Pull Apart Cinnamon Bread

This pull apart cinnamon bread is like a homemade cinnamon roll but baked in a loaf pan. An easy yeast dough is mixed up, then layered with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. The dough gets rolled out, cut and stacked into this fun, cinnamon pull-apart bread recipe. Topped with a sweet vanilla glaze after baking!

 

There’s something magical about the smell of cinnamon and freshly baked bread wafting through the kitchen—and this pull apart cinnamon bread delivers just that. It’s soft, sweet, and loaded with layers of buttery cinnamon sugar tucked between fluffy pieces of homemade dough. The best part? It’s easier to make than it looks and makes two whole loaves, so you’ll have enough to share… or not. No judgment here.

I used my dough I make for my cinnamon rolls, but instead turned it into this warm pull apart bread instead. Sort of like my pull-apart monkey bread recipe, but instead of baking in a bundt pan it bakes in two loaf pans.

This is the kind of bread that feels like comfort food in every sense—perfect for lazy weekend mornings, holiday baking, or anytime you need a little something warm and cozy straight from the oven. Each slice pulls apart beautifully, making it fun to serve and even more fun to eat.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Makes two loaves – One to keep, one to gift or freeze. Perfect for Christmas morning!
• Soft and fluffy dough – Enriched with butter, eggs, and milk.
• Cinnamon sugar swirls in every bite – Like a cinnamon roll in bread form.
• Sweet vanilla glaze – The final touch that takes it over the top.
• Great for beginners – The dough is forgiving and the process is straightforward. No fancy ingredients needed!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Dough:

• Milk (lukewarm, about 120–130°F) – Warming it helps activate the yeast.
• Instant yeast – Active dry yeast can also be used, but will need a longer rise time. If you’re using active dry yeast then only heat the milk to 110^oF.
• Granulated sugar 
• All-purpose flour – A kitchen scale is best for accuracy. But if using measuring cups, then spoon the flour into the cup and level it off. The dough will be slightly sticky. Try to avoid adding too much flour to the dough or the bread will come out tough and chewy.
• Salt 
• Eggs (room temperature) –
• Unsalted butter (very soft) – Can use salted butter if need be.

For the Filling:

• Unsalted butter (melted) 
• Light brown sugar (packed) 
• Ground cinnamon

For the Glaze:

• Powdered sugar
• Milk – Any milk works.
• Vanilla extract 
• Cream cheese is shown below but was not used in the icing. But you could add it in if you want to make a cinnamon roll icing with cream cheese instead!

How to Make Pull Apart Cinnamon Bread

Proof yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or large bowl, stir together the warmed milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until the yeast mixture becomes foamy and bubbly.

Make dough. In the stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, add in the eggs and milk nad stir to combine.

Then add the rest of the sugar, flour, and salt, and stir to combine until a shaggy dough comes together.

Knead the dough. Fit the mixer with a dough hook attachment, and knead at medium speed for 6-8 minutes. If the dough is super sticky, add additional flour a little at a time if needed. If you are kneading the dough by hand, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes by hand.

Dough will be sticky at first, and get less sticky as you knead, so I add extra flour a tablespoon at a time if needed. The dough should still be slightly sticky to the touch but feel smooth and elastic. Do not use more than 5 cups of flour and not over knead or your dough will become dense and chewy!

Let the dough rise. Lightly grease a large bowl, and place dough into the bowl, turning once to coat. Cover the bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours in a warm place. If you’re using active yeast, the rise time will take longer.

After the dough has risen, gently press the dough down to release the gasses.

Prepare Pan. Grease, or butter two 8×4” loaf pans. Line the pans with parchment paper.

Shape dough. Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into two dough balls.

Roll out one ball to roughly 9 inches by 13 inches. 

In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Add about half of the melted butter to the top of the dough to cover it, do the same with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Then cut the rolled out dough in half to have two 4.5 by 13 inch pieces, then cut into quarters the opposite way to have 8 pieces that are 4.5 inches by about 3 inches.

Then stack each rolled out slice into a pile and cut the pile in half again.

Add to one parchment lined loaf pan. Repeat steps 7 & 8 with the second ball of dough. You want to stack the pieces facing up in a row. They will not fill the pan yet (they will once proofed).

Bake the breads. Let the dough rise for 1 hour in the loaf pans covered with greased plastic wrap or a clean tea towel until puffy but not doubled in size. The loaf will bounce back slowly when pressed.

Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180^oC). Bake for about 30-35 minutes and let cool.

Make the glaze. While the bread is cooling, make the glaze by stirring together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Drizzle the glaze on top of the bread and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

• Use lukewarm milk (around 120–1130°F). Too hot can kill the yeast; too cool and it won’t activate properly.
• If your yeast doesn’t bubble or foam during the proofing step, it may be expired or the milk was the wrong temperature—start fresh.
• Don’t overproof the dough. Once it has doubled in size, it’s ready. Over-proofing can cause the dough to collapse or bake up with large air pockets and less structure.
• If your kitchen is chilly, use the inside of your oven with the light on (but oven off) as a warm, draft-free spot for rising.
• Cut the dough with a bench scraper, sharp knife or pizza cutter for a clean cut.
• ​Top with cream cheese frosting instead of the glaze for a decadent twist!
• Make it a maple glaze instead by adding a few tablespoons of maple syrup to the glaze!

How to Store

Store the cooled cinnamon pull apart bread at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil for up to 2 to 3 days. If your kitchen runs warm or humid, refrigerate it to keep it fresh longer. 

You can reheat slices in the microwave for about 10 seconds to bring back that just-baked softness. 

Freezing is also an option—wrap individual slices or a whole loaf tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw, unwrapped at room temperature quickly.

Recipe FAQs

More Recipes To Try

Craving more cinnamon and sugar? Then try my pecan sticky buns recipe. A layer of pecans and caramel on the bottom of the buns make these irresistible.

I also love my super easy, cinnamon quick bread recipe. A layer of cinnamon sugar in the middle makes this loaf taste like a cinnamon roll without the hassle!