Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Pull Apart Bread

This soft and fluffy pull apart bread is sweetened with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and mini chocolate chips. As much fun to make as it is to eat, this scrumptious cinnamon chocolate chip pull apart bread is perfect for breakfast, brunch and dessert!

I had every intention of posting a revamp of my brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies on the blog today, but this cinnamon chocolate chip pull apart bread got in the way. I just couldn’t go another day without sharing this recipe with you. This bread gives me all the warm fuzzy feelings. This cozy, doughy, cinnamony pull apart is all kinds of crazy good. I simply cannot get enough of this bread. It’s buttery and fluffy on the inside and golden brown and crunchy on the outside.  One slice turns into two and two turns into three and before you know it, the whole loaf is gone. You’ll be happy to know the recipe makes two loaves and it’s the perfect comfort food for the chilly months ahead. 

WHAT IS PULL APART BREAD?

If you’ve never made a pull apart bread before, you’re in for quite a treat! Pull apart bread is a soft and buttery loaf that pulls apart easily, no knife required. Some call it monkey bread. My friend from London calls it a “tear and share” which is describes this bread perfectly. This is a choose your own adventure kind of loaf. Once you have mastered the dough, you can experiment with different fillings and toppings. Sweet or savory –  the possibilities are endless! There are dozens of different ways to shape a pull apart loaf but I am partial to this stacking method baked in a loaf pan. The piles of dough create perfect little pockets that ooze warm cinnamon sugar filling and the top bakes up golden brown and crispy. Your kitchen will smell positively heavenly with this cinnamon chocolate chip pull apart bread in the oven!

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR CINNAMON CHOCOLATE CHIP PULL APART BREAD

• Flour
• Active dry yeast
• Eggs
• Butter
• Sugar
• Buttermilk
• Cinnamon
• Mini chocolate chips

HOW TO MAKE PULL APART BREAD

I am by no means a master of anything that involves making dough, but this easy pull apart bread is my new BFF. It’s so easy and I’m convinced that the more imperfect it looks, the better it tastes. We start by making a simple yeasted dough. Once it doubles in size, we roll it out and slather it in melted butter and cinnamon sugar. Leave it to me to add chocolate chips…had to be done. #Drool. Next we cut the dough into squares and stack them in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. You can bake off the bread right away or wrap it up and refrigerate it overnight to bake the next day. Be sure to allow time for the dough to reach room temperature before baking (about 30 minutes). The beauty of this recipe is that it makes not one, but TWO, pull apart loaves. One to eat today and one to save for tomorrow. Or to share with your cinnamon sugar dough loving friends. I’ll let you decide. 

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CINNAMON CHOCOLATE CHIP PULL APART BREAD

This ooey, gooey, chocolatey pull apart bread is as much fun to make as it is to eat. If you haven’t made a yeasted bread before, this recipe is a great place to start. Pull apart bread is very forgiving and once you master the dough you can have fun experimenting with different fillings. For best success, read through the tips and tricks below before you get started. 

Use room temperature ingredients. To make a smooth dough be sure to use room temperature butter, eggs and buttermilk. Cold ingredients will not incorporate well. 

Activate the yeast properly. This recipe calls for active dry yeast which we’ll activate by adding it to warm water. Be careful that your water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. I aim for a temperature between 95 and 100. And add a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to the mixture to help activate the yeast. 

Do not overwork the dough. When rolling out the dough, work quickly so as not to overwork it. Keep the surface and the rolling pin well floured as the dough will be slightly sticky. When cutting the squares, don’t let your type A personality get in the way. The pieces will be slightly irregular and not two stacks will be the same. 

Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Once you’ve brushed the dough with the melted butter, sprinkle the top with the cinnamon sugar mixture. It may seem like a lot, but more is better –  trust me. The cinnamon sugar caramelizes while baking which makes this loaf to-die-for right out of the oven. I mean, just look at that ooey gooey caramely inside and the golden brown, crunchy outside really seals the deal if you ask me. O.M.G. It’s soooo good!!

