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This festive Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Wreath is light, soft, extra sweet, cinnamony, and SO delicious. It even has a bit of melted chocolate. Serve this right out of the oven while the bread is still sticky and warm. This bread is melt in your mouth good…and oh so impressive. It’s also simpler than you’d think to make. Plus, it’s always a crowd pleaser during the holidays.
I had a perfectly good and very delicious recipe all set and ready to go for today, but…it just didn’t feel like the right recipe for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
So I changed things around and here we are with this pretty and oh so festive cinnamon sugar wreath. What’s the right recipe for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving? Who know, but this feels good to me!
It’s sweet, cinnamony, and extra delicious. It makes a yummy breakfast or dessert. It will of course be great for Thanksgiving morning (maybe while enjoying the Macy’s Day Parade?). But it’s equally awesome for the entire month of December.
What is a bread wreath?
I know this bread might look like it takes hours to make, but trust me, it’s really pretty simple. I used my favorite base brioche dough, so it’s really light and soft. You’ll roll the dough out with cinnamon sugar, cut it into squares, and arrange it in a tube pan.
What’s great about this pull apart bread is that while it’s a nice addition to your holiday brunch or dessert table, it also works as an afternoon snack that people can enjoy after coming in from the cold. It’s always nice to have something for people to graze on while chatting away.
The details
The dough is the simplest to make. Simply mix the yeast with warm milk and a small touch of honey. It’s important to let that mix sit for a few minutes to allow the yeast to “activate”.
Next, add the butter, eggs, flour, and salt. Mix until smooth and let the dough rest until doubled in size. Then it’s time to assemble.
While the dough rests, mix the filling
It’s super simple. I love to use a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon. The brown sugar adds a nice depth of flavor. And the cinnamon adds a nice cozy festive touch.
And of course, there’s the chocolate. You can leave it out, of course, but I think the mini chocolate chips add a little something special.
Once the bread has risen, simply roll the dough out, then spread with butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and chocolate. Cut the dough into squares, then layer the squares, and arrange in a tube pan. If you don’t own a tube pan, I’d recommend dividing the dough between two traditional bread pans. That works great too!
Let the bread rise until it’s puffy on top, then bake. Wonderful smells will waft from your oven…nothing really beats cinnamon sugar baking away.
Here’s the thing, you can’t stress if your unbaked bread dough looks a little crazy. Know that the layers of dough do not need to be perfect…just bake the bread. As soon as you pull this out of the oven you’ll be impressed. And no matter what, it’s going to be delicious.
The most important thing you must do? Serve the bread while it’s still warm and sticky and the chocolate is melty.
Very few things are more delicious. I’m already excited to bake this again…and I’ve made it five times in a three day span. Sooo, I will wait until the family shows up later in December for Christmas. But I really am excited to share it with the fam!
Looking for other cinnamon recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing
Easy Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting
Lastly, if you make this Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Wreath be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Wreath
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 518 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups light or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the milk, yeast, and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly on top. Add 4 tablespoons butter, eggs, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough is still sticky, add the additional 1/2 cup flour, adding more as needed until the dough is smooth to touch.2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.3. Meanwhile, mix the filling. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Butter a tube pan. 4. Transfer the dough to a work surface and cut into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 dough piece at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle (roughly 14×10 inches). Spread 2tablespoons butter over the dough, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar and 2-4 tablespoons chocolate chips. Gently press the chips into the dough. Cut the dough lengthwise into 3 strips. Cut the strips crosswise into 4 strips each, making 12 squares (see above photo). Stack all 12 dough squares, 1 on top of the other. Repeat with the remaining 3 dough pieces and remaining butter. 5. Arrange stacks in the buttered tube pan, standing up like little books, allowing gaps between dough pieces (see above photo).6. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until the dough almost reaches the top, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake until the bread is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand in the pan 5 minutes, then carefully remove. Serve warm.
