Sweet Sticky Pull Apart (Printable)

Golden pull-apart bread with cinnamon sugar-coated dough balls baked in a bundt pan, ideal for brunch or dessert.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast
03 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 teaspoon salt
05 - ¾ cup warm milk
06 - ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
07 - 2 large eggs

→ Coating

08 - 1 cup granulated sugar
09 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
10 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

→ Optional Glaze

11 - 1 cup powdered sugar
12 - 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
13 - ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

# Steps:

01 - Combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add warm milk, melted butter, and eggs. Mix until a soft dough forms, then knead by hand or mixer for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
02 - Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise in a warm area for 1 hour or until doubled in volume.
03 - In one bowl, combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Place melted butter in a separate bowl.
04 - Punch down dough and divide into 40 pieces, approximately ¾ ounce each. Roll each piece into a smooth ball.
05 - Dip each dough ball into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Layer coated balls evenly in a well-greased bundt pan.
06 - Cover the bundt pan and let the dough rise for 20 to 30 minutes until slightly puffed.
07 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the dough for 30 to 35 minutes until golden and cooked through.
08 - Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.
09 - Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle over warm bread before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It looks wildly impressive but requires no special skills—just dough, butter, and patience.
  • Everyone gravitates toward it at breakfast, treating it like a treasure they're allowed to pick apart with their hands.
  • The contrast between the crispy caramelized exterior and the soft, tender interior is pure comfort food magic.
02 -
  • If your dough doesn't rise the first time, your yeast might be dead or your milk wasn't warm enough; always test a tiny pinch of yeast in warm water first to see if it bubbles.
  • Don't skip cooling in the pan for those 10 minutes, or the bread will tear apart when you flip it and you'll have a delicious but messy disaster.
  • Serve it while it's still warm; as it cools, the coating hardens and loses that magical pull-apart quality that makes this recipe irresistible.
03 -
  • Invest in an instant-read thermometer and check that your dough reaches around 75–78°F during kneading; warm dough rises faster and more predictably.
  • If you're nervous about yeast, proof it first by mixing a pinch with warm water and a touch of sugar; if it doesn't bubble within 5 minutes, start over with fresh yeast before you waste ingredients.
  • Weigh your ingredients if you can; a kitchen scale removes the guesswork and gives you consistent, beautiful results every single time.
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