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If there’s one thing December needs, it’s this Snowflake Pull-Apart Monkey Bread.
Okay, and maybe some real snow too, but since I can’t control the weather, I’m making snowflakes!
It’s weird, by this time of year we always have snow on the ground, and not just a thin layer, but lots of it. I can’t remember a year when we haven’t had piles of snow all over the place by now, so the fact that we have so little snow is weird…and kind of sad. Snow in December is my absolute favorite. Snow in March…April…May? No thanks, but snow in December, yes please. Obviously, there’s not much I can do about the lack of white stuff here in the west, but what I can do…is make deliciously gooey and sweet monkey bread that looks like a giant snowflake. Yup, that I can do.
For real though, how cute is this snowflake monkey bread? I’ve seen these snowflake breads all over my Pinterest page for years now and always thought they were the cutest. It wasn’t until this year that I had the idea to recreate my mom’s butterscotch monkey bread recipe into this festive snowflake. But I’m so glad the idea came to mind, because not only is this bread cute, it’s also incredibly delicious.
Warm, doughy, gooey, extra sweet, and loaded with cinnamon and butterscotch. It’s basically the ultimate Christmas morning breakfast.
Couldn’t love it more.
Now, I know what you guys are thinking, this looks so hard to make. Trust me though, this is not hard to make. I know it looks fancy, but in all honesty, it’s kind of easier than making monkey bread. I mean, it’s not as easy as my mom’s monkey bread, because her recipe doesn’t use homemade dough, or homemade butterscotch sauce and filling, but the process of actually making the snowflake is pretty easy…and fun!
And once you finish? You’ll feel a little proud that you created such a pretty looking bread…
Or at least I did anyway. Hey, I am not a professional pastry baker. I can bake, but making things look extra pretty? Not necessarily my thing.
Point is, even if you think you can’t make this, you can!
I tried to snap a bunch of photos of the twisting process so that you can use those as a guide when making your own bread. I am such a visual person, so at least for me, photos always help.
It’s really just a matter of layering the dough and then twisting. Pretty simple. And even if your snowflake doesn’t end up looking very “snowflake…ish”, don’t worry. All that matters is how the bread tastes, and it’s going to taste great in whatever shape or form.
Think of this snowflake monkey bread like your favorite gooey sticky bun, but instead of in bun form, they’re in cute, pull-apart snowflake form.
If like me you plan to make this for Christmas morning, you can form the snowflake on Christmas Eve, pop it in the fridge and let it sit overnight. In the morning, remove the snowflake from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, then just bake and eat!
Since I wanted my bread to be extra, extra gooey, like my mom’s monkey bread that we traditionally eat on Christmas morning, I ended up making an extra butterscotch sauce to lightly drizzle over the snowflake. In full disclosure, the butterscotch sauce is totally not needed. The bread is sweet enough on its own, but it’s the holiday’s and let’s be real, while the bread is good enough on its own, it’s better with that additional butterscotch sauce.
And a dusting of confectioners sugar…you know, for the snow effect.
Obviously.
Snowflake Pull-Apart Monkey Bread
Servings: 10 servings
Calories Per Serving: 740 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup warm whole milk
- 1 packet instant dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg beaten, for brushing before baking
Filling
- 6 tablespoons butter, very warm, but not melted
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Butterscotch Sauce
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons whiskey
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. To make the dough. Combine the milk, yeast, honey, 2 eggs, butter, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl. The dough should be sticky, but if it seems too sticky, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour.2. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Kneed into a smooth ball. Grease a large bowl and add the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit 45 minutes-1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.3. Meanwhile, make the filling. Mix the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a bowl.4. Lightly dust a surface with flour. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down and roll into a ball. Cut the dough evenly into 4 pieces and roll each piece out into a 10 inch circle. Place 1 circle on a parchment lined baking sheet with sides. Spread 1/3 of the filling over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Place another piece of dough on top and spread with 1/3 of the filling. Add the 3rd layer of dough and spread with the remaining filling. Finish with the 4th dough round.5. Place a 2 inch wide drink glass in the center of the dough and use as a guide when cutting the strips. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 4 triangles, then cut each triangle in half creating 8 triangles. Now cut each triangle in half again to make a total of 16 triangles (see photos above for a guide). 6. Remove the drink glass. Lift the edges of 2 wedges that are next to each other and twist them away from each other twice. Pinch the ends to seal (see photos above for guide). Repeat with the remaining pairs of wedges. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes, or let rise overnight in the fridge. 7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the center. Brush the snowflake with the beaten egg. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and carefully spoon any sauce that has leaked out of bread back over the bread. Return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes or until golden brown. 8. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil and boil 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the whiskey and vanilla.8. Drizzle the snowflake with butterscotch sauce and dust lightly with confectioners sugar. Eat warm. Enjoy!
