Monkey Bread Recipe: Easy American Pull-Apart Dessert 2026

Monkey bread, or pan de mono, is the perfect dessert for sharing: a pull-apart loaf made of soft, fluffy dough balls that each guest can enjoy at their own pace. It is a traditional sweet from American home baking, and it is surprisingly easy to make, as this step-by-step recipe shows.

Although it may look like an elaborate bake, it comes together with basic ingredients and a simple method. The dough balls are rolled in melted butter and cinnamon sugar, and during baking that coating caramelizes slightly for a delicious result.

Ingredients for Monkey Bread

This recipe makes 64 dough balls, enough for a 20 cm (8-inch) bundt pan.

• 450 g all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 150 g melted butter (30 g for the dough, 100 g for coating the dough portions, plus a little more for the pan)
• 110 ml warm whole milk
• 110 ml warm water
• 50 g sugar
• 10 g dry baker's yeast
• 200 g brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

How to Make Monkey Bread Step by Step

1. Mix and Knead the Dough

Place 450 g all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 30 g melted butter, 110 ml warm whole milk, 110 ml warm water, 50 g sugar and 10 g dry baker's yeast in a bowl. Mix and knead for 8 minutes at medium speed with a stand mixer, or for as long as needed by hand, until you have a smooth, even dough.

2. Let the Dough Rise

Cover the dough with a very clean cotton kitchen towel and let it rise in a draft-free place for 1 hour, until it doubles in volume.

3. Grease the Pan

Grease a bundt pan with a little melted butter.

4. Shape the Dough Balls

Punch down the dough to release the air and roll it out with a rolling pin into a square about 23 cm (9 inches) per side. Cut the square into 8 strips from top to bottom, then make 8 cuts from left to right, as shown in the image, to get 64 dough portions. Roll each portion into a ball.

5. Coat the Dough Balls

Set out two bowls for coating each dough portion. Put about 100 g melted butter in the first, and 200 g brown sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in the second. Dip each dough ball first in the butter, then in the sugar and cinnamon.

6. Arrange and Let Rise Again

As you coat them, place the dough balls in the previously greased pan. Once all the balls are in the pan, cover it again with the towel and let them rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until they have almost doubled in volume. Shortly before the rising time is up, preheat the oven to 200 °C (390 °F).

7. Bake the Monkey Bread

Bake the monkey bread for 35 minutes at 200 °C (390 °F) with top and bottom heat, until golden.

8. Unmold Immediately

After this time, remove the pan from the oven and, without letting it rest, invert it onto a plate or tray to unmold the monkey bread. It is important to unmold this sweet immediately after taking it out of the oven, because otherwise the caramel would begin to solidify and the cake would stick to the pan.

9. Serve the Monkey Bread

Serve the monkey bread warm in the center of the table, so each guest can help themselves and enjoy these delicious baked dough balls.

Tips for the Best Monkey Bread

Speed Up the Coating

If coating the dough balls one by one seems like too much work, a faster option is to place them all together on a tray, being careful that they do not stick, and cover them with the melted butter. Then put the sugar and cinnamon mixture in a freezer bag and add the dough balls one at a time. Once you have a few in the bag, shake it, repeat as needed until you are done, and in no time they will all be ready to bake.

Choose the Right Pan

Monkey bread is usually baked in a bundt pan for even baking and so it is easier to reach all the baked dough balls afterward. For the amounts in this recipe, we used a 20 cm (8-inch) pan, but if you want to make a smaller cake you can use half the amounts and a 16 cm (6-inch) pan.

How to Serve It

The ideal way to enjoy it is to serve it in the center of the table, on its own or with a bowl of whipped cream or hot chocolate for anyone who wants to add a little something, and let each guest help themselves.

30 Favorite Recipes I Keep Coming Back to at Home

Maybe you're a lot like me and like having a stash of cozy comfort dishes, tried-and-true international favorites, and desserts that please a crowd.

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Even More Tasty Recipes to Cook for the Family

After years of testing and tweaking recipes in my own kitchen, I've come to believe the greatest dishes are built on simplicity, dependable methods, and serious flavor.

The recipes gathered here are the ones I genuinely keep coming back to—whether I'm putting together a fast meal just for me or making something memorable for friends and family.

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And for those steering clear of wheat, my cozy Gluten-Free Lasagna Recipe shows that a classic baked pasta can still be indulgent, cheesy, and deeply comforting without any gluten.

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