This ooey gooey Praline-Pecan Monkey Bread is a Southern spin off of a pull apart bread classic. Rounds of dough, quartered then coated in melted butter, cinnamon and sugar are then soaked in a buttery praline sauce laced with toasted pecans. It's truly a one-of-a-kind sensation. For the lovers of all things gooey these sweet roils never disappoint.
Praline Pecan Monkey Bread
I can still remember my first ooey gooey taste of monkey bread. It tasted like a bite of heaven, I thought to myself. Today, I still have the same reaction. After all, small bites of dough rolled in cinnamon and sugar, and smothered with a buttery caramel sauce couldn't possibly be called anything else. This variation is unapologetically indulgent and makes the perfect sweet ending to a casual pizza party or a fancy brunch.
Skip the Canned Biscuits and Use Dinner Rolls
Traditionally, monkey bread would begin with quartered refrigerated biscuit dough. Just like my savory version of pull apart rolls garlic Parmesan pull apart bread, I begin this recipe with rounds of frozen yeast rolls thawed so, they're easier to quarter. I've found that dinner rolls give a more bread-like texture and take this dish to another level. Smothered with a decadent praline sauce and filled with plenty of toasted pecans....and voila this praline pecan variation was are born. The rest, as they say, is history. For more snacking inspiration, checkout my Parade article featuring 12 Creative Takes On Monkey Bread.
Other Sweet and Savory Pull Apart Bread Recipes to Add to the Menu
- Garlic Parmesan Pull Apart Bread
- Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Bread Sticks
- Pull Apart Pepperoni Bread Sticks
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pull Apart Rolls
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Praline Pecan Monkey Bread
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 342kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecan pieces toasted & divided
- 20 frozen yeast rolls thawed but still cold, quartered [I used Rhodes]
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup butter
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp pure vanilla or rum extract
- sea salt optional
Instructions
- Prior to preparing: Place the frozen yeast rolls in a single layer on a platter, and thaw on the counter for 30 minutes. If the rolls are slightly frozen in the middle, they're much easier to quarter. Use a sharp knife and quarter each roll.
- Toast the pecans: Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spread the pecan pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 6-8 minutes. Cool completely
- To assemble: Spritz a tube pan with cooking spray. [The rolls will rise while baking. A Bundt pan is not quite deep enough for this monkey bread]
- Mix together ⅔ cup of granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp of ground cinnamon.
- Toss with the quartered rolls in a large plastic storage bag until evenly coated.
- Sprinkle ⅓ of the toasted pecans on the bottom of the tube pan.
- Layer half of the quartered rolls on top of the pecans in the pan.
- Sprinkle the first layer of rolls with ⅓ of the remaining pecan pieces.
- Layer the remaining quartered rolls on top.
- Sprinkle any leftover cinnamon and sugar over all.
- Top with the last ⅓ cup of toasted pecan pieces.
- On the stove top, melt the brown sugar, butter and heavy cream together over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla or rum extract. The mixture will be hot, handle carefully.
- Pour evenly over the rolls in the pan. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for 45 minutes.
- Bake at 350 °F for 35-40 minutes until golden. Rest for 5-10 minutes before carefully inverting onto a platter.
- All of the gooey praline sauce will drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle the top with sea salt.
- Pull apart and enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 364mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 344IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!
My name is Melissa and I'm the Creator of Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen. Cooking, baking, developing recipes and kitchen tips is my passion. I love sharing my dishes and connecting with people through the food that I create.
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Susan
Mine is ready for the oven...according to the recipe. After 45 min of 'raising' I don't see any swelling and nervous about putting the wonderful mixture in the oven so soon.
Melissa
If yours needs more rise time, let it sit longer.
Linda Thomason
Fantastic!!!
Melissa
Thanks so much!
kirstjen
Easy recipe to make. I actually divided the recipe in half, and made two separate batches in loaf pans. My boyfriend wanted raisins and I wanted pecans. I think this would be an easy recipe to riff off of, using coconut & pineapple instead of pecans for a new twist. I would also consider adding bourbon to the sauce for a slightly different flavor.
Heather
Made these tonight and used a tube pan like you suggested. A lot of the praline sauce leaked out. Any suggestions? Does yours leak? Thanks
Melissa
I haven't had an issue with a tube pan leaking with this recipe. Next time, you could wrap the bottom with foil to prevent leaking, if needed.
Patty
Made this recipe per the instructions and it was fabulous! It was a test batch for my holiday brunch and is sure to be a staple for special occasions from now on.
Melissa
I'm so happy you loved this, thank you!
Chelsea
Should this be refrigerated if there are leftovers or would it keep in a vacuum sealed bag at room temp???
Melissa
Store in an airtight container at room temperature or chilled, your choice.
Sherry Peterson
Best monkey bread recipe ever!! You could cut down on the rolls and bake in a bundt pan, which is what I did. I think I will cut down on the topping next time. Maybe it was to much since I only use 14 rolls instead of 20. We just don't need that much sugar. It did get eaten though! These are just amazing!! Thanks for sharing!
Jess
If I dont have enough pecans do you think adding some walnuts would mess up the taste?!
Melissa
I would use one or the other but, it's totally up to you.
Lisa
This was delicious! I made it for Easter dinner. We used two bread pans and sampled some the night before. It was a hit for sure!! Love it and sharing the recipe with my sister.
Melissa
Thanks so much!
