Are you looking for the ultimate, easy, and incredibly delicious breakfast treat to make for a special holiday morning or a lazy weekend? A warm, gooey, and buttery delight that takes just a few minutes of prep time but tastes like it came from a gourmet bakery? This amazing Sticky Pecan Pull-Apart Bread is your gooey, caramel-y, and completely irresistible answer!
This isn’t just a recipe; it’s your new secret weapon for the most impressive and stress-free brunch ever. The genius lies in a brilliant shortcut: we use store-bought refrigerated crescent roll dough as the base for a soft, tender, and perfectly layered loaf. Each slice is loaded with a sticky caramel and pumpkin spice sugar filling and a generous amount of crunchy, toasted pecans. It’s a fun, interactive, and unbelievably delicious treat that everyone will love.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Easy Holiday Breakfast
What makes this Pecan Pull-Apart Bread so spectacular is its incredible ease and its show-stopping, interactive format. This recipe is a clever twist on a classic monkey bread, made even simpler in a loaf pan. The use of refrigerated crescent roll dough is a fantastic shortcut that guarantees a perfect, buttery, and tender result every time. Baked until golden brown and puffed, and finished with an extra drizzle of caramel, this is a warm, gooey, and festive breakfast that is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 1 hour 35 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 8-10 |
The Essential Ingredients for This Sticky Treat
This recipe uses a handful of smart shortcuts and simple pantry staples to create a truly spectacular result.
- Refrigerated Crescent Roll Dough: This is the ultimate shortcut and the key to how easy this recipe is! Using two cans of store-bought crescent roll dough gives you a perfectly buttery, flaky, and slightly sweet base without any of the work of making dough from scratch.
- The Sticky Caramel-Pecan Filling: This is what makes the bread so gooey and irresistible.
- Caramel Sauce: A good quality, store-bought jarred caramel sauce is a fantastic and convenient way to add a rich, buttery, and gooey caramel layer.
- Spiced Sugar: A simple mixture of granulated sugar and a warm, festive pumpkin pie spice blend adds a wonderful, cozy, and aromatic sweetness.
- Pecans: A generous amount of chopped pecans adds a fantastic, nutty flavor and a wonderful, crunchy texture that is the perfect contrast to the soft dough and the gooey caramel.
Step-by-Step to Perfect Pull-Apart Bread
Follow these simple, detailed steps for a perfect, gooey, and crowd-pleasing result every time.
Step 1: Prepare the Pan and the Spiced Sugar
First, preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Coat a 9×5-inch glass loaf pan generously with nonstick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, mix together the 1/2 cup of sugar and the 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
Step 2: Layer, Fill, and Cut the Dough
On a lightly floured work surface, unroll the dough from each of the two cans. Carefully stack the two rectangular sheets of dough on top of each other to create a double layer. Gently press them together.
Roll the stacked dough into a uniform 12-inch square.
Spread 4 tablespoons of the caramel sauce evenly over the surface of the dough.
Sprinkle the prepared spiced sugar evenly over the caramel, and then sprinkle the 1 cup of chopped pecans in an even layer over the top. Gently press the pecans into the dough with your hands.
Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 16 small, equal squares (cut 4 rows by 4 rows).
Step 3: Stack and Arrange the Bread in the Pan
Now for the fun and easy part that creates the “pull-apart” effect!
Carefully stack 4 of the small squares on top of each other. Repeat this process with the remaining squares so that you have 4 tall stacks of 4 squares each.
Carefully place each stack on its side, vertically, into your prepared loaf pan. It should look like a little row of books standing up in the pan.
Gently separate the dough layers with your fingers so that the dough fills up the entire pan. Sprinkle any of the delicious pecan and sugar mixture that fell out during the process over the top of the dough in the pan.
Step 4: Bake to Golden, Gooey Perfection
Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the dough is golden brown and puffed up.
Carefully remove the foil and continue baking, uncovered, until the top of the bread is a deep golden brown, which should take about 15 more minutes.
Let the pull-apart bread cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes in the pan.
To serve, carefully invert the warm bread onto a serving platter. Drizzle it with the remaining 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce and serve immediately while it is warm and gooey.
The Easiest Gooey Pecan Pull-Apart Bread
An easy recipe for a sticky pecan pull-apart bread, sometimes called monkey bread, made with a convenient shortcut of refrigerated crescent roll dough. Two sheets of dough are stacked and layered with caramel sauce, a pumpkin pie spice and sugar mixture, and chopped pecans. The layered dough is then cut into squares, stacked up, and arranged on their sides in a loaf pan before being baked. The bread is baked covered and then uncovered to ensure it’s cooked through with a golden-brown top, and finished with an extra drizzle of caramel sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes (includes cooling time)
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray, for coating the loaf pan
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Two 8-ounce cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
- All-purpose flour, if needed, for rolling
- 6 tablespoons caramel sauce
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Coat a 9-by-5-inch glass loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
- Unroll the dough from each can and stack them on top of each other. Press them together and roll the dough into a 12-inch square.
- Spread 4 tablespoons of the caramel sauce evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the spiced sugar over the caramel, then sprinkle the chopped pecans in an even layer, gently pressing them into the dough.
- Cut the dough into 16 small squares. Stack 4 of the squares on top of each other. Repeat to create 4 stacks of 4 squares each.
- Place each stack on its side in the prepared loaf pan, arranged like a row of books. Gently separate the dough layers so the dough fills up the pan.
- Sprinkle any pecan mixture that fell out over the top of the dough.
- Cover the loaf pan with foil and bake for about 50 minutes, until puffed.
- Uncover the pan and continue baking for about 15 more minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- Let the bread cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce before serving.
Notes
- This recipe uses refrigerated crescent roll dough as a simple and quick alternative to making yeast dough from scratch.
- The unique assembly method of stacking the squares on their side creates the ‘pull-apart’ effect.
- Baking the bread covered first allows it to steam and cook through, while baking it uncovered at the end creates a golden, crisp top.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of loaf
- Calories: 380-450
- Sugar: 30-40 g
- Sodium: 450-550 mg
- Fat: 20-28 g
- Saturated Fat: 6-9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45-55 g
- Fiber: 2-4 g
- Protein: 5-7 g
- Cholesterol: 5-15 mg
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This Sticky Pecan Pull-Apart Bread is at its absolute best when it is served warm and fresh from the oven.
- Make-Ahead: For a super-fast holiday morning, you can fully assemble the entire, unbaked loaf in the pan the night before. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. The next morning, let it sit out at room temperature while your oven preheats, and then bake as directed. You may need to add 5-10 minutes to the initial covered baking time.
- Storage: Store any leftovers, well-wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Reheating: The best way to reheat the bread and bring back its warm, gooey texture is to wrap it in foil and place it in a 325°F oven for about 10-15 minutes, until it is warmed through.
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Creative Recipe Variations
This incredibly simple and delicious recipe is a fantastic base for your own creative and flavorful twists.
- Classic “Monkey Bread” Muffins: For a fun, individual-sized version, you can cut the dough into smaller pieces instead of squares. Toss the pieces in a bowl with about 1/2 cup of melted butter and then in a separate bowl with the spiced sugar. Pile the coated dough pieces into a greased muffin tin and bake for about 20-25 minutes.
- Decadent Chocolate-Hazelnut Version: For a true showstopper, you can swap the caramel sauce for a generous spread of your favorite chocolate-hazelnut spread (like Nutella®), and substitute the pecans with an equal amount of chopped, toasted hazelnuts.
- Apple Pie Pull-Apart Bread: For a classic fall flavor, you can omit the pecans and the caramel sauce. Instead, spread the dough with 1/4 cup of softened butter and then top it with 1 cup of finely diced apple that has been tossed with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. After baking, you can drizzle the finished loaf with a simple powdered sugar glaze.
Enjoy The Easiest Holiday Breakfast Ever!
You’ve just created a wonderfully fun, impressive, and incredibly easy breakfast treat that is guaranteed to be a massive hit with your entire family. This Sticky Pecan Pull-Apart Bread is a perfect harmony of soft, buttery dough, gooey caramel, and crunchy pecans. It’s a rewarding and deeply satisfying recipe that is sure to become a new, much-requested tradition for all your holiday gatherings.
We hope you and your loved ones enjoy every last, perfect, and delicious bite!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves an easy and impressive breakfast treat!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the difference between this pull-apart bread and a classic “monkey bread”?
They are very similar! Monkey bread is typically made by cutting dough into small balls, tossing them in butter and cinnamon-sugar, and then baking them piled up in a Bundt pan. This pull-apart bread uses a brilliant shortcut of layering, stacking, and slicing the dough, which creates beautiful, distinct, pull-apart layers in an easy-to-use loaf pan.
Q2: Can I make this a day ahead and bake it in the morning?
Yes, absolutely! This is the perfect make-ahead breakfast for a busy holiday morning. You can fully assemble the unbaked loaf in the pan, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, just pop it in the oven to bake!
Q3: My refrigerated crescent roll dough is very sticky and hard to work with. What should I do?
Refrigerated doughs can become sticky as they warm up. The key is to work quickly and to make sure your work surface is lightly floured, as the recipe suggests. If the dough becomes too soft to handle, you can simply place it back in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to firm it up again before you continue.
Q4: Can I use a different kind of nut instead of pecans?
Of course! This recipe would be absolutely delicious with an equal amount of chopped, toasted walnuts. For a more sophisticated flavor, you could also try it with chopped hazelnuts or even sliced almonds.
Q5: Can I use a different kind of refrigerated dough, like biscuit dough?
While you could use biscuit dough, the final texture would be quite different. Crescent roll dough is fantastic for this recipe because it is a laminated dough, which means it has thin layers of butter folded into it. This is what gives it its uniquely light, flaky, and tender texture, which is perfect for a pull-apart bread. Biscuit dough would result in a denser, more bread-like final product.