We ate sweet Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread all the time growing up! It regularly had a place at holiday breakfasts or brunch (especially Christmas!), but our favorite was when we would have breakfast for dinner, and she would add this as a special side.
There’s something so comforting about the sweet, cinnamon-sugar coated bread and when you drizzle that cream cheese frosting over the top, it just can’t be beat! It’s like a dessert – and no offense to Starbuck’s Cinnamon Pull Apart, but this one can feed an entire family for about the same price.
When I went to go make it a few months ago, I realized this one has been sitting in our mom’s recipe box for years and has never made it to the website. I called her up and got the recipe (plus all her tips and tricks), and now your family can enjoy it, too.
Why You’ll Love This Cinnamon Sugar Bread
This recipe has stood the test of time – it’s been in our family for decades. It originally comes from the Rhodes Roll cookbook my mom had back in the 80s, but she added her own tweaks and changes to it throughout the years.
- Serves a crowd. Similar to classic monkey bread recipes, this pull apart bread is made in a bundt pan, and serves a big group (up to 10!).
- Prep the day before. You can let the bread rise on the counter top in 4-6 hours, or you can let it rise in the fridge overnight and cook the bread in the morning for an easy breakfast.
- Sweet Cinnamon Sugar Flavor. If you want a delicious cinnamon-sugar flavor (with cream cheese frosting) but don’t want to make cinnamon rolls, these are the perfect stand in.
- No thawing the rolls. You literally dip the frozen rolls in a cinnamon sugar mixture and let it rise, so you don’t have to thaw the rolls beforehand!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread
For the Pull Apart Bread:
- Rhodes Rolls: These are found in the frozen bread section of your local grocery store. They’re uncooked dinner rolls, about 1.5” in diameter. We like using the Rhodes brand, but you can use other brands if you can find them.
- Butter: you’ll need ½ cup, melted. This helps the cinnamon sugar mixture stick to the roll.
- Granulated sugar: regular, granulated sugar is all you need for the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
- Cinnamon: any brand of ground cinnamon can be used for the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
For the Frosting:
- Butter: Salted or unsalted, whichever you prefer. You’ll want it softened to make the smoothest frosting possible.
- Cream cheese: Make sure it is softened to room temperature so it doesn’t make lumpy frosting.
- Milk: this is to help the frosting reach the right consistency. If you make the frosting and it’s too thick, you can add more milk to thin it out slightly.
- Powdered sugar: to thicken the frosting. Not required, but we prefer the C&H brand.
- Vanilla extract: to add some depth to the frosting. We prefer pure vanilla, but imitation will work fine.
- Almond extract: we like to add a splash of this to our frosting, but you can leave it out and increase the vanilla extract slightly if there are allergies.
- Salt: just a pinch is needed to enhance the flavor of the cream cheese in the frosting.
How to Make Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
Pull Apart Bread:
- Prep. It’s essential you spray your bundt pan generously to make sure the bread can be released. We coat it with nonstick cooking spray or baker’s joy for the best results.
- Dip the rolls. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl. Take each frozen Rhodes roll and dip it into melted butter, then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, making sure it is generously coated.
- Fill the pan. Place the coated rolls into the Bundt pan, arranging them evenly in a ring. Continue layering the rolls until all 18 are in the pan. Cover the Bundt pan loosely with plastic wrap that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
- Let it rise. Place the pan in a warm spot and let the rolls rise until they are nearly doubled and have risen close to the top of the Bundt pan. This will take approximately 4-6 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. You can also place them in the fridge and let them rise overnight (but it may take longer).
- Bake. Preheat oven to 350℉. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until they’re golden brown and cooked through in the center. If the top gets too brown, loosely cover it with foil during the last 10 minutes.
- Cool. Let the rolls cool in the Bundt pan for about 10 minutes. Carefully turn them out onto a serving plate and allow them to continue to cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream the fat. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together until it’s light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Mix the rest. Add milk, powdered sugar, vanilla, almond, and salt until smooth. Depending on the consistency you want, you can add more milk to thin it out, or more powdered sugar to thicken it up.
- Spread the frosting. Over the slightly cooled cinnamon-sugar rolls, dollop the frosting across the top of the bread, letting it drip down the sides. Make sure that the bread has cooled slightly, or the frosting will melt into the bread instead of resting on top.
Tips for success from our mom’s recipe notes
- Depending on the size of your rolls and bundt pan, 18 may be too many! You can use less rolls, just make sure they fill your pan all the way around.
- Don’t frost them while they’re hot. After inverting the rolls, let them cool slightly. You want them just warm enough that the frosting will go down the sides a little, but doesn’t melt into the bread.
- If you are a heavy-handed roller when it comes to cinnamon and sugar, you may need to make more of the mixture to make sure each roll is coated entirely.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge (because of the cream cheese frosting) for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Let the bread cool, then before frosting, move it to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag to store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Frost before eating.
To reheat: From frozen, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, warm in the microwave piece by piece or set it on the counter and let it come to room temperature before eating. If it is already frosted, you may want to avoid heating it in the microwave as the frosting will melt.
Frequently Asked Questions
No! We love that it tastes more like a cinnamon roll with the icing on top, but if you just want a cinnamon-sugar bread, you can leave it off.
Absolutely. If you don’t feel like making frosting yourself, you can grab some from the store and spread it on top.
Yes! We’ve seen other variations of this recipe made in a bread pan instead. Using the same process but adding it to a bread pan would work. It would bake around 350℉ for about 45-55 minutes (and you’ll want to cover it with foil for about half an hour).
What to Serve with Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
If you want to serve this with a sweet and savory spread, you can add a Sausage Breakfast Casserole, Instant Pot Yogurt, Breakfast Potatoes, or Chia Seed Pudding.
Other Cinnamon Sugar Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love
- Classic Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Breakfast Bites
- Cinnamon Roll French Bread Bake
- Cinnamon Sugar Quick Bread
Mom’s Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Pull apart:
- 18 Rhodes frozen Dinner Rolls
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
Frosting:
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ Tablespoon milk
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the pull apart:
- Prepare the bundt pan by generously coating it with nonstick cooking spray or baker’s joy.
- Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
- Take each frozen Rhodes roll and dip it into melted butter, then roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, making sure it is generously coated.
- Place the whole coated rolls into the Bundt pan, arranging them evenly in a ring. Continue layering the rolls until all 18 are in the pan.
- Cover the Bundt pan loosely with plastic wrap that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
- Place in a warm spot and let the rolls rise until they are nearly doubled and have risen close to the top of the Bundt pan. This will take approximately 4-6 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until they’re golden brown and cooked through in the center. If the top gets too brown, loosely cover it with foil during the last 10 minutes.
- Let the rolls cool in the Bundt pan for about 10 minutes. Carefully turn them out onto a serving plate and allow them to cook.
For the frosting:
- Mix butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Then add milk, powdered sugar, vanilla, almond, and salt until smooth.
- Spread frosting over the slightly cooled cinnamon-sugar rolls, letting it drip down the sides.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