HOW TO STORE PULL APART BREAD

This cinnamon chocolate chip pull apart bread is pretty irresistible straight from the oven. I’m not so sure a single slice of this warm, yeasted dough slathered in butter and cinnamon sugar will make it past noon, but should you have any of this pull apart bread leftover, store it tightly covered in the refrigerator. To warm the slices before serving, pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds or so. This bread is perfect for breakfast, brunch and dessert so go ahead and file this recipe under all three categories. 

If you love this Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Pull Apart Bread, you’ll love these recipes too…

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Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Pull Apart Bread

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• Author: Heather
• Prep Time: 35 min
• Cook Time: 45 min
• Total Time: 1 hour, 20 min + rise time
• Yield: 2 - 9 x 5 loaves 1x

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Description

This soft and fluffy pull apart bread is sweetened with cinnamon sugar and mini chocolate chips. As much fun to make as it is to eat, this scrumptious bread is perfect for breakfast, brunch and dessert!

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Ingredients

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Dough

1 packet active dry yeast

¼ cup warm water

3½ – 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus some for rolling out dough

3 tablespoons, granulated sugar (plus 1/2 tsp to add to yeast)

3 large eggs, room temperature

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup buttermilk

Filling

5  TBSP unsalted butter, melted

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cups mini chocolate chips

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Instructions

Pour yeast over warmed water (between 95 and 100 degrees). Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and give it a quick stir. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes in a warm and dry place. It should bubble and increase in size.

Add the 3 ½ cups of flour, sugar, eggs, butter, salt and buttermilk to the bowl of a standing mixer with the dough hook. Add the yeast mixture. Mix the ingredients for about 5 minutes on medium low. Once the ingredients are combined, add the last ½ cup of flour. Quickly incorporate the last ½ cup of flour into the dough.

Remove the bowl from the mixer. Scrape down the sides with a sturdy wooden spoon (the dough will be very sticky). Cover with a towel and let rise for 45-60 minutes in a warm, dry place.

While the dough is rising, mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and melt the butter, setting it aside to cool slightly.

Once the dough has doubled in size, pre-heat the oven to 350˚ F.

After the 45-60 minutes, and the dough has doubled, punch it down. Flour a clean counter and scrape out the dough from the bowl onto the counter. Knead the dough a few times and form into a ball. Cut the ball of dough in half. Place one half of the dough aside and cover with plastic wrap (for the second pull-apart loaf). The dough is sticky, so make sure to flour your hands and your rolling pin. Use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 12-inch by 20-inch rectangle. The horizonal side of the dough should be 18 inches, while the vertical side is 12 inches.

Once the rectangle is formed, use a pastry brush to spread the butter across the entire surface. Then sprinkle one-half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Sprinkle half of the mini chocolate chips across the top of the dough and use your hands to gently press them down. Some of the chocolate chips will fall out of the dough as you stack the slices, but you can just tuck them back in one the dough is in the loaf pan.

Using a sharp knife, cut the 20-inch rectangle in 6 equal strips lengthwise. Then make 6 cuts in the opposite direction so you are left with 36 squares. Use a metal spatula to stack each the squares from each row on top of each other until you have 6 stacks of 6 squares.  Stand the stacks of dough in the loaf pan and tuck in the stray chocolate chips between the layers. Do not let this dough sit out for more than 20 minutes because it will start to rise above the edge of the loaf pan.

If you are going to bake the rolls the next morning, place plastic wrap on top of the loaf pan and then cover with a tea towel, and place in the fridge. Take them out the next morning and allow them to come to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before baking.

Bake each loaf for 45-50 minutes. If the top begins to brown too much, place a foil tent over the top of the loaf pan.

Repeat the steps for the second loaf. Do not bake the two loaves together.

 

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Notes

Bread is best when served the day it is made.

Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To warm, before serving, heat slices in the microwave for 15 seconds.