The best piece…the one with with extra butterscotch sauce…because it’s Christmas!
PS. have you guys entered my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer giveaway over on Instagram yet?
if doing the 2nd rise in the fridge overnight, should I let the bread come to room temperature before baking?
Hey Laura,
Yes, I would do that! Let me know how this recipe turns out for you, I hope you love it! xT
This was such a great recipe to follow, the directions were clear and made this easy to follow. Great recipe. I cannot wait to try more.
Hey Rebecca,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:)
Hi! I’m in love with all your recipes! Can’t wait to make your fall inspired foods and bakes! I just wanted instructions on how I can freeze this bread after assembling. Do I need to double rise before baking? How do I thaw it etc. please help!
Hi there,
I would freeze after step 6 and then bring to room temp and allow to rise before baking. I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xT
Is there an alternative for the rum in the glaze?
Hi Sadie,
You can just skip it:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Just made this today, in preparation for Christmas breakfast. I used a ho MN e MN ade cranberry curd and orange zest for the filling. It is delicious!
Hey Ann,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
Hi, can I use 1:1 GF flour instead of all purpose flour? And, unsweetened almond milk instead of whole milk? Thank you.
Hey Patricia,
Yes, both of those substitutes will work well for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
How many days in advance could this dough sit in the fridge before baking?
Hi Ashley! I would say about 24 hours! Anything longer than that, I would freeze the dough! xTieghan
I’m not an experienced baker and I can’t believe I made this. I missed the comment about cutting excess dough since it was difficult to make similar sized shapes but I was still able to get that snowflake effect in the end. I’ll probably make a bit more of the filling for next time. We were expecting a monkey bread like taste but it was lacking on the flavor department even with the butterscotch sauce. This I think was more of a flavor profile expectation rather than just enjoying the piece. It definitely received the ohs and ahs. Thank you for the great idea!
Hey Candy,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Can you make this dough in a bread machine?
Hi Kelly,
Sorry, I’ve never made this dough in a bread machine, I would probably stick with the recipe:) Let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This has been part of our Christmas breakfast for two years now! The dough is such a dream to work with and the filling is perfect. I skip the sauce, because we don’t go for really sweet. But it’s such a beautiful sweet bread by itself with a dusting of powdered sugar. My husband is always so impressed with the way it looks. Thank you, we love it!
Hey Katie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This was surprisingly easy to make, and everyone loved it! How fun to serve such a beauty on Christmas morning. Made it the night before, and it worked perfectly. Thank you!
Hey Renee,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi! I only have rapid rise yeast, could I use that instead of the active dry and what would I do differently?
Hey Annie,
If you are using instant yeast you can just add it right in with the flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
How much dried instant yeast? your recipe doesn’t mention a measurement. Thanks
Hi Jenny,
The recipe calls for 1 packet of instant dried yeast. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Recipe just says 1 packet of yeast. How many grams or teaspoons would this be plea se? I usually measure my yeast from a container, not little packets. Also wondering if this would work as a savoury pull apart, say using a chutney, bacon bits and cheese?
Hi! It’s about 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast in each packet! xT