Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread with Sweet Potato
I’m a cinnamon toast girly, all day, 100%, you won’t catch me walking by a cinny-sugar situation and not getting all up in its business. And I am alllll up in the business of this cinnamon pull-apart bread.
Over the holidays I saw so many recipes for pull-apart breads and potato breads and coming from a household with a standing holiday traditional of making this Easy Bubble Bread, I thought… what if I make some kind of hybrid of all three?
The use of a sweet potato in the bread was inspired by these sweet potato rolls, which I tried over Thanksgiving and loved their fluffiness. Because you know everyone loves when you test new recipes on a holiday (especially one centered around food)!
I wanted this loaf to be packed with cinnamon sugar flavor in every layer – nobody is getting skimped over here! Plus, easy to separate piece by piece with that perfect softness in every bite you take.
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CINNAMON PULL-APART BREAD with SWEET POTATO
If you love cinnamon rolls, cinnamon toast, monkey bread, or those cinnamon crunch bagels from Panera, you will love this cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread.
Made with an enriched dough, this is the perfect loaf, soft as it is sweet, to share with friends and family. The dough itself is lightly spiced with cinnamon before setting aside to rise then coated with butter and a simple cinnamon sugar mixture.
Once sliced and stacked, it will be left to do one final rise – to get all those layers to puff together – before finishing in the oven. While it briefly cools, you whisk up a four-ingredient vanilla glaze to drizzle over top.
How do I make mashed sweet potatoes? Peel your sweet potato and cut into cubes, that are roughly the same size. Place in a pot, cover with cold water, and set over high heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and simmer for around 12 minutes, until fork tender. Drain and immediately mash while hot until smooth.
INGREDIENTS
- Milk: Adds moisture and richness to the dough while helping activate the yeast.
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure and creates a soft, chewy bread.
- Active dry yeast: Helps the dough rise, creating a light and fluffy texture.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough and gives the yeast fuel for fermentation.
- Mashed sweet potato: Adds moisture, tenderness, and a little sweetness, plus that beautiful color!
- Unsalted butter: Adds a rich tenderness to the dough and a buttery cinnamon-sugar filling.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and adds to the sweet flavors in both the dough and glaze.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor of the bread and glaze.
- Ground cinnamon: For that signature warm spice throughout
- Egg: Creates a glossy, golden finish when brushed over the dough before baking.
- Brown sugar: Creates a rich sweetness in the cinnamon-sugar filling.
- Powdered sugar: For a smooth, sweet glaze.
- Milk: Loosens the glaze to a pourable consistency.
What is enriched dough? Most bread dough is made up of very few ingredients: water, yeast, flour, and salt. Enriched dough is made up of additional ingredients like milk, butter, eggs, or sugar, which results in a softer, more tender bread.
HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON PULL-APART BREAD
Make the tangzhong…
Start by making the tangzhong, which helps create an exceptionally soft and fluffy cinnamon pull-apart bread. Add ¼ cup of the milk and 2 tablespoons of the flour to a small pot and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until a thick paste forms.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
Activate the yeast…
Warm the remaining ½ cup of milk in the microwave for about 20–30 seconds, or until it feels warm but not hot to the touch. Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the active dry yeast over the top, and gently stir before letting it sit for 5 minutes, until slightly frothy.
Make the sweet potato dough…
Add the tangzhong, granulated sugar, mashed sweet potato, melted butter, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and remaining 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour to the yeast mixture. Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead the sweet potato dough for 5–10 minutes, until it is smooth and bouncy.
To check if the dough is ready, pull off a small piece and gently stretch it until very thin; you should be able to see light through it without the dough tearing.
Let the dough rise…
Lightly grease a large bowl and place the dough inside, then cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm spot for 60–90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Rising time will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen, so taking a quick photo of the dough before covering it can help you tell when it has doubled.
Make the cinnamon sugar filling…
While the dough rises, prepare the cinnamon-sugar filling by mixing the brown sugar and ground cinnamon together in a small bowl.
Place the softened butter in a separate bowl, making sure it is soft and spreadable but not melted.
Shape the pull-apart bread…
Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving some parchment hanging over the sides to make the finished bread easier to remove. Once the sweet potato dough has doubled in size, gently punch it down to release the air and transfer it to a lightly floured surface.
Roll the dough into a 12×16-inch rectangle, then spread the softened butter evenly over it. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the butter and gently rub it in with your fingers to help the cinnamon-sugar mixture stick and form a paste.
Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough vertically into 3 equal strips. Then horizontally into 5 equal strips to create 15 squares.
Stack the squares with the cinnamon-sugar side facing up, keeping the bottom edges aligned, then carefully lay the stack in your loaf pan.
The dough should fit fairly snugly in the pan while still leaving a little room for the bread to expand. Cover the loaf with your towel and let it rise in a warm spot for another 30–45 minutes, or until the dough has noticeably puffed and filled the pan.
Bake the cinnamon pull-apart bread…
While the dough completes its second rise, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Whisk the egg with a splash of water or milk to make an egg wash. Gently brush it over the top of the risen dough to get that golden-brown color once baked.
Bake the cinnamon pull-apart bread on the middle rack for 30–45 minutes, covering the loaf loosely with foil after 15 minutes to prevent the top from becoming too dark.
Begin checking the internal temperature toward the end of the baking time; the bread is done when the center reaches 192–195°F.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully removing it and transferring it to a wire rack. Allow it to cool for another 20 minutes before glazing so the bread is still warm but the glaze does not immediately melt away.
