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Cinnamon Apple Monkey Bread From Scratch

Shadi HasanzadeNemati

4.78 from 9 votes

Feb 14, 2019, Updated Apr 06, 2020

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Apple Monkey Bread made from scratch is the perfect family breakfast! The combination of apples and cinnamon makes apple pie monkey bread so delicious!

We love bread and especially homemade monkey bread and pull apart breads. They are so easy to make and so fun to eat. You can make them savory like cheesy rosemary garlic monkey bread, or make it in a loaf pan as pumpkin pull apart bread. 

There are a few things out there that are better than the combination of apple and cinnamon, right?

This apple pie monkey bread recipe is two awesome treats mixed into one. It’s a hit every time I make it and people simply can’t have enough of it!

Homemade apple monkey bread ingredients

This apple monkey bread has two parts: 

• The monkey bread 
• The apple filling

For the monkey bread you need all purpose flour, yeast, sugar, butter, milk and an egg. 

And to make the apple pie filling we use apples, butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. 

How to make apple pie monkey bread from scratch

Making monkey bread from scratch is a very simple process. You need to make a basic dough first. To make the monkey bread dough, it’s best to have a stand mixer but if you don’t have a stand mixer, you can still make a decent dough with just a bowl and a wooden spoon. Start with mixing flour, sugar, salt, and instant dry yeast in a large bowl. Melt butter in the water and milk mixture over medium heat then mix in the egg. Once it’s fully combined, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined. Then knead the dough for 6-7 minutes and form it into a ball, cover, and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the apple pie filling by mixing chopped apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter in a sauce pan until apples are semi-soft.

After ten minutes rest, divide the dough into 40 pieces, roll each piece in melted butter and cinnamon sugar and place in a bundt pan.

Once you have a layer of dough balls, spread half of the apple pie filling on them. Layer with more dough balls and the remaining apple pie filling. Finish with a layer of dough balls. Let the monkey bread rise for 45 minutes, then bake and enjoy!

FAQs about apple pie monkey bread:

I have active dry yeast, can I use it instead of instant yeast?

Of course! All you need to do is to proof it in water. The recipe asks for 1/2 cup water to be mixed with milk. If using active dry yeast, don’t mix the water with milk and instead use this warm water and a pinch of sugar to proof yeast and then add it to the dry ingredients with milk and egg.

I don’t want to make the dough from scratch. What can I use instead? 

Simply use refrigerated biscuit dough and cut each piece of dough into 4 biscuit pieces. Two cans of biscuit dough would be enough for this recipe. I personally prefer the homemade dough but of course biscuit dough would be just fine.

Can I use canned apple pie filling instead of homemade?

Sure you can. Use half a can for the first layer and another half for the second layer of filling.

I’ve made too much cinnamon sugar, what can I do with the remaining?

Easy! Store cinnamon sugar in a jar and use it on French toast, oatmeal, in cakes, cookies, and many more recipes!

What I love about this apple monkey bread is that each bite of dough has a luscious caramel layer around it thanks to the addition of semi cooked apples, cinnamon and sugar.

More awesome apple recipes: 

• Apple Galette Recipe
• Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
• Apple Walnut Cake Bars
• Caramel Apple Cobbler
• Apple Cinnamon Rolls Recipe From Scratch
• Cinnamon French Toast Bake with Apples

Can you reheat monkey bread?

Yes! Simply place the apple monkey bread on a plate and microwave for about 40 seconds. You’ll have warm and soft monkey bread. Make sure you only reheat as much as you would like to serve since they may harden after they’re cool. 

This is the kind of treat I would love to share with family and friends. It’s great to have everyone around and share this monkey bread when the room is warm and we all have warm cups of coffee and tea in our hands. After all, it’s the little things, right?

It’s best to serve this apple cinnamon monkey bread immediately. Once it’s fully baked, let it sit for 5 minutes and then transfer it into a large serving plate and serve right away as this tastes best if eaten warm and fresh. We always love to have it for breakfast!

Making monkey bread without a bundt pan

If you don’t own a bundt pan, you can simply use a 9X13 pan and have a layer of dough balls, a layer of apple pie filling and another layer of dough balls. You can also make this monkey bread in a muffin pan, too!

4.78 from 9 votes

Apple Pie Monkey Bread

By Shadi HasanzadeNemati

Apple Pie Monkey Bread made from scratch is the perfect family breakfast! The amazing combination of apples and cinnamon makes this ooey gooey bread so delicious! 

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

Servings: 12 servings

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 3 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
• ▢ 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Salt
• ▢ 2 1/4 tsp Instant Active Dry Yeast
• ▢ 1/2 cup Whole Milk
• ▢ 1/2 Cup Water
• ▢ 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• ▢ 1 Egg

Apple Pie Filling:

• ▢ 3 Granny Smith Apples, Chopped
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
• ▢ 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
• ▢ 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter

Coating:

• ▢ 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• ▢ 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 tbsp Cinnamon

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Instructions 

• In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, sugar, salt and instant yeast together. 
• Pour milk and water into a sauce pan and add in the butter. Heat until butter is almost melted. 
• Turn the heat off. Wait for one minute then add in the egg. Mix until fully combined. 
• Add in wet ingredients to dry ingredients and start mixing using the dough hook. Pause and scrape the sides then mix again until a dough forms. 
• Turn the speed to medium low and knead for 7 minutes until the dough is soft. 
• Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl and cover. Let it rest for 10 minutes in a warm place. 
• Coat a bundt pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. 
  

Apple Pie Filling:

• Mix all the ingredients in a sauce pan, cook and stir constantly until the apples are semi-soft. 

Coating:

• Melt butter, set aside. 
• Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl or a plate. Set aside. 

Apple Pie Monkey Bread:

• Take the dough after 10 minutes, divide it into 4 pieces and cut each piece into 10 pieces so you have 40 pieces. Roll each piece in melted butter and then in brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. 
• Layer the prepares dough balls at the bottom of the bundt pan. Spread half of the apple pie filling on the dough balls. Top with another layer of dough balls and spread the remaining of the apple pie filling. Top with the remaining of the dough ball. 
• Cover and let it rise for 45 minutes. 
• After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350F. 
• Once the monkey bread has risen for 45 minutes, place it in the hot oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until it's golden and the toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
• Take the apple pie monkey bread out of the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes then transfer it into a serving plate. Serve warm. 

Notes

• You can use store bought apple pie filling for this recipe instead of making it from scratch. 
• If using active dry yeast, proof it in the 1/2 cup warm water and melt the butter in milk. Then mix the egg into the milk and butter mixture. Add the proofed yeast and milk mixture to the dry ingredients and proceed with the remaining steps. 

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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