This Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread is the perfect sweet bread made from layers of soft, sweet dough with a buttery cinnamon filling!
Wintertime is the perfect time for comfort food – and I can’t think of anything more comforting than sweet dough baked to perfection with a delectable cinnamon sugar filling. This Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread is a delicious sweet treat – if you love a good cinnamon roll, you’re going to LOVE this recipe!
This Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread is the perfect bake for a coffee break or snack, and it also makes the most delicious french toast for a decadent breakfast the next day. The layers create the most beautiful presentation, and sprinkling some pearl sugar (affiliate link) on top before baking takes it over the top!
We suggest serving it alongside our Chai Tea Latte, our Earl Grey Vanilla Tea Latte (London Fog), or our favourite Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spice Latte. If you’re serving it for breakfast or brunch, consider throwing together this Honey Lime Fruit Salad to serve with it.
To make this recipe you’ll likely need these kitchen tools (affiliate links):
- Measuring Cups (liquid and dry) and Measuring Spoons
- A Stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment (OR you can make them by hand with a wooden spoon and a large mixing bowl)
- Some plastic wrap for covering the bowl
- A Rolling Pin
- A large loaf pan
- A pastry brush (optional)
- all purpose flour
- salt
- eggs
- melted butter
- milk
- granulated sugar
- active dry yeast
- softened butter
- brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- pearl sugar or crushed nuts (optional)
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Time needed: 1 hour and 48 minutes
Follow these tips for the perfect pull-apart loaf every time!
- Use warm milk.
In order to achieve a fluffy dough that rises well, the temperature of the wet ingredients when they hit the yeast is critical: too cold, and the yeast won’t be able to grow; too hot and the liquid will kill the yeast. Both of these situations will cause your dough to be tough and dry, and you’ll be lucky if it rises at all.
- Go for a sticky dough.
Sweet bread dough should be tacky to the touch, but not so sticky that it’s very messy. It should pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl easily and the bowl should appear fairly clean. If the dough appears too sticky, continue kneading and add flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough reaches that tacky texture.
- Grease your work surface.
Turn the dough out onto a very lightly greased work surface rather than flouring the work surface. This makes the dough easy to roll out and it helps the surface of the dough to remain soft instead of drying it out like adding more flour would do. I like to spritz my counter top with a little bit of vegetable oil or baking spray to make sure the dough doesn’t stick and it works like a charm!
- Keep the filling inside.
Roll the dough into rectangles, spread the filling over each rectangle, and fold the rectangles in half placing the folded end in the bottom of the prepared pan. This will give the loaf good structure and prevent the filling from seeping out from between the dough layers in the bottom of the pan and burning while the loaf bakes.
- Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with pearl sugar.
The egg wash helps the buns brown evenly and the pearl sugar gives this loaf a unique look that’s very European. If you can’t find pearl sugar, use crushed nuts or other coarse sugar if desired.
Can I make this loaf ahead of time?
In order to make this recipe in advance of serving, simply make the dough as directed and allow it to rise in the bowl in the fridge overnight. Form the loaf and bake the next day as directed in the recipe.
Do I need a special loaf pan for this recipe?
No. Any large or standard-sized loaf pan will work – just form the dough as directed in the recipe to fit your loaf pan.
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments, what’s your favourite sweet bread recipe? We’d love to know!
Looking for more delicious recipes like this one? You’ll LOVE these:
EASY NO-FAIL HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPES AND BAKING TIPS
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Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread
Recipe: Equipment
Recipe: Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 egg
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Also Needed:
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water for brushing on before baking
- baking spray
- pearl sugar or crushed nuts for topping
Recipe: Instructions
- Into the bowl of your stand mixer, measure out the 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour and the salt. Mix these two together for a few seconds, just until they're combined.
- Next, melt 1/3 cup butter in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. If you're thinking to cut a corner here and melt your butter in the microwave instead, don't do it! If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Once it's melted and starts to bubble, remove it from the heat and stir in the 1/3 cup sugar until you can see and feel the grains beginning to dissolve in the hot butter. Add the milk slowly, stirring constantly. You're looking for the milk and butter mixture to be about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, but if it feels only slightly warm to the touch (slightly above room temperature) you're good to go.
- When your wet ingredients have reached the ideal temperature, add the yeast, stir gently, and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, along with the egg. Make sure your stand mixer is fitted with the dough hook attachment.
- Turn your mixer on low and watch the ingredients combine. After about a minute you should see a sticky dough starting to come together. If you need to turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, now's your chance.
- Turn up the mixer speed slightly and allow the mixture to knead the dough for about 2 minutes. The dough should be tacky to the touch, but not so sticky that it's very messy. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl easily and the bowl should appear fairly clean. If the dough appears too sticky, continue kneading and add flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough reaches that tacky texture.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface for 5 minutes after the wet and dry ingredients are combined.
- Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and move it to a warm place in your kitchen to rise for about 1 hour. It should have doubled in size after about 1 hour.
- Once you notice your dough has risen fully, and before you do anything with it, grease a large loaf pan with some butter and line it with some parchment paper to prevent sticking (optional).
- In a bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until it forms a paste. Set aside.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface that's been very lightly greased with vegetable oil. Divide the dough into 12 equally-sized pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle (you'll end up with 12 rectangles). The exact size of each rectangle will depend on the exact size of your loaf pan – the rectangles should be as wide as the loaf pan you're using and exactly twice as tall (so when you fold the rectangle in half and place it in the loaf pan it's the exact width and height of the pan).
- Spread the butter and sugar mixture onto one side of each rectangle, making sure the filling is spread right to the edges.
- Fold each rectangle in half with the filling side on the inside.
- Place each piece of folded dough into the prepared loaf pan vertically, with the folded side down. This will prevent the filling from leaking out into the bottom of the loaf pan and burning (a GREAT tip I learned from Sally's Baking Recipes!).
- Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and set the loaf aside to rise for about 15-20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the loaf has risen for 20 minutes (no longer), very lightly brush the top with some egg wash (beat one egg with 1 tablespoon of water) and sprinkle with some pearl sugar or crushed nuts. Place it in the oven to bake for about 18-23 minutes, or until the top is a nice even golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the loaf cool in the pan for about 25 minutes before serving.
Recipe: Notes
Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Delicious! Soft and chewy with a bit of syrup in the centre, but the sweetness isn’t overwhelming.
I had to use more flour since I used cake flour (we don’t have all purpose flour in South Africa!) divided between 2 small loaf tins, came out great!
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