Apple Pie Monkey Bread
Want to get your kids involved in the kitchen? Monkey bread is one of the MOST FUN recipes to make as a family and get kids to help! It’s also just as much fun to eat.
We love making this monkey bread recipe in the fall because of the amazing fall spice blend incorporated into the recipe and of course, the sweet apple topping.
It’s great to make all season long and it will make a fantastic centerpiece of your Thanksgiving dessert table.
What is Monkey Bread?
Monkey Bread is basically a pull-apart sweet and soft bread sometimes also called bubble bread or plucking cake. The fun name comes from the way you eat it: pulling off small pieces at a time and eating it like a little monkey! This sweet bread pastry is usually made in a bundt pan with lots of brown sugar and cinnamon.
I elevated the classic Monkey Bread recipe with spiced apple pie flavor. This pull apart bread features homemade dough that’s flavored with apple pie spice and loaded with apple pie filling and sauce.
Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Whole Milk – whole milk is best for the rich dough and I notice that the dough rises better with whole milk as well. You will need to warm it first.
Sugar – you will need white granulated sugar for the dough and brown sugar for the apple pie topping. Either light brown or dark brown will work, the only difference is that dark brown sugar has more molasses.
Yeast – Instant or rapid rise yeast is what we use for this dough and make sure it is not expired! It’s best to use the yeast within 6 months of purchasing.
Apple Pie Spice – This is used in the dough itself and in apple pie topping. Apple pie spice is a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice so if you need to make your own, combine those spices. To make your own apple pie spice, simply combine 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon with 2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of ground allspice. Mix it all together and store in a small glass jar with a lid. Use as needed.
Sweet Apple Options – Gala, Honeycrisp, or Fuji apples all work well.
Premade dough substitution – While homemade dough will always be best, you can use can of biscuits, or premade yeast dough from the deli. To use biscuits, use 2-16.5oz. cans of Grands buttermilk biscuits (not the flaky biscuits). No need for the raising of the dough.
Lyuba’s Expert Tip: I do not recommend using canned apple pie filling. It’s a completely different texture and there is not even close to be enough sauce in the canned filling. This part of the recipe should be made by you.
How To Make This Monkey Bread
- Make the dough: Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, instant yeast, and 1 1/2 tsp of the apple pie spice. Heat the milk, water, and butter over medium heat until it reaches 110°F. Do not skip the heating step because the yeast will not rise with cold liquids.
- Slowly mix the warm milk mixture into the dry ingredients until a dough forms. (No need to let the yeast bloom when using instant or rapid rise!) Sprinkle flour into a separate bowl, then transfer the dough into it. Cover and let rise for an hour.
- Whole the dough is rising, it’s a good time to make the apple pie topping. Melt butter in a pot over medium heat and stir in the diced apples, sugar, and apple pie spice. Lower the heat to low, cover the pot, and let cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove the lid and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Cooking covered created more liquid for the syrup and then simmering uncovered intensifies the flavor. Strain the syrup from the apples and reserve the syrup in a cup.
- Assemble the monkey bread: Rub a Bundt pan with butter. Make the dipping mixture for the dough balls by mixing brown sugar and spice. Spread a third of the cooked apples in the bottom of the pan.
- Once the dough is raised, pinch off the dough into 1-inch balls, dip them in apple syrup, and roll them in the brown sugar mixture. Layer them into a single layer on top of the apples in the pan. Spread another third of the apples on top of the dough. Repeat the dough ball process again to create another layer. Spread the remaining apples on top.
- Make sure to let the dough raise again in a warm place for 45-60 minutes. Don’t try to bake it right away! Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes. Let it rest in the pan after baking for 10-15 minutes. Don’t try to take it out right away. A little patience…
- To take it out: flip the Bundt pan onto a serving plate. Tap the pan to loosen it, then carefully lift the pan. Pour the remaining sauce on top and go crazy!
Make Ahead Tips
You can easily prepare both the dough and the apple pie syrup ahead of time. Please note that you STILL need to give it time to rise first!
- Prepare the dough as the recipe instructs and let it rise. After the dough has had the proper time to do the initial rise, punch it down. You can store it in the same bowl or gather it into a lightly floured large zip-top bag. Seal it tightly and refrigerate.
- To use: When you’re ready to make the monkey bread, take the dough out of the bag and place it into a bowl (if using a bag), and let the dough warm up on the counter first for 30-45 minutes.
- For the apple pie topping, just prepare it using the recipe instructions and store it in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator. When ready to use, warm it up first and then separate the apples from the syrup. Proceed as the recipe instructs.