Make the vanilla glaze…
To make the glaze, add the melted butter to a small bowl and sift in the powdered sugar. Add the salt, vanilla extract, and milk, then whisk until smooth.
Drizzle the glaze over the warm cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread and let it set for about 15 minutes. Pull apart the individual pieces and enjoy while the bread is still warm and soft!
3 reasons you’ll love this cinnamon pull-apart bread
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- Mash your sweet potatoes until there are no chunky bits left. You don’t need to make a puree here but having a nice, soft mash will ensure they seamlessly blend into your dough.
- If you do not have a mixer, you can form your dough by hand. Whisk together your wet ingredients once your yeast and milk have bloomed before stirring in your remaining flour with a spoon. Then knead your dough on a a lightly floured surface, until it passes the windowpane test mentioned above. Making bread by hand will take a little more time and arm strength but the end result is worth it!
- When performing the windowpane test, make sure you spread your dough to as thin as you can without it tearing. This will enough a fluffy soft dough once baked!
- Make sure your butter for the filling is room temperature, not melted. You want to be able to easily spread it over your dough but have it thick enough (not running off) that you can massage your cinnamon sugar mixture into it.
- Take a picture of your dough before each rise! This will help you compare how much it has grown ahead of both shaping and baking.
- If you want even more cinnamon flavor, add some to the glaze before whisking it together and spooning over your warm loaf!
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
You can prep your dough the night before, if you want to plan for delicious cinnamon bread in the morning. Follow the directions to form your dough up to the first rise, then tightly cover, so it doesn’t dry out, and place in the fridge to complete it’s first rise cold, overnight.
Remove from the fridge and allow the dough to come to room temperature before rolling out and continuing with the remaining steps.
Store your baked cinnamon pull-apart bread in an airtight container for up to four days at room temperature or three months in freezer!
For freezing, I like to tear each piece apart and store layered between parchment paper, so I can pop out a piece and heat it in the toaster when the craving hits.
MORE CINNAMON RECIPES
- Easy Cinnamon Chip Scones
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal Milk Pie
- Mini Cinnamon Swirls
- Cinnamon Roll Pie with Cream Cheese Filling
- Single-Serve Drop Biscuit with Cinnamon Plum Compote
EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED
Equipment
- Mixer with dough hook attachment
- Spatula
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Parchment Paper
- Pizza Cutter or Knife
- Mixing Bowls
- 9”x5” loaf pan
- Small pot
- Whisk
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
- ¾ cup milk
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup mashed sweet potato about ½ medium-sized sweet potato
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg for egg wash
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 tbsp butter melted
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- Dash salt
- 1 ½ tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Start by making a tangzhong. To a small pot, add ¼ cup of your milk and 2 tablespoons of your flour. Place on the stove over medium-low heat and whisk constantly until a thick paste forms. Remove from heat and set aside
- Warm your remaining ½ cup of milk in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. It should be warm when you touch it with your finger but not hot. If it’s too hot, you might kill the yeast!
- Pour your warmed milk into the bowl of your mixer and sprinkle your yeast over the top. Give it a light stir and allow it to sit for 5 minutes to activate your yeast and get a little frothy
- Add in your tangzhong, sugar, sweet potato, melted butter, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and remaining 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour. Fit your mixer with the dough hook attachment and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms
- Scrap down the sides and bottom of your bowl, then increase your mixer to a medium speed for 5-10 minutes until your dough is smooth and elastic. To check if your dough is ready, pull off a piece of dough and gently pull it very thin. You should be able to hold it up and see light through the dough without it tearing
- Lightly grease a large bowl and place your dough inside. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm spot to rise for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in size. If your kitchen is warm, it might rise faster, if cooler, it might rise slower. I highly recommend taking a picture of your dough before covering it to compare!
- While your dough is rising, make your cinnamon-sugar filling. Simply mix together your brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, set aside, and place your softened butter in another small bowl – you want it spreadable but not melted
- Grease and line a 9”x5” loaf pan with parchment paper
- When your dough is ready to shape, punch it down to release the air, turn it onto a lightly floured surface, and roll it to a 12”x16” rectangle
- Spread your softened butter evenly over the dough before sprinkling over your cinnamon sugar. Use your fingers to gently rub your cinnamon sugar into the butter, to help it stick and form a sort of paste
- Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, slice your dough vertically into three equal strips and then horizontally into 5 equal strips. You should have 15 squares of dough
- Dough side down (cinnamon-sugar side up) stack your dough so the bottoms match up. Then carefully place (bottom edge down) in your loaf pan. They should fit fairly snuggly, with a little room to grow
- Cover with your clean towel and let the dough rise in a warm sport for another 30-45 minutes, until it has puffed and filled the pan
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- In a bowl whisk together your egg and a splash of water or milk, to make an egg wash. Brush over the top of your dough, to get that beautiful golden brown bake
- Bake for 30-45 minutes on the middle rack, removing from the oven at the 15-minute mark and covering with foil to prevent the top of your loaf from burning. Insert a digital thermometer into the middle of your dough; once it reads 192°F – 195°F, remove it from the oven
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool for another 20 minutes
- To make your glaze, add your melted butter to a bowl and sift in your powdered sugar. Then add in your salt, vanilla, and milk, and whisk until a smooth glaze forms
- Drizzle your glaze over the top of your warm bread and leave to set for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Delicious! Plus it looks impressive and smells heavenly☺️
So happy you loved it!