This fluffy and soft Chocolate Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread is loaded with butter, cinnamon sugar, and semisweet chocolate for a tasty treat that is sure to please!
Looking for the perfect holiday morning breakfast? From Thanksgiving morning, gathered together as a family, to a cozy Christmas morning brunch, this cinnamon loaf would be a lovely recipe to enjoy. For other yummy brunch sweets, be sure to check out my Overnight Cinnamon Buns or Raspberry Brioche Sweet Rolls!
The first time I made this recipe while testing it, I brought it into the office for all my co-workers to try, and found that the addition of chocolate chips to the cinnamon bread was a very polarizing topic. Some thought it was yummy, some thought it was different but good, and some thought that it was the worst mistake possible; that chocolate definitely does NOT belong with cinnamon!
In the end, if you cannot fathom the thought of adding chocolate to a cinnamon pull-apart bread, simply leave the chocolate out. If you think, "wow, that's cool and different and sounds good!", then add all the chocolate your heart desires. If you love the chocolate and spice combo, be sure to try my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins!
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Flavor: Delightful flavors of cinnamon, butter, and chocolate are layered between pieces of homemade yeasted dough for a tasty and cozy treat.
- Texture: Fluffy and soft dough layered with gooey cinnamon sugar and melty chocolate.
- Method: Don't be intimidated by making homemade yeasted dough! It is surprisingly easy and fun to make!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make this cinnamon pull apart bread with chocolate.
Ingredient Notes
- Yeast - This recipe requires active dry yeast, which needs to be dissolved and activated in some warm water and a little sugar before adding it to the dough.
- Vanilla - Like in my homemade doughnut recipe, I like to add a little bit of vanilla to this dough for more yummy flavor.
- Cinnamon - I buy cinnamon from Costco for a great price for a large container, perfect for making lots of cinnamon rolls!
- Chocolate - If you do not like the combination of chocolate and cinnamon, you could leave out the chocolate chips! If you do like it, mini semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped semisweet chocolate work well here!
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together the warm water, ½ teaspoon of white sugar, and active dry yeast until the yeast is dissolved. Let it sit for 10 minutes or until the yeast is frothy and bubbly.
Step 2: Whisk together the warm milk, additional white sugar, melted butter, egg, vanilla, and salt until combined. Whisk in the frothy yeast mixture.
Step 3: Gradually add about 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour while stirring until the dough begins to come together.
Step 4: Then, turn the dough out onto the countertop and knead, adding the last ¼ cup of flour as needed until the dough is just slightly tacky but no longer sticking to your hands. Knead for about 5 minutes total or until the dough is smooth and a finger imprinted in it bounces back.
Step 5: Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Step 6: Punch the risen dough down and transfer it to a lightly floured countertop. Roll out into a square or rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Brush the melted butter all over the dough. Then sprinkle combined brown sugar and cinnamon, followed by the mini chocolate chips.
Step 7: Cut the dough into squares about 3"x3" using a pizza cutter or knife.
Step 8: Stack the squares of dough before arranging them in a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle any of the toppings that fell out over the top of the dough.
Step 9: Cover and let rise for 30 minutes while the oven is preheating to 350℉.
Step 10: Bake the risen loaf in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until deep golden brown and cooked throughout. Let cool for about 15 minutes before carefully removing from the pan to a wire rack or plate to serve.
💡 Top Tip
Try this pull-apart bread as a sweet treat alongside my Sweet Potato Goat Cheese Quiche, some kind of breakfast meat, and fresh fruit for a balanced and delicious brunch.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes. Feel free to omit the chocolate if you don't have any or don't like the flavor combination of chocolate and cinnamon.
Yes. Simply use a dairy-free milk, dairy-free butter alternative, and dairy-free chocolate to make this pull-apart bread dairy-free.
Store fully cooled pull-apart bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Warm before serving, if desired.
❤️ More Cinnamon Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread
Equipment
- 9x5-inch loaf pan
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- whisk
Ingredients
- ¼ cup warm water (110℉)
- ½ teaspoon granulated white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (traditional yeast)
- ½ cup warm milk (110℉)
- 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 3 tablespoons salted butter * melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½-2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips * (or finely chopped semisweet chocolate)
Instructions
- In a small dish, whisk together the warm water, ½ teaspoon of white sugar, and active dry yeast until the yeast is dissolved. Let it sit for 10 minutes or until the yeast is frothy and bubbly.¼ cup warm water, ½ teaspoon granulated white sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- In a large bowl, whisk together the warm milk, additional white sugar, melted butter, egg, vanilla, and salt until combined. Whisk in the frothy yeast mixture once it is done proofing.½ cup warm milk, 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar, 3 tablespoons salted butter, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon salt
- Gradually add about 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour while stirring until the dough begins to come together. Then, turn the dough out onto the countertop and knead, adding the last ¼ cup of flour as needed until the dough is just slightly tacky but no longer sticking to your hands. Knead for about 5 minutes total or until the dough is smooth and a finger imprinted in it bounces back. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.2 ½-2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- Punch the risen dough down and transfer to a lightly floured countertop. Roll out into a square or rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Brush the melted butter all over the dough. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the melted butter, followed by the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate.2 tablespoons salted butter, ½ cup packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, ½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
- Cut the dough into squares about 3"x3" using a pizza cutter or knife. Stack the squares of dough before arranging them horizontally in a 9x5-inch loaf pan that has been greased with butter. Sprinkle any of the toppings that fell out over the top of the dough. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place while you preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Bake the risen loaf uncovered on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until deep golden brown and cooked through. Let cool for 15 minutes before transferring the loaf to a plate to serve or a wire rack to continue cooling.
Notes
- Feel free to omit the chocolate if you don't have any or don't like the flavor combination of chocolate and cinnamon.
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