This Easy Rhodes Monkey Bread (w/ butterscotch pudding) uses frozen dough to make the best cinnamon pull-apart bubble bread! Drenched in a gooey, ultra-smooth sauce, this perfected version of your favorite breakfast treat can be made overnight or on the day-of with just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of hands-on time. Perfect for any busy day, but especially great for Christmas morning!
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Monkey bread has never been better. Soft pillowy segments of dough (we use frozen rolls to make it 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!
My favorite thing about this Rhodes Rolls Monkey Bread recipe is that it takes 10 minutes to throw together, which makes it the perfect make-ahead breakfast for a special occasion! So much easier than the cinnamon rolls I used to make for Christmas morning. I mean, cinnamon rolls are amazing, but this is just SO much easier.
According to Wikipedia Monkey Bread is also known as "Christmas morning delights, monkey puzzle bread, monkey brains, sticky bread, Hungarian coffee cake, golden dumpling coffee cake, pinch-me cake, pluck-it cake, plucking cake, bubble loaf and funky bread.” The key element to monkey bread is that it is yeast rolls that are baked together in a cinnamon sugar mixture and then can be pulled apart.
Looking to round out your special breakfast menu? Try this prep ahead egg casserole with bacon and green chilis. And bake your bacon in the oven for a hands-off way to get it done in a hurry and without all the splatter. Find these and more of our family favorites on our Breakfast recipes page.
This isn’t the only Rhodes roll recipe we love. Try these buttery dinner rolls the next time you want a fresh baked dinner roll. So easy and super delicious!
🥇 Why it’s great!
- It’s easy! Only 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of hands-on time. No need to make your own dough. Rhodes rolls bake up perfectly without the extra work.
- It’s a no-cook, ultra-smooth sauce. Traditional monkey bread recipes either have a gritty sauce or there is an extra step of cooking the sauce. This method provides a simple solution for a perfect monkey bread with minimal work.
- It’s absolutely perfect for Christmas, holidays, company, or busy weekends.
🥮 Ingredient list
Rhodes frozen 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 bag 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: Traditionally monkey bread uses melted butter. The problem with butter is that the sauce ends up being gritty. Our secret ingredient, heavy cream, ensures that the sauce is very smooth without any of the grit.
Brown sugar: Provides a deep caramel 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.
👨🏼🍳 How to make monkey bread
This EASY Rhodes Monkey Bread (w/ butterscotch pudding) is such an easy recipe. It’s homemade monkey bread with a couple time saving shortcuts.
The first step is to prepare the bundt cake pan (affiliate). 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 (affiliate) in a small mixing 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. (See picture 1)
Then place six frozen yeast rolls around the inside edge and 7 around the outside edge of the pan. (See picture 2)
Finish by spreading the remaining brown sugar mixture across the tops of the rolls. (See picture 3)
Place a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray over the top of the bundt pan.
There are two options for allowing the rolls to rise overnight: (for day-of instructions see the note below)
- Allow the rolls to sit on the counter (or other warm place) for 3 hours. Then place in the refrigerator overnight, 8-10 hours. OR
- Allow to rise in the refrigerator for a full 24 hours.
The next day, remove the pan from the refrigerator. (See picture 4) 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 the easy Rhodes Monkey Bread (w/ butterscotch pudding) to cool 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.
NOTE:
If you want to make this on the day of, you will need an early start. The total rise time is about 5 hours if your kitchen is around 78 degrees. Since this is best served warm, I highly recommend the overnight method.
🍽 How to serve Rhodes Monkey Bread
Serve Rhodes Monkey Bread warm for the best texture. Its can be pulled apart or it can be sliced into individual pieces.
🙋 Questions and Answers
For a single piece of monkey bread a few seconds in the microwave will do. I do not recommend reheating the monkey bread as a whole.
This easy Rhodes Monkey Bread (w/ butterscotch pudding) recipe can be made in a bundt cake pan, tube pan, or 2 loaf pans. Although for the loaf pans divide the ingredients equally between the pans. Also, the baking time might be different. Start checking at 25 minutes.
Monkey bread is best stored in an airtight container overnight at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Monkey bread is doughy when it is underbaked. Try adding a couple more minutes at a time until the 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.
📖 Other breakfast recipes
Breakfast bake with bacon and green chilis
Chicken sausages in maple glaze
👋 Connect with us!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it is! We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food!
📋 Recipe
EASY Rhodes Monkey Bread (w/ butterscotch pudding)
Equipment
- 10 inch Bundt cake pan (10-15 cup capacity) *If the pan is too small the monkey bread will overflow.
Ingredients
- 24 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls 38 gram size
- 1 box cook & serve butterscotch pudding 3.5 ounce
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped optional
- baking spray
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.
- 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.
- 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°. 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. It is done when the rolls are golden brown and when gently pulled apart rolls are cooked through.
- 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.
- We love comments! Please come back and leave us one after you’ve tried this recipe.
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.
- Once assembled, allow the rolls to sit at room temperature for 3 hours and then place in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours.
- Once assembled, allow the rolls to rise in the refrigerator for 20-24 hours. Proceed as step 6 instructs.
- Once assembled, allow to rise at room temperature for 5-6 hours. Bake as instructed.
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
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