Monkey Bread – Balls of sweet bread dough coated in sugar and cinnamon, baked in a bundt pan and drizzled with a creamy glaze!

Raise your hand if you love Monkey Bread! *Raises both hands.*
I love Monkey Bread for breakfast AND dessert, it fits both perfectly. If you’ve never heard of Monkey Bread before, think cinnamon rolls in ball form.
Monkey Bread is little balls of sweet bread dough rolled in melted butter then sugar and cinnamon, baked in a bundt pan and drizzled with a glaze.
Sounds perfect, right?

Why do you call it Monkey Bread?
The origin of the term “monkey bread” comes from the pastry being a finger food. You would pick apart the bread as a monkey would. And who doesn’t LOVE finger food? 🙂

Monkey Bread is a lot easier (and fun!) to make than cinnamon rolls because there’s no rolling and slicing, and it’s even more fun to eat, too!
How to make Monkey Bread
Ingredients you’ll need for the dough:
- plain/all-purpose flour
- instant (fast-action) yeast
- caster/granulated sugar
- salt
- milk
- unsalted butter
- large egg
- vanilla extract
For the coating:
- unsalted butter
- caster/granulated sugar
- brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
For the glaze:
- icing/powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- heavy/double cream
To make this bread, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the milk, butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix well, then bring everything together with your hands to form a sticky dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
For the coating, melt the butter in a bowl. In another bowl, mix together the sugars, and cinnamon.
Pull apart pieces of the dough and roll into about 1-inch balls. Dip each ball in the melted butter, and then roll them in the sugar mixture. Place the balls of dough into a greased 10-inch bundt pan.
Mix together any remaining melted butter and cinnamon sugar, and pour over the dough balls. Cover the pan with clingfilm and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for another hour.
Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 5 – 10 minutes, then remove onto a serving plate.
For the glaze, whisk together the icing sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream until smooth and combined. Drizzle over the warm bread, and serve.
The printable recipe card with the FULL list of ingredients and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.
NOTE: For best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup measurements.
Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough, and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.


This Monkey Bread is:
- super quick and easy to throw together
- incredibly soft and fluffy
- LOADED with flavour
- perfect for serving at parties!
How long will this Monkey Bread last? This bread can be stored, covered tightly, in the fridge for up to 1 week. Warm up before serving.
Can I freeze Monkey Bread? Yup! This bread also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and hashtag it #marshasbakingaddiction. I’d love to see!



More delicious bread recipes to try next!
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Monkey Bread

Balls of sweet bread dough coated in sugar and cinnamon, baked in a bundt pan and drizzled with a creamy glaze. Perfect for breakfast AND dessert!
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4 cups (500g) plain/all-purpose flour
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g or 1 sachet) instant fast-action yeast
- 1/2 cup (100g) caster/granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240ml) milk, warm
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Coating
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (150g) caster/granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the Glaze
- 1 cup (125g) icing/powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 - 4 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
For the Dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
- Make a well in the centre, and add in the milk, butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix well, then bring everything together with your hands to form a sticky dough.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Grease a 10-inch bundt pan and set aside.
For the Coating
- Melt the butter in a bowl. In another bowl, mix together the sugars, and cinnamon.
- Pull apart pieces of the dough and roll into about 1-inch balls. Dip each ball in the melted butter, and then roll them in the sugar mixture. Place the balls of dough into the prepared bundt pan.
- Mix together any remaining melted butter and cinnamon sugar, and pour over the dough balls. Cover the pan with clingfilm and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 5 - 10 minutes, then remove onto a serving plate.
For the Glaze
- Whisk together the icing sugar, vanilla, and cream until smooth and combined. Drizzle over the warm bread, and serve.
Notes
Leftovers can be stored, covered tightly, in the fridge for up to 1 week. Baked monkey bread also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
You can make this bread ahead of time! Roll into balls and place into the prepared pan as instructed, then cover with clingfilm or foil and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let rise in a warm place for 1 hour before baking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
14 ballsServing Size:
1 ballAmount Per Serving: Calories: 440Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 97mgCarbohydrates: 71gFiber: 1gSugar: 42gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Linda Leone
Saturday 1st of July 2017
Thank you so much showing the American conversion measurements! This looks delicious, so much better than using refrigerator biscuits. Can'the wait to try!
Marsha
Saturday 1st of July 2017
You're welcome, Linda! I hope you enjoy!
Miranda
Tuesday 2nd of August 2016
I love monkey bread, it is so fun to pull it apart! It's such a wonderful item to have for holiday brunches!
Marsha
Tuesday 2nd of August 2016
It really is, Miranda!
Shelby @ Go Eat and Repeat
Sunday 31st of July 2016
Ok, now you really have found my weakness. I'm obsessed with monkey bread and sticky buns! Looks amazing!
Marsha
Monday 1st of August 2016
Thanks, Shelby! :)
christina conte
Sunday 31st of July 2016
Yummy! i have always wanted to make monkey bread! Maybe this will inspire me as soon as the heat goes away! :)
Marsha
Sunday 31st of July 2016
Thanks, Christina! :)
Aish
Sunday 31st of July 2016
Lovely pics and I love monkey bread though never tried making it. Time to make monkey bread. Thanks for the recipe.
Marsha
Sunday 31st of July 2016
Thanks, Aish!