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PrintPecan Pie Pull Apart Bread
Pecan pie, meet cinnamon roll. This pecan pie pull-apart bread has soft, fluffy layers filled with buttery brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, and chopped pecans, finished with a sweet maple glaze.
The Ultimate Holiday Pull Apart Bread
If pecan pie and cinnamon rolls came together, this pecan pie pull-apart bread would be the delicious result. This pecan pie pull-apart bread brings together everything you love about both in one ridiculously delicious loaf. Made with soft, fluffy homemade dough layered with a sticky brown sugar cinnamon filling, plenty of chopped pecans, and a sweet maple glaze, this loaf tastes just like your favorite Thanksgiving pie in breakfast form. Each little layer is buttery, gooey, and packed with toasted pecans, making it the perfect centerpiece for a holiday brunch or a cozy weekend morning.
Why You’ll Love This Pecan Pie Pull-Apart Bread
This pull apart bread is seriously top 5 things we’ve made this year for me, so I sincerely hope you feel the same. This bread is delicious alongside a cup of coffee, a latte, or a big holiday brunch spread. Serve it with scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, or a savory breakfast casserole for a sweet addition to the table. Some of the many reasons I love this bread include:
- All the flavors of pecan pie: Dark brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and buttery pecans give this pull-apart bread all the cozy flavors of classic pecan pie.
- Soft, fluffy homemade dough: The enriched yeast dough bakes up tender and pillowy, with just enough structure to hold all that delicious filling.
- Perfect for sharing: Instead of slicing a traditional loaf, you can pull apart all the individual layers. It’s a fun, crowd-pleasing breakfast or brunch treat.
- Make-ahead friendly: You can prepare the dough and assemble the loaf ahead of time, making holiday mornings a whole lot easier.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This pecan pie pull-apart bread is made with pantry staples and a few ingredients that give it that signature pecan pie flavor.
- All-purpose flour: The base of our homemade yeast dough. All-purpose flour gives the bread enough structure while keeping it soft and tender.
- Brown sugar: You’ll use light brown sugar in the dough and dark brown sugar in the filling. The dark brown sugar gives the filling a deeper, