Surprise Inside Pull Apart Bread
This soft and delicious Pull Apart Bread is even better when it’s filled with your favourite fillings. Make them different and every bite is a surprise. The perfect breakfast, snack or even dessert Sweet Bread!
I love making yeast Breads, I love the smell while they are baking in the oven, I love the kneading and the rising and best of all I love them warm out of the oven. Sweet breads have a softness to them that savory bread don’t, and of course they aren’t overly sweet, just right. But to tell the truth I rarely make sweet bread. I quite often make homemade Pizza and Savory Breads.
I know a lot of you get put off making yeast breads because you think they are too much work or it takes too much time. Maybe a little time but not much work, (especially if you use a stand up mixer with the hook attachment) and it is totally worth it, especially this Pull Apart Bread.
How to make it
In a large bowl or stand up mixer, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar, add the yeast and mix gently, make a well in the middle and add the egg, butter, vanilla and milk, mix with a fork until it is almost combined.
Then with the dough hook knead the dough until smooth and elastic, (this dough can also be kneaded by hand). Move the dough to a lightly floured flat surface and form into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge and form into 12-13 small balls, flatten one ball at a time (keep the other balls covered with a tea towel) with the palm of your hand, pulling and stretching gently with your fingers. Fill with desired filling, 1 heaping teaspoon or more depending on the size and thickness of the circles, seal edges together and gently form into a ball again, making sure edges stay sealed.
Place the dough balls sealed side down in a prepared cake pan, I used a small pan so the leftover I placed in a loaf pan, leaving them slightly apart, cover well with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise 2 hours in a draft free warm area. Once risen brush the dough with an egg wash and bake.
Let cool slightly, dust with powdered sugar. and enjoy!
How to fill the dough
A great tip I learned from my husband’s Pastry making friend is when you are flattening the balls for filling, flatten the dough with the palm of your hand and gently stretch with your fingers, don’t use a rolling-pin because rolling it it is too hard on the dough.
How to know when the bread is done
The finished bread should be golden brown on the top, if the bread is browning too much before it is done, then cover it with foil and continue baking. The bread is done when the inside temperature reaches 190F (88C).
How to store the baked bread
Sweet Bread tends to dry out very quickly, so always keep it stored in an air tight bag or under a covered cake container. It will last about 2-3 days.
How to freeze it
The Pull Apart Bread can either be frozen once it is baked and cooled or the dough after it has risen can be frozen. To freeze the baked bread, make sure to cool it completely then wrap it well in foil and place in a freezer safe bag. It will keep for 2 months in the freezer.
To freeze the risen dough, wrap it well and place in a freezer safe bag or container. To use the frozen dough, defrost it overnight in the fridge, let it come to room temperature, usually an hour is enough, then continue with the recipe. The dough will last 2 weeks in the freezer.
Adding the Filling and forming the dough
Remember if you flatten them a lot, just make sure you seal the ends really well so the filling doesn’t come out while baking, I would advise you not too make them too thin. I find it easiest to pinch the ends underneath this gives it a smooth top.
More Yeast Breads
Traditional Italian Ciabatta Bread
And there you have a Surprise Inside Pull Apart Bread. Now just bake it and eat it while it is still warm, I dare you not too! Enjoy!
Surprise Inside Pull Apart Bread
Ingredients
Pull Apart Bread Dough
- 2 ½ cups flour (325 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast*
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup + ½ tablespoon milk lukewarm (120 grams)
*or Substitute with 1 1/3 teaspoons of instant yeast.
EGG WASH
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
FILLINGS - fill with Nutella, mini chocolate chips or even your favourite jam or the following brown sugar cinnamon filling.
BROWN SUGAR CINNAMON FILLING*
- 2 tablespoons butter (soft)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar (lightly packed) (56 grams)
*This should be doubled if you want to use it for all the recipe.
Instructions
PASTRY DOUGH
- In a large bowl or stand up mixer whisk together flour, salt and sugar, add the yeast and mix gently, make a well in the middle and add the egg, butter, vanilla and milk mix with a fork until it is almost combined.
- If using a stand up mixer then attach the dough hook and knead on #2 for 7 minutes, if kneading by hand then knead for 15 minutes, the dough should become smooth and elastic, it may be slightly sticky but do not add more flour. Form the dough (on a lightly floured flat surface from the mixer) into a ball, wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and form into 12-13 small balls (approximately 45 grams each), flatten one ball at a time (keep the other balls covered with a tea towel) with the palm of your hand, pulling and stretching gently with your fingers until the desired circle size is reached, be sure not to stretch the dough too thin. Fill with desired filling (1 heaping teaspoon or more), seal the edges together and gently form into a ball again, making sure edges stay sealed, place seal side down in parchment paper lined 9 inch (24 cm) cake pan, leaving them slightly apart, cover well with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise 2 hours in a draft free warm area.
- Pre-heat oven to 320F (160C).