Recipe FAQs
How do I find the best place for the dough to raise?
The ideal temperature for the dough to raise is about 78°F. You don’t want the dough to raise too fast, or the flavor will be wonky. Try to find a warmer place in your kitchen. If you keep your house cool, you can create a warm place. Sometimes, I turn on my oven and close the door to create warmer ambient temperature around the oven. Then, I just place the bowl with the dough close to the oven and let it raise.
You can also create a warmer temperature inside the oven by simply turning on the light inside the oven, NOT the oven. This will warm up the over a couple of degrees, but make sure that it doesn’t warm it up too much. Remember each oven is different.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below or share and tag me on social media @willcookforsmiles. DON’T FORGET to subscribe to my newsletter!
Apple Pie Monkey Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Dough:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup whole milk warmed
- 1/2 cup water warmed
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/4 oz instant (or rapid rise) yeast
- 3 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp coarse or sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp apple pie spice
- 1/2-3/4 cup light brown sugar for dipping
- 1/2 tsp apple pie spice for dipping
Apple Pie Topping:
- 3 medium sweet apples
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp apple pie spice
Instructions
To Make the Dough:
- Combine flour, sugar, salt, instant yeast and 1 1/2 tsp of apple pie spice in the bowl if the stand up mixing bowl and whisk it together.
- Heat up milk, water, and butter in the small sauce pot over medium heat until it reaches 110°.
- Fit the dough hook attachment to the mixer and start mixing on stir. Slowly pour in the warm milk mixture into the bowl.
- Keep slowly mixing until the dough comes together completely. Stop and scrape the dough hook and the sides when needed.
- Sprinkle a large mixing bowl lightly with flour and transfer the dough into it. Cover it with plastic wrap and a clean towel and place into the warm place to raise for about an hour. Note: the ideal temperature for the dough to rise is around 78° degrees. That is warmer than I like to keep my house so I usually find or create a warm place. I turn on the oven and place the bowl with the dough near it, that way it stays in the warmer ambient temperature.
Apple Pie Topping:
- Peel and core the apples and then dice them into small pieces.
- Melt butter in a sauce pot over medium heat and add diced apples, sugar, and apple pie spice. Gently mix everything until apples are evenly coated and mixed.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid and let apple cook for about 15-20 minutes, until completely softened. Remember to stir once in a while. (NOTE: to get a lot of nice juices out of apples, make sure to cook them covered with a lid.)
- Take the lid off and gently simmer another 5 minutes or so. Take off heat. Separate the apples from the syrup by straining it though the fine mesh strainer into a measuring cup. Note: separate half of the apple sauce to pour over the monkey bread later. You will use the other half to dip the dough.
Preparing the Monkey Bread:
- Rub all over the inside of the Bundt cake pan with softened butter.
- In a small bowl, mix together light brown sugar and 1/2 tsp apple pie spice to dip the dough balls into.
- Once the dough is beautifully raised, punch it and take it out of the bowl, onto a lightly floured surface.
- Have the apples, half of the apple sauce, brown sugar mixture, and prepared Bundt cake pan all near the work station.
- Spread about a third of the cooked apples in the bottom of the Bundt pan.
- Pinch off even pieces of dough, enough to roll the balls that are about 1-inch in size.
- Dip the dough balls in the apple sauce and then lightly roll them in brown sugar mixture. Place into the prepared Bundt cake. Repeat with half the dough, make sure to create one even layer in the pan.
- Spread another third of the apples over the dough balls. Reheat rolling the dough balls, and dipping them in sauce and sugar, and spread them in another layer in the pan. Spread remaining apples over the top.
- Cover the Bundt pan with plastic wrap and then with a towel and set it aside in a warm place to raise. Let it rise for another 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Once the dough is raised in the pan, place the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Note: If you're not sure when your bread is done, use an instant digital read thermometer to measure internal temperature in the center. Bake the breads to internal temperature of 190°.
- Once the bread is done, take it out and set aside to rest about 10-15 minutes before taking out.
Finishing Monkey Bread:
- Place a serving place over the Bundt pan and turn it over. Tap gently on the pan to loosen the bread and carefully lift the pan.
- Pour the remaining apple sauce over the Monkey bread and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Apple Recipes To Try
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Looks amazing, do you think I could prep everything to the point before final rise, put it in the fridge overnight and then bake the next morning?
Hi Betsy,
Yes, if you scroll up I have some tips on making it ahead of time.
OMG! This is so good!