Pulling apart the warm, gooey pieces of this easy Monkey Bread on Christmas morning is the tastiest tradition of all! While this recipe uses a couple of shortcut ingredients like Rhodes frozen rolls and a box of butterscotch pudding, it takes a few tips and tricks to get the rich sauce and soft texture just right. We figured it all out for you, so with just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of hands-on time you can prep this the night before and serve it up any day of the year.
Monkey bread has never been better. Soft pillowy segments of dough (we use frozen rolls to make it super EASY) swimming in a luxuriously smooth sauce... it doesn't get anymore delicious!
The sauce on this overnight breakfast treat is a combination of cinnamon, brown sugar, and butterscotch pudding that's best served warm while the sauce is still gooey. Trust me...it's sooo good!
This has been a Christmas breakfast favorite for years (I am literally not allowed to have Christmas morning at my house without it!), but we wouldn't argue with it being served as one of our Thanksgiving Recipes either- any excuse to eat it!
Recipe Notes from Danielle & Misty
Monkey Bread is all about those soft, pull-apart pieces of yeast dough coated in a sweet, cinnamon-sugar sauce. This version uses frozen Rhodes rolls and butterscotch pudding to make the process ridiculously easy, but we still had a few details to work out to get every bite just right!
- Frozen rolls: There's no need to make dough from scratch or spend time cutting it into pieces. Rhodes frozen rolls bake up beautifully, saving you time without sacrificing the texture we're after.
- Heavy cream: Traditional recipes often use melted butter, which can leave the finished sauce a little gritty, or require an extra step of cooking the sauce first. We wanted something easier that still delivered that smooth, buttery, coating. Heavy cream is the secret ingredient that does the trick!
- Testing and tweaking: Too little, and the middle rolls turned out dry. Too much, and the rolls struggled to cook through. Finding that sweet spot was key to getting soft, gooey Monkey Bread all the way through.
- Make ahead: One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you can assemble everything the night before and refrigerate it overnight. Just pop it in the oven in the morning for warm, gooey Monkey Bread without the early-morning prep!
This is EXACLTY how I make my monkey bread! It's also great with Rhodes cinnamon rolls cut in quarters and follow the rest of your recipe EXACLTY as you have it! They are wonderful- I have two Bundt pans on my counter now waiting to go into the oven for church! Thanks for posting.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Liz
Ingredients for monkey bread with Rhodes frozen rolls
- Rhodes rolls: For this recipe we use 24 of the unbaked frozen balls of dough that are 38 grams each. See the picture above for the bags of Rhodes rolls we use.
- Butterscotch pudding: One key to a perfect sauce is to use the 3.5 ounce Cook & Serve box of butterscotch pudding mix. Do NOT use instant pudding. It will not dissolve, which will make the sauce crusty instead of smooth.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream provides the fat needed for a rich sauce, with an even creamier finish than butter alone. Half-and-half isn't a good substitute because it doesn't have enough fat to create the thick, caramel like sauce we're after
- Sugar: Brown sugar provides a deepness of flavor to the cinnamon sugar mixture. Light or dark brown sugar can be used.
- Cinnamon: Provides the classic flavor associated with this type of pull-apart bread.
- Nuts: Pecan or walnuts are optional. I am partial to walnuts, but you choose whichever you prefer.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make monkey bread
The first step is to prepare the bundt cake pan. Generously spray with a non-stick baking spray that contains flour.
Once the pan is prepared, combine the heavy cream, ¾ cup of brown sugar, cinnamon, and butterscotch pudding mix in a small bowl and whisk for 30 seconds.
After the pan is prepared and the sauce is mixed, sprinkle the nuts, if using, evenly around the bottom of the sprayed bundt pan. Then place 11 of the Rhodes dinner rolls touching in a single layer around the bottom of the pan. Scoop a little bit of sauce onto the top of the rolls
Then place six frozen yeast rolls around the inside edge and 7 around the outside edge of the pan.
Finish by spreading the remaining brown sugar mixture across the tops of the rolls.
Place a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray over the top of the bundt pan. Then allow the rolls to rise overnight using one of the options below:
- Overnight: Once assembled, allow the rolls to sit on the counter (or other warm place) at room temperature for 3 hours. Then place in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours.
- 24 Hours: Once assembled, place rolls in the fridge right away and allow the rolls to rise in the refrigerator for 20-24 hours. Proceed as step 6 instructs.
- Same Day: If you want to make this the day of instead of overnight, you need a really early start. Once assembled, allow rolls to rise in a warm place at room temperature for 5-6 hours (our kitchen was about 78 degrees when we tested this). Then bake as instructed. Since this is best served warm, I highly recommend the overnight method to avoid getting up at the crack of dawn.
