Homemade Monkey Bread Recipe (From Scratch, No Canned Dough)

Introduction

This homemade monkey bread recipe uses a soft yeast dough instead of canned biscuits, which gives you a fluffier, more bread-like pull-apart texture. Small pieces of dough get rolled in cinnamon sugar, stacked in a Bundt pan over a brown sugar caramel, and baked until deeply golden. It takes about 2 hours 40 minutes, most of it hands-off rising time, and the payoff is a warm, sticky, shareable bread that tastes like a cinnamon roll you can tear apart.

Why Homemade Dough Is Worth It

Canned biscuit dough works, but it bakes up denser and a little salty. A yeast dough enriched with milk, egg, and butter stays soft and pillowy, so each piece pulls away tender instead of chewy, and it takes on the cinnamon sugar coating more evenly.

Recipe Details

• Servings: 10-12
• Prep time: 30 minutes
• Rise time: 1 hour 30 minutes (two rises)
• Bake time: 35-40 minutes
• Total time: About 2 hours 40 minutes
• Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 3/4 cup whole milk, warm (105-110°F) (180ml)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (1 packet, 7g)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (56g)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g), plus more for dusting
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

For the cinnamon sugar coating:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (113g)

For the caramel:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (150g)

Equipment

• 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan
• Large mixing bowl or stand mixer with dough hook
• Instant-read thermometer (helpful for the milk)
• Small saucepan
• Two shallow bowls

How to Make Homemade Monkey Bread

1. Stir the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the dough sugar together in a large bowl. Let it sit 5 minutes, until the surface looks foamy.
2. Add the remaining dough sugar, egg, melted butter, flour, and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 6 to 8 minutes, or 5 to 6 minutes with a dough hook, until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time only if it clings to your hands.
4. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until doubled.
5. Grease the Bundt pan thoroughly. Mix the 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in one shallow bowl and put the 1/2 cup melted butter in another.
6. Punch down the dough and cut it into about 48 pieces, roughly 1 inch each. Roll each into a ball, dip it in butter, roll it in the cinnamon sugar, and layer it loosely in the pan.

1. Melt the caramel butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until it bubbles for about 1 minute. Pour it evenly over the dough pieces.
2. Cover the pan and let it rise again for about 30 minutes, until puffy and the dough nears the rim of the pan.
3. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35 to 40 minutes, until deep golden brown and the center feels firm. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 25 minutes.
4. Cool the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Spoon any caramel left in the pan over the top.

Tips for Success

• Check the milk temperature. Milk above about 115°F can kill the yeast. Warm, not hot, is the goal.
• Layer the dough pieces loosely. Packing them tightly leaves the center doughy.
• Invert after 10 minutes. Wait much longer and the caramel hardens, gluing the bread to the pan.
• Grease the pan generously. The sugar and caramel stick to any bare spot.

Troubleshooting

1. Problem: The dough didn’t rise. Likely cause: Old yeast, or milk that was too hot or too cold. Fix: Look for foam in step 1, and replace the yeast if it never appears.
2. Problem: The center is doughy. Likely cause: The pieces were packed tightly, or the bread came out early. Fix: Bake a few minutes longer under foil, and layer loosely next time.
3. Problem: It stuck in the pan. Likely cause: Too little grease, or too long a wait before inverting. Fix: Grease thoroughly and flip within 10 to 15 minutes.

Storage

Keep leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Warm individual portions in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or reheat the whole loaf covered with foil in a 300°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes. For a make-ahead option, assemble the bread in the pan through step 7, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes until puffy before baking.

Serving Suggestions

Serve warm and let everyone pull off their own pieces. It works for brunch, a holiday morning, or a casual dessert table, and the caramel means no extra topping is needed.

You Might Also Like: Easy Halloween Oreo Bark

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use canned biscuit dough instead? Yes. Cut the biscuits into quarters and follow the coating and caramel steps, skipping both rises. The texture will be denser.
2. Can I make monkey bread without a Bundt pan? A 9×13-inch baking dish works. The bread will be shallower and may bake a few minutes faster, and you serve it from the dish.
3. Why is my monkey bread dry? Too much flour in the dough or overbaking are the usual causes. Add flour sparingly while kneading, and pull the bread once the top is deeply golden.
4. Do I have to use whole milk? Whole milk gives the softest dough. Lower-fat milk works but gives a slightly less tender crumb.

Conclusion

A homemade monkey bread recipe takes more time than the canned version, but most of that time is waiting. In return you get a soft, fluffy dough, an even cinnamon sugar coating, and a caramel base that pools at the top when you flip it. Keep the milk warm, layer the pieces loosely, and invert on time.

+Print the Recipe

Homemade Monkey Bread

Eyana Becker

A from-scratch monkey bread made with soft yeast dough, rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked over a brown sugar caramel in a Bundt pan. No canned biscuits needed.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Rise Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Calories 415 kcal

Equipment

• 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan
• Large mixing bowl or stand mixer with dough hook
• Instant-read thermometer
• Small saucepan
• Two shallow bowls

Ingredients

  

For the Dough

• 3/4 cup whole milk warm, 105–110°F
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast 1 packet
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted, for dipping

For the Caramel

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar packed

Instructions

 

Make the Dough

• Stir the warm milk, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the dough sugar together in a large bowl. Let it sit 5 minutes, until the surface looks foamy.
• Add the remaining dough sugar, egg, melted butter, flour, and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
• Knead on a lightly floured surface for 6 to 8 minutes, or 5 to 6 minutes with a dough hook, until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time only if it clings to your hands.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until doubled.

Shape and Assemble

• Grease the Bundt pan thoroughly. Mix the 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in one shallow bowl and put the 1/2 cup melted butter in another.
• Punch down the dough and cut it into about 48 pieces, roughly 1 inch each. Roll each into a ball, dip it in butter, roll it in the cinnamon sugar, and layer it loosely in the pan.
• Melt the caramel butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until it bubbles for about 1 minute. Pour it evenly over the dough pieces.
• Cover the pan and let it rise again for about 30 minutes, until puffy and the dough nears the rim of the pan.

Bake and Serve

• Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35 to 40 minutes, until deep golden brown and the center feels firm. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 25 minutes.
• Cool the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Spoon any caramel left in the pan over the top.

Notes

Check the milk temperature: milk above about 115°F can kill the yeast, so aim for warm, not hot. Layer the dough pieces loosely, since packing them tightly leaves the center doughy. Invert the bread after 10 minutes; waiting much longer lets the caramel harden and glue the bread to the pan. Grease the pan generously. Keep leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days and warm individual portions in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or reheat the whole loaf covered with foil in a 300°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes. To make ahead, assemble the bread in the pan through the caramel step, cover, and refrigerate overnight; let it sit at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes until puffy before baking. Calories per serving: ~415 kcal (estimated).

Keyword caramel monkey bread, cinnamon roll pull-apart bread, monkey bread from scratch, yeast monkey bread