Rhonda
This was absolutely delicious! Easy to make. I am a Rhodes rolls fanatic so I love recipes using them.
Melissa
I'm glad you enjoyed these, thanks!
Joell
I cannot get this recipe to come up all I get is the pictures.
Melissa
Try again, sounds like an internet glitch.
Rebecca Hathaway
I made this exactly as its written except I added 1 cup of raisins in with the pecans. I also let the sauce cool down to 130 degrees before pouring over the dough so it didn't ruin the yeast in the bread. It was amazing!!!!!! Oh my gosh my husband and I ate half in one sitting. LOL. Don't add up the calories though if you are on a diet.
Erin Kap
Hey! I see a lot of people asking about making this ahead, so I thought I would share what I did.
I followed the recipe as is up until the sauce step. Once I had the rolls cut, covered in cinnamon and sugar and placed in the pan with the pecans I covered it with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge overnight. When I was ready to bake I pulled the rolls out and continued with the sauce portion of the recipe. They turned out great! Thanks for the recipe I will make this again and again!
Nancy
Thanks for trying the night ahead method-I was hoping someone had done it. Did you still let it rise for the 45 minutes after you put the sauce on? If it rose all night I would think you wouldn't need as much rising time.
morven.m
I'm from Scotland and we don't have Rhodes frozen yeast rolls, so could you tell me how much 20 rolls worth of dough weighs so I can make it from scratch myself? it would be a huge help! 🙂
Melissa
You could adapt this recipe using homemade dough, sure. Here are a couple of rolls recipes from the MSSK archives. No Knead Yeast Rolls. Honey Yeast Rolls.
Jess
Hey, I was planning on making this the night before for Easter service this year and I was wondering what the best way to you think to reheat it would be? There is no way around reheating it, I wish there was. Lol.
Melissa
I'm not sure i have a definite answer as I usually bake and serve this bread. However, any way you feel comfortable gently reheating bread, be it in the microwave or oven should work for this as well.
Mandy
Did u use Rhodes RAW dough yeast dinner rolls.... https://www.rhodesbread.com/products/view/dinner-rolls
Or
The warm and serve cooked soft yeast rolls. https://www.rhodesbread.com/products/view/soft-dinner-rolls
?????? Help asap please!
Was just confused cause the raw ones usually raise for a few hours and the warm and serve are precooked. Please let me know thanks. Want to make for party this weekend.
Melissa
The UNcooked dough rounds as you see in the pictures.
Mandy
Awesome thanks. Of course I quickly scanned the recipe and bought the wrong ones. Oh well, extra buns for me! Back to the store, bound and determined to make this.
Melissa
You won't be sorry both rolls are delicious but, definitely the dough rounds for this recipe.
Michele L Davis
did you ever use pudding in your recipe
Melissa
Yes, I have but not this one.
Michele L Davis
thanks for an absolutely fabulous recipe. It took less that 20 minutes after I took it out of the oven and half of it was gone. I did the praline sauce adding the cooked pudding mix with the brown sugar, butter and cooked it using your directions. I should have taken a picture. Thanks again. M L Davis.
Lois
I made this, this afternoon. It is wonderful. Thanks so much.
Melissa
Glad you enjoyed this one!
Karen
Is this only served warm? Can it be served the next day at room temperature? Does it stay moist and soft, or does it harden because the sauce (sounds like a caramel sauce?) the next day? Thank you.
Melissa
This should be served warm. Leftovers can be reheated but, this isn't a make-ahead dessert.
Jennifer Berr
Can you make this using canned biscuits instead of the frozen rolls??
Melissa
You probably could but, I make this just as written.
Misty
If using a tube pan is there a need for doubling the sauce? And if using a bundt pan, about how many less rolls would you use?
Melissa
There's no need to double the sauce unless you're doubling the recipe. I made this in a bundt pan so follow the recipe and you should be good to go.
Linda Blanton
Delicious
Melissa
Thanks Linda!
Ellen
Could you bake in a bunt pan if you use less amount of rolls? I don't have a tube pan.
Melissa
You can sure!
Patti Mann Mitchell
Bundt pans also come in different...I have a large one. I use it when I make it with two cans of Grans Biscuits/if in a hurry LOL Going to do the yeast rolls now.
Denise
Can the praline monkey bread be assembled the night before and baked the next morning?
Melissa
I don't see why not. I usually make it and bake it but go for it!
Melissa
Do you put it in the refrigerator if you have it all ready to go in the oven,but want to cook in the morning?
Melissa
That's such a great question but, I'm not sure I have a definitive answer. Yeast type rolls and bread will continue to rise in the fridge. I've never tried it with these but, my thought is they likely would do OK, I just can't tell you from personal experience. If you try it, let me know how it goes.
Rhodes
Just revisiting this delicious monkey bread post. YUM YUM!
Melissa
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Kari La Mee
OHHH THANK YOU Melissa, my man is gonna love this. There's a bakery that's 3 hours from us that makes the best monkey bread. We HAVE to stop every time we go that way(which hasn't been in a long time). We just got a new bundt cake pan also, this will be a great first recipe to bake in it.
Have a GREAT Memorial Day Weekend.
Kari
Melissa
My pleasure, hope he loves it!
Donna Tuttle
Hands down the BEST Monkey Bread I've ever had! Thanx sooo much for sharing. (Hubby thanx you as well!)
Donna
Litchfield Park, AZ
Melissa
Hi Donna, so happy you enjoyed this. Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know.