The next morning, remove the pan from the refrigerator. The rolls should be nice and fluffy before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you want to ensure that the sauce doesn't drip onto the oven, place a baking sheet underneath the bundt pan.
Once the oven is at temperature allow the monkey bread to bake for 27-30 minutes. Test for doneness by gently pulling apart 2 of the rolls from each other. The middle should be cooked through.
Allow it to sit in the pan for 15 minutes. Then invert onto a serving dish or large plate. The timing is very important! If it is dumped out too soon the sauce won't stick to the bread, and if it is left in the pan too long it will get stuck.
Once the pan is removed, drizzle caramel sauce that is remaining in the bundt pan over the top. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before enjoying that gooey monkey bread. It is best served within an hour of baking.
What to serve with monkey bread
Look through any of our Breakfast recipes,
How to tell when monkey bread is done?
The best way to tell that monkey bread is done is to use a butter knife and gently pull two of the bubbles apart from each other. Check to see that it looks cooked through. There shouldn't be any wet doughy sections. The sauce might be wet, but the dough should be cooked through.
Tips & Tricks
- Don't leave the frozen bread dough out at room temperature for too long or it will rise too much. Dough balls that rise too long aren't quite as fluffy and tender.
- It will probably rise over the edge of the pan during the baking process. It might even be a little uneven. Don't worry. This is the bottom and once it is flipped over the monkey bread looks even and beautiful!
- It's done when the frozen roll dough is golden brown and is cooked through.
More recipes
Looking for other recipes? Try these:
- Rhodes Dinner Rolls (using frozen dough)
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- 2 Ingredient Honey Butter Syrup
- Simple Buttermilk Pancakes
- Soft Lemon Cream Scones
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Cranberry Coffee Cake Recipe
Recipe
Monkey Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- baking spray
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 box cook & serve butterscotch pudding 3.5 ounce
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped optional
- 24 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls 38 gram size
Instructions
- Spray 10-inch bundt cake pan with non-stick baking spray containing flour. Combine cream, brown sugar, pudding mix, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Whisk for 30 seconds.½ cup heavy cream, ¾ cup brown sugar, 1 box cook & serve butterscotch pudding, 1 tsp cinnamon, baking spray
- If using, sprinkle nuts evenly around bottom of the bundt pan. Place 11 frozen rolls touching in a single layer on bottom of pan. Add 1 teaspoon of sauce mixture onto the top of each of the rolls.½ cup walnuts, chopped, 24 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls
- Then add 6 more dough balls to the inside edge of the pan and 7 to the outside edge. Top with the remaining sauce.
- Cover with a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Allow to sit on the counter, or other warm place, for three hours. Just long enough to allow the rolls to start thawing. Then place in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours or until the rolls have almost doubled in size. (For other options see the notes below.)
- The next morning, remove monkey bread from refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°. Pro tip: Place a cookie sheet on the bottom rack to catch any drips from the bundt pan.
- Bake the monkey bread for 27-30 minutes, or until baked through. *SEE NOTE BELOW. It is done when the rolls are golden brown and when gently pulled apart rolls are cooked through and no doughiness remains. They may rise pretty high - this is normal. If the rolls are getting too golden before it is finished cooking through, you can tent it loosely with foil near the end of the baking time.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan then invert onto a serving platter. Scrape any excess sauce from the bottom of the pan onto the baked bread. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, then serve warm.
Notes
- Don't leave the frozen bread dough out at room temperature for too long or it will rise too much. Dough balls that rise too long aren't quite as fluffy and tender.
- It will probably rise over the edge of the pan during the baking process. It might even be a little uneven. Don't worry. This is the bottom and once it is flipped over the monkey bread looks even and beautiful!
- It's done when the frozen roll dough is golden brown and is cooked through.
- Overnight: Once assembled, allow the rolls to sit on the counter (or other warm place) at room temperature for 3 hours. Then place in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours.
- 24 Hours: Once assembled, place rolls in the fridge right away and allow the rolls to rise in the refrigerator for 20-24 hours. Proceed as step 6 instructs.
- Same Day: If you want to make this the day of instead of overnight, you need a really early start. Once assembled, allow rolls to rise in a warm place at room temperature for 5-6 hours (our kitchen was about 78 degrees when we tested this). Then bake as instructed. Since this is best served warm, I highly recommend the overnight method to avoid getting up at the crack of dawn.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
christine says
I did note that you wrote to check for doneness when pulling out of the oven.
My daughter took them out after 28 minutes in a pre-heated 350 oven.