I made this and split between 2 loaf pans,one exactly to the recipe and one with pecan bits in place of the chocolate. I hoped for a decadent soft gooey cinnamon bread. This just wasn’t it. It was bland and dry- with hints of everything you wanted but just not enough. Maybe with a glaze poured over it? Maybe double the cinnamon, brown sugar and butter? I love the idea of this, but for as much work as this took, it wasn’t worth it.
Hi Sasha,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for making it. xTieghan
Sadly, we were unsure of how much sugar & cinnamon to use when rolling out the dough and thought we used as much as directed, but we had a lot of cinnamon sugar leftover and the wreath was bland and almost completely flavorless. (I’m not a strong baker so I really rely on directions.). Note to anyone making this: use ALL the filling mix…it’s really important!
I have faith this would have been great otherwise. We also let it sit in the fridge overnight before baking and it baked very nicely.
Hi Christina,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. xTieghan
This is soooooooooo good!!
Hey Valerie,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thursday❄️ xxT
Could I make this ahead of time, put it in the fridge and bake the next morning?
Hi Emily,
Yes, that will work well for you. I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
DELICIOUS- made it as a sweet, warm treat during our snow day today. It was a hit by all!
Hey Julie,
Thanks you so very much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Can this be made in a bread machine until the dough rises and needs to be rolled out?
Hey Teri,
Sure, I don’t see why not! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
So, I made this with Gluten Free Flour (Namaste brand, from Costco). The dough never really rose to begin with, and was very crumbly, so it was very difficult to roll. It’s probably due to the GF flour, but if I tried it again, I would cut back on the flour to see if that would help. (I used 3 1/2 cups).
I ended up rolling one square at a time, as there was no way to roll a 10×14 piece with the crumbling dough. It also did not really fill the bundt pan, so next time I might try a loaf pan.
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Melissa!
Well don’t give the recipe thumbs down when you substituted gluten free flour for all purpose flour. Make it as advertised and give it a rating.
How would I prepare this the night before to bake in the morning?
Hi Kelsey,
You can make up until the point of baking, cover and keep in the fridge, then bring to room temp before you are ready to bake. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
We loved this! I made it the night before to bake off on Christmas morning. I added pecans to a portion and I loved it. My kids loved the chocolate chips.
Hi Katherine,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
This was a huge hit at our Christmas brunch!! Love the recipe, made it exactly how is says!! 10/10 recommend!
Hi Kyrstie,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
Tasted great, looked amazing! I prepped the night before and baked the following day. I wish I would have baked them right then since they had risen really well. They flattened overnight and even sitting on the counter for 30min 1st didn’t bring them back, but still good!
Hi Kate,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
I found this recipe super easy!!! My dough did rise, I had fresh yeast and let it rest for an hour by the stove on warm (so warmer than room temp). I made it the night before, let it sit out and then baked in the am. Everyone loved it!
Hi Karen,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Merry Christmas!?? xT
The dough did not rise at all. I followed the recipe exactly. Not sure what I could have done differently. I hope it comes out edible.
Hi Ashley,
Sorry to hear this! What kind of yeast did you use? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Can you use fleischermann’s instant yeast?
Hi Shane,
You bet, just mix it right in with the flour. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Perhaps your yeast was old or else the liquid was too hot. Yeast is a living organism. It has a shelf life and it is also sensitive to heat.
Hi! I made this and it was so fun to make! My bread came out a little dry, but it was still really good. Any tips or ideas on what could have gone wrong? I used a Bundt pan to cook and did for about 33 minutes.
Hey Hillary,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! What kind of yeast did you use? Maybe less flour next time? Merry Christmas!?? xT
Hi! Can the dough be made the night before? If so, should I refrigerate it once it’s made into a wreath?
Thanks!
Hi Kristin,
You bet! Then just pull it out in the morning until it becomes room temp. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Can I make the night before Christmas and refrigerate for baking in the morning?
Hi Tara,
Yes, that will work well for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan