This maple pecan cinnamon pull apart bread is as cozy as it gets! Soft, buttery layers of homemade dough doused in cinnamon sugar and pecans, baked to golden perfection, and finished with a generous drizzle of maple glaze. Every piece peels away like a warm, gooey cinnamon roll in easy-to-eat bread form.
The combination of brown sugar, cinnamon, and maple creates that perfect holiday aroma that fills the whole kitchen. The tender, fluffy texture makes this bake totally irresistible. It's the ultimate holiday baking project, perfect for brunch, Christmas morning, or gifting. Move over monkey bread, this cinnamon pull apart bread will become your new favorite!
For more cozy flavors, dive into these soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls, cinnamon bread pudding, mini cinnamon rolls, or eggnog bread pudding.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Soft and fluffy layers - each slice easily pulls apart for a gooey, cinnamon-filled bite with a touch of crunch from the pecans.
Perfect for sharing - one show-stopper of a loaf serves a small crowd. Put out a stack of plates and napkins, and let family and friends dive in!
Make-ahead friendly - this pull-apart bread can easily be prepped ahead for brunch or the holidays, and also reheats perfectly for days.
Ingredients
- Flour. Standard all-purpose flour is used to create this light and fluffy dough.
- Butter. Melted butter is mixed into the dough, and each piece of cut dough also gets brushed with butter before sprinkling with brown sugar to create a perfect caramelized piece.
- Egg. Used to enrich the dough to create a rich, soft final product.
- Yeast. Instant or rapid rise yeast gets mixed in with the ingredients all at once and doesn't have to be activated first.
- Sugars. Granulated sugar in dough, brown sugar in the filling, and powdered sugar is used for the maple glaze.
- Cinnamon. Loads of cinnamon are added to the filling for an ultra cozy flavor profile.
- Pecans. Tiny bits of pecans add a touch of crunch and extra toasty flavor the every bite.
- Maple syrup. The glossy maple glaze ties all of the fall flavors together and douses the top of the bread.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Nuts - swap pecans for walnuts or almonds, or just skip the nuts completely.
- Add ins - mini chocolate chips, dried chopped cranberries, or even a touch of orange zest in the filling make for great extra flavor options.
- Glaze - use honey in place of maple syrup or just use a splash of milk instead of a sweetener to make it simple.
- Make it overnight - assemble the dough in the pan, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge for 1 hour, then bake it off!
How to Make This Recipe
One: Mix together all dough ingredients in a stand mixer with the hook attachment until combined and shaggy.
Two: Continue kneading the dough in the mixer until soft and pliable, and pulls away from the sides.
Three: Transfer to a bowl greased with oil and coat completely. Cover and let it rise in a warm place.
Four: Once the dough is doubled in size, flour a clean countertop and turn it out.
Hot tip! Pat the risen dough into a rectangle on the counter to help with the initial shape before rolling it out!
Five: Roll out the dough into a large rectangle (~12x20"). It doesn't have to be perfect!
Six: Brush the entire piece of dough with melted butter.
Seven: Sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar and chopped pecans.
Eight: Use a pizza wheel or sharp knife to cut the dough into 18 pieces.
Nine: Stack up a few pieces of the dough at a time, cinnamon sugar sides all facing up.
Ten: Nestle them into the loaf pan and sprinkle any excess sugar from the counter onto the top. Cover and rise for 30 minutes until puffy. Bake!
Eleven: Whisk together the ingredients for the maple glaze. It should be relatively thick, but still pourable.
Twelve: Pour the glaze on top of the warm bread, then serve while still warm and gooey!
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Expert Tips
- Ingredient temperature matters - the egg should be room temperature, and the milk in the dough should be very warm to the touch (~110F) so the yeast activates properly and the ingredients combine smoothly.
- Use the right size loaf pan - too small of a pan will have the dough exploding out as it rises and bakes.
- Let the dough rise fully - a well risen dough will give you the softest final texture.
- Use a bench scraper to help you stack the dough - this ensures any pieces that may stick to the counter get removed and transferred cleanly.
Testing Notes
- I first tried making this in an 8x4" loaf pan and there was too much dough for the pan - it overflowed and made a mess! A 9x5" loaf pan is what you need here!
- A decent amount of cinnamon sugar filling fell out while I was stacking the dough slices, but not enough to affect the gooeyness! I just added all the excess back on top and gently opened some of the tops to shove it back in.
- On the final test, I actually forgot to add the parchment paper sling. Thankfully, it didn't stick, but I'd still recommend using the parchment paper so you can remove the baked loaf as easily as possible.
- I couldn't believe how long this loaf held up on the counter. I left it there for 5 days, and each time I dove in for another piece (with a quick :15 in the microwave), it was perfectly soft and delicious.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Prepare and assemble the dough, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.
Absolutely, just leave out the pecans and the bread will still be perfectly spiced and buttery.
While I haven't tested this method, theoretically, you could use a loaf of frozen bread dough (thawed and rolled out) in a pinch. This will have a slightly different texture and flavor, as it likely won't be an enriched dough.
Storage
Store the pull-apart bread tightly covered at room temperature for up to 5 days. Because there is no dairy in the glaze, it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Pop a slice (or more) into the microwave for a few seconds to reheat and make it nice and soft again.
Freezer: freeze the baked bread (without glaze) for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then gently reheat in the oven and add the glaze before serving.
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What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
📖Recipe
Maple Pecan Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- Pastry brush or marinade brush
- Sharp knife or pizza cutter
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup whole milk warmed to 110℉
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2¼ teaspoon instant yeast 1 packet
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
Dough
- Add the milk, butter, egg, sugar, yeast, flour, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix on low speed until shaggy, then increase the speed slightly and beat for 3-5 minutes.¾ cup whole milk, ¼ cup unsalted butter, 1 large egg, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 2¼ teaspoon instant yeast, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Grab a large mixing bowl and lightly grease it with butter or oil. Turn out the dough ball into the greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Put in a warm-ish place to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Rolling & Assembly
- Grease a 9x5” loaf pan and add a parchment paper sling and set aside. In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans.½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- Lightly flour a clean work surface and turn the dough out. Pat it into a rectangle, then use a floured rolling pin to roll it into a 12x20” rectangle (doesn’t have to be perfect).
- Brush the butter onto the rolled out dough (get the whole way to the edges). Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar and pecan mixture all over the top (the whole way to the edges).¼ cup unsalted butter
- Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into thirds (on the short side), then into sixths (on the long side) giving you 18 rectangular pieces.
- Stack the pieces 6 at a time, then transfer to the loaf pan starting on one edge, standing up on their long sides. Repeat with all of the stacked pieces, nestling them in (see step-by-step photos section for reference).
- Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise for another 30-45 minutes until the dough has puffed up.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly golden on top. Remove to a wire rack and cool for 15-20 minutes.
- Use the parchment paper sling to remove the bread from the pan and place on a serving platter or board.
Glaze
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and maple syrup (add a small amount of water, if needed) until a thick glaze forms. Drizzle over the top of the bread. Serve warm.1 cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons maple syrup
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