The inside portion of the whole circle was entirely under-cooked, like raw doughiness. (we ate the outsides which were tasty but not too coated with the sugar mixture, but oh well)
The strange thing about it is that I can't imagine keeping in for 2 more minutes would have made all the difference....they were that underdone.
Just wanted you to know our experience.
Danielle says
So sorry to hear that! We try to make it clear in the recipe card that this recipe is not done until you can pull the rolls apart and there isn't any doughiness left. The tricky part of baking is that every oven and situation is a little different. I will work on the wording right now to be sure that users know that the recommended baking time is only an approximation. The only sure fire way to know it is done is to gently pull the rolls apart in a couple places and make sure that where they meet the first layer of rolls there isn't any raw dough. If you make this again, we would love to know how it turns out! And thank you for letting us know your experience. It helps us make sure that everyone else has success. Happy New Year!
Monty says
I prepped 2 batches. Can I bake them at the same time?
Danielle says
This really depends on the size of your oven. It really should have a cookie sheet underneath just in case of spillage, but if you have a large oven then maybe. The heat in an oven is uneven which is why baking is usually done in the center of the oven. Most ovens cannot have two cookie sheets on the same rack, but if you have two racks, you might be able to try that switching them halfway through. However, with these rolls being a yeast product, moving the pan could cause them to deflate. In summary, you could try it but it will be a risk. I would love to hear back which way you choose to go and how they bake up! Reach out if you have anymore questions!
Kari says
Hi! What did I miss? I used the 1/2 C cream and it didn’t seem like nearly enough to even wet all of the brown suger and pudding!
Danielle says
Kari,
I a so sorry that I missed this. I stepped away to make dinner. The 1/2 cup cream really is enough. Did you whisk it really well for 30 seconds? It loosens as you mix it. Also, did you use the cook and serve pudding? This doesn't work with instant pudding. Fear not though! Even if for some reason it doesn't turn out perfectly, the flavor will be delicious! If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Sheila says
Can you freeze this after baking?
Misty says
Hi Sheila! We do not typically freeze it after baking because the bread dough will dry out. It's truly best when served warm and fresh! You can also reheat it gently in the microwave for a few days if you have leftovers. Hope this helps!
Jetta says
This recipe is fabulous!!! Everyone loved it!!
Danielle says
Yay! Thank you so much for leaving a comment to let us know! That really makes our day!
Lindsey says
I usually make another version of monkey bread, but would like to make this for Christmas morning, could I put it together on the morning of 12/23 and then bake morning of 12/25? Or is that too long? Thank you!
Danielle says
Unfortunately, I think that is too long for the frozen dough balls to be in the refrigerator. We just published a new recipe that is very much like this one but with biscuits instead. I think that recipe would hold prepped in the fridge for that long. If you choose to try that one be sure to wrap the pan really well with plastic wrap to keep everything from drying out. Please let us know if you give it a go!
Liz says
This is EXACLTY how I make my monkey bread! It’s also great with Rhodes cinnamon rolls cut in quarters and follow the rest of your recipe EXACLTY as you have it! They are wonderful- I have two Bundt pans on my counter now waiting to go into the oven for church! Thanks for posting.
Danielle says
Thanks for sharing! Funny that you should mention the biscuits. Last week we took pictures of monkey bread made with biscuits and a very similar mixture. Look for that later this year. I hope everyone loved the monkey bread!
Deborah says
Monkey bread had been a Christmas morning tradition in our home for many years. Funny, I’ve never had a recipe that I’ve saved and am always searching for one a couple of days before Christmas. I came across this recipe and decided to try it because the addition of heavy cream was different than I’d used before. Well, everyone raved! My son even asked what I did differently and said they were so good! Thank you, thank you, thank you! BTW- I’ve saved this recipe so I don’t have to search next year. 😉
Danielle says
Wow! Thanks you so very much for taking the time to let us know! It truly makes our day! Happy Eating!
Liz says
Can I use an angel food cake pan instead of a Bundt pan?
Danielle says
Since I haven't tried that before I can't promise how it will turn out, but it seems like it should work. Just be sure that the pan holds at least 10 cups. If you give it a try we would love to hear how it turns out.
2cairnterriers says
so i was tempted to try this recipe b/c it uses heavy cream vs butter. i don't like it; i'll go back to my stand-by. true that the "caramel" is creamy & not gritty… it's also easier to just dump the cream, pudding mix, & brown sugar, whisk up & pour over rolls, where using butter requires the hassle of melting it. but i think i'm just too used to the gritty "caramel" and like the buttery taste... the cream doesn't agree with me. additionally, i used only 13 frozen rolls total, so that out of the 36 in one bag, i can bake another pan. it turned out to be plenty.