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–+ servings
cinnamon sugar walnut pull apart bread on crumbled parchment paper on a wood board with walnuts, cinnamon sticks, a gold spoon and bowl beside, a stack of muffins, an empty glass, and flowers behind

Cinnamon Sugar Walnut Pull-Apart Bread

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Proofing Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Author: Traci Crossland
Sweet, cinnamon-y, and delicious! Think monkey bread, but so much easier to make. This Cinnamon Sugar Walnut Pull-Apart Bread is the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert all year long! It's so simple and so good.

Ingredients

Sweet Dough

  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 cups all purpose flour*
  • 6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2½ teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • 2 large eggs room temperature

Coating

  • ½ cup salted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup ground walnuts
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Sweet Dough

  • In a small saucepan, heat milk and cinnamon sticks until milk starts to bubble around the edge of the pot.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Steep for 30 minutes.
  • Remove cinnamon sticks.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, sugar, yeast, salt, butter, eggs, and milk.
  • Mix on low speed 1-2 minutes to combine.
  • Increase speed to medium-high.
  • Continue to knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.
  • Place in a covered container that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
  • Let rise at warm room temperature, or in a proofing box set to 78℉, until doubled in bulk, about 1½ hours. If using a proofing box, there is no need to cover the dough container.

Coating

  • Melt butter. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon.
  • Mix thoroughly.

Assembly

  • Spray an 8 inch cake pan with baking spray.
  • Break off small pieces of dough and roll into 1 inch balls.
  • Dip each dough ball into butter and roll in sugar mixture.
  • Place in prepared cake pan.
  • Repeat process until all dough is used.
  • Cover with plastic wrap.
  • Let rise at warm room temperature (78℉-80℉) until nearly doubled in bulk, about 1-1½ hours.
  • While dough is proofing, heat oven to 350°F.
  • Bake bread for 60-70 minutes, tenting with foil after the first 15 minutes. (Do NOT let foil touch bread.) Bread is done when an instant read thermometer registers 200℉-210℉ when inserted in center of bread.

Notes

*This recipe was written using an average of the dip and sweep method for measuring flour and the spoon and level method. If you are using a scale, you will need to add 3/4 oz or 22 g  to the measurement for each cup of flour.
Substitutions:
  • You can use a variety of spices to steep in the milk, if you'd like.
  • Pecans can be used in place of the walnuts in this recipe.
Expert Tips:
  • Check your yeast and make sure it’s in-date and active.
  • A properly kneaded dough should be smooth and clean the bowl. If you have an instant read thermometer, it will read about 70 degrees F.
  • Softened butter is softer than room temperature but not melted. If you touch it, your finger should easily sink through.
  • Proofing times will vary depending on room temperature. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes if your kitchen is very warm (summer) to 3 hours if your kitchen is cool (winter).
  • Be sure to let the bread cool completely before turning out.

Nutrition

Serving: 3piecesCalories: 287kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 5gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 207mgPotassium: 92mgFiber: 2gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 364IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.