I’ve wanted to try a cinnamon pull apart bread for the longest time and I’m so glad I finally did. After doing some research on cinnamon roll recipes, I decided to turn one into a pull apart recipe.  The little balls of dough are so soft and chewy and the cinnamon flavor is amazing! If you are a cinnamon roll fan, you’ve got to try this. Besides the fact that it’s delicious, it’s also pretty to look at. But it won’t last long, that’s for sure!  Try it out for a weekend brunch with friends and family and they’ll be so delighted!

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread (Yields 1 10-inch bundt)

Ingredients For The Bread:

• 1 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients For The Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions For The Bread

1. Spray the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a small saucepan, heat milk to slightly above room temperature, then remove it from the heat, add yeast and stir to dissolve. (Do not warm it beyond 110 degrees F or you will kill the yeast).
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and salt using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
4. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined.
5. Keeping the mixer on low, slowly add the milk until combined. Add the melted butter and mix until the dough comes together. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough attachment. Continue to mix on medium speed  for about 8 to 10 minutes. The dough should mound together and should not be too sticky. (If the dough is too sticky, add some flour. If it is too dry, add a small amount of water.)
6. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bottom and roll it around to make sure it’s completely covered in oil. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it rest in a warm area until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.
7. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
8. Use your clean hands to push down and deflate the dough. Remove it from the bowl and pat it into a rough circle approximately 8 inches diameter. Use knife to cut dough into 1- to 1 1/2 inch pieces (about 1/2 ounce each). Roll the pieces into balls. Place the balls in the sheet pan (you will get about 60 pieces in all). Cover the balls lightly with plastic wrap.

Directions For The Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Place the melted butter in a separate bowl.

Assembling the Bread

• Remove the plastic wrap from the dough balls and dip one ball in the melted butter and then roll the ball in the brown sugar mixture, and place it in the Bundt pan. Continue this process with each ball, until you have several layers.

• Wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap. Set it in a warm area of the house for about 1 hour, or until the dough balls have doubled in size and appear puffy.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic and bake the Bundt until the top layer is deep brown and the caramel coating begins to bubble around the edges, about 30 minutes.
• Cool the bread for 10 minutes, then turn it out directly onto a platter and serve warm. If you have leftovers, heat them in a 300-degree oven until warm to the touch.