 1/4 cup (49.5 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (56.5 g) melted butter
- 1 teaspoon (2.8 g) kosher salt
- 1 large (50 g) egg
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, + a little more for handling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease bottom and sides of a 12 cup bundt pan. Set aside.
- Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in a large zip-lock type bag. Set aside. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Toss 8 – 10 pieces of the biscuits at a time in the bag of sugar/cinnamon mixture until well coated. Layer the coated biscuits in the bundt pan. Set aside.
- Add brown sugar and butter to a 3-quart heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and the butter and sugar are smooth. Pour this mixture over the coated biscuits.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool 15 minutes then turn out onto a cake plate.
Homemade Monkey Bread Dough
- Add yeast and sugar to warm milk in a large bowl. Stir gently to combine and allow the yeast to foam to proof. Once the yeast has proofed, stir in melted butter, salt, eggs, and flour into yeast mixture. Gently mix until well-combined. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10-12 minutes. Form the dough into a large ball and place into a large buttered glass bowl. Cover lightly with plastic or with a tea towel and place in a warm location free of any drafts. Allow to rise so that the dough is doubled in size.
- Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 64 individual pieces. Roll the pieces into balls and then proceed with the recipe with shaking in the cinnamon sugar mixture
Notes
How to Make Ahead, Store and Freeze Monkey Bread
Monkey Bread is so delicious freshly baked and from the oven, but it also makes a great make-ahead recipe! To make ahead. Bake your bread as directed and then cover it with a cake dome, wrap it well with foil, or place it into an airtight container. You can also roll your unbaked dough and place it into the prepared bundt pan. Then, cover well with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight. Your monkey bread will be ready to bake fresh the next morning. To store. Baked Monkey Bread keeps well under a cake dome on the counter for a few days. To freeze. Baked Monkey Bread freezes well. Allow the bread to cool completely, then wrap well in plastic wrap followed by foil. Freeze for up to 3 monNutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Robyn
Can I put some apple chunks in the monkey dough. We all love apples here in Alberta
Edna, I have never added apple chunks to this recipe so I’m not sure how it will do.
Monkey bread was delicious ,my grandsons say it’s a winner!!!!
You can’t beat a child’s recommendation! Thanks, Patty.
Good morning Robyn, what are frozen biscuits? I’m in Australia and would love to make this so looking for an alternative to frozen biscuits.
Joan, you would use refrigerated biscuit dough, not frozen, or the recipe also gives the ingredients and instructions to make your own dough for this recipe. If you want to use refrigerated dough, it looks like Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits are available in some parts of Australia. It is really easy to make your own dough for this recipe. I hope this helps.
I make my monkey bread with frozen dinner rolls, can be made the night before, put in the refrigerator overnight and bake next morning. Let set out about 30 minutes then put in oven at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Thanks for telling us how you make your monkey bread, Betty.
If you bake and freeze the Monkey Bread do you rewarm it in the oven on day of serving?
I would just let it thaw and come to room temperature, Stephanie.
We love monkey bread. I always make mine in regular or jumbo sized monkey bread so everyone can have their own and nobody fights over the coveted outside layer!
Great idea, Bryn!