If there is any sweet breakfast concoction worthy of a Christmas brunch, it’s this Monkey Bread. I used to make Monkey Bread a lot, and I love experimenting with different flavors (this Lemon Monkey Bread is a personal and reader favorite!). And these Cinnamon Roll Bites come close, but they are a little quicker to get to the table — if that’s what you need, check it out! But the fact that I’ve never shared a great, class Monkey Bread recipe here? It’s not right. We’re changing that today. No one is mad about it. There are so many things I love about monkey bread — I mean, soft and fluffy bread, cinnamon sugar, caramel glaze, in one convenient make ahead package? It’s hard to go wrong. But in this post I’m also going to share how to make it ahead and refrigerate for several days, or freeze (baked and unbaked!) so you can enjoy Monkey Bread really any time you need it. Which is probably going to be a lot 😉
What’s in Monkey Bread?
Many recipes call for refrigerated biscuit dough which is fine — I am the type who understands the need for a shortcut here and there to make life doable. But when I really want a fantastic Monkey Bread? Only yeast dough will do. If you need to, you can purchase store bought bread or bun dough to use in place of the homemade dough in this recipe.
The ingredients in this Monkey Bread are:
yeast dough (we’ll get down to the nitty gritty down below) butter cinnamon sugar more butter more sugar cream
How to make Monkey Bread:
How to make Monkey Bread ahead:
In the refrigerator:
You can prepare your Monkey Bread up to the point of baking, then cover tightly and refrigerate up to 2-3 days. Personally, I prefer to prep it the day before I want to bake it because it will continue to rise very slowly in the refrigerator.
In the freezer:
To freeze unbaked Monkey Bread: You can also prep your Monkey Bread up until the point of baking it (including the second rise), and cover tightly and freeze on a flat shelf. Once frozen, you can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake, let thaw at room temperature for 5-6 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Once thawed, let rest at room temperature (in a warm spot, in the sun or in the oven with the light on) for 60 minutes before baking as the recipe calls for. To freeze baked Monkey Bread: You can also prepare as the recipe directs, then let cool to room temperature, wrap tightly and freeze. To serve, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for several hours. Reheat in a 275 degree oven just until warm.
Can I use refrigerated biscuit dough instead of homemade yeast dough?
You can absolutely use biscuit dough to make this Monkey Bread, but like I said before, if you can find refrigerate or frozen yeast bread or bun dough, that is going to give you the best results! There is nothing like making Monkey Bread with a great yeast dough — you won’t regret it! If you are using biscuit dough, you can cut out the rise time and bake immediately.
More make ahead breakfasts you’ll love!
The BEST Cinnamon Buns Recipe + VIDEO Overnight Caramel French Toast Crockpot French Toast Recipe Ricotta Waffles Recipe + VIDEO Blueberry Coffee Cake
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