- Whisk together until well combined the egg and milk, brush the mixture gently on the risen dough, bake for approximately 30-40 minutes or until golden (inside of the dough should read 190F when cooked) If the dough is browning too much, cover with foil and continue baking. Let cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
BROWN SUGAR CINNAMON FILLING
- In a small bowl, mix together the butter, cinnamon and brown sugar until well combined and a sort of paste is formed.
Notes
Nutrition
**Inspired by Il giornale “Alice” October 2015.
Baked these today and were INCREDIBLE! I stuffed with Hershey’s and amazing taste!
Hi Auden, thanks glad you enjoyed it. Take care.
hi! i got very interested in this recipe, but i cannot find any type of yeast.
i am wondering if it is ok to use baking soda + lemon juice instead of yeast.
Hi Ana, no replacing yeast with baking soda and lemon won’t work. This is a yeast bread that needs to rise over time, baking soda won’t do that. Sorry, I hope you find yeast soon.
is it okay to use instant yeast in this recipe
Hi Nell yes you can, although the amount will be 1 1/3 teaspoons of active dry yeast instead of 1 3/4. Let me know how it goes.
Hi I am a young baker and I was wondering about the pastry dough. Do I have to make it or is the dough just the mix that’s listed? And if I do need to make my own pastry dough, how do I add it in?
Hi Oreo, good for you starting young! The pastry dough is the mix that’s listed. Let me know if you have any problems with it.
Hi, after putting the filled balls in the cake pan, can I refrigerate them overnight and finish 2 hour rise and bake time in the morning?
Thank you
Hi Lynda, actually putting them in the fridge overnight, will substitute for the two hour rise, (they will rise in the fridge, just much slower), so before baking bring them to room temperature (about one hour) and then bake.
Wow, can’t get much easier than that!
Thank you
Can these be frozen?
Hi Maria, you can freeze it unbaked after the final rise. Place in a freezer safe bag or container, it will keep for up to 10 days. You can also freeze it baked, when completely cool freeze wrapped in foil and then place in a freezer safe bag or container, it will keep for up to two months. Hope that helps.
Hi Rosemary I made these today and my taste taster husband loved them and so do I. I dropped some off at my daughters’ homes and they were absolutely in love with them.
But then they and my grandsons and son in laws love anything Nutella. Like you, I love baking but baking with yeast is my favourite. The smell in the house is intoxicating especially now that it is winter.
I have baked so many of your recipes during my holidays and unfortunately next week I will be returning to work so the baking will be a little less. Thanks for sharing and as I make your recipes I will post my comments.
Take care
Mil
Hi Mil, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed the bread, and yes nothing like making yeast bread, once you start it’s hard to stop. Looking forward to hearing what you make next. 🙂 Have a great weekend.
Hello,
I’m Not a baker at all. My 12 year old had to find a recipe that included using yeast for a class. She wanted to bake something different than the other kids. Came upon your recipe. It took us some time! Followed the recipe to a T. We didn’t event taste it before she took it too school. I was worried that it was going to be hard since we baked it the night before. She used strawberry jam. At the end of the day her teacher came up to me and said that dessert was amazingly delicious! And asked for the recipe. Now my daughter will be baking this for the Family on Thanksgiving. Thank you!
Hi Celia, thanks so much and super compliments to your daughter for trying a yeast bread. I love when kids and their parents bake together and so glad everyone liked it. Have a wonderful week to you and your daughter. 🙂
What kind of yeast did you use??
Hi Gaby, I use Active Dry yeast, not instant dry yeast. Hope that helps.
Can’t wait to try this – reminds me of box of chocolates! A surprise with every bite 🙂
Hi Melissa thanks, that is a great description. Hope you enjoy it. Let me know.
Do you have any suggestions on how to simplify this recipe/make it less labor-intensive for someone struggling with low energy from chronic health issues?
Hi Holly, unfortunately since it is a yeast bread there is more work involved. If you have a stand up mixer with a dough hook this will make it a lot easier for you. The machine will do all the kneading. Hope that helps, and sorry for your chronic health issues.
Can’t wait to try this! Did you use all purpose flour? Thanks!
Hi Kate thanks, I hope you enjoy it, and yes I used all purpose. 🙂
I made them but a few werent fully seal, but it tasted really good!
Hi Constanza, glad to hear you enjoyed it, sometimes if you don’t seal them really well, they come unsealed. Have a great week.
These look unbelievably appealing to me. I was late to this type of bread (Called “monkey bread” in the states), but now I’m hooked. And with the delicious stuffings you suggest, I could eat the entire batch myself.
Hi Laura, Thanks, you and me both, I had never heard of monkey bread or pull apart bread until a short time ago. They are delicious aren’t they? Have a great weekend.
Looks great, but i was wondering at what temperature are you supposed to bake them at?
Hi Sandy, sorry about that, it should be baked at 320° (160° celsius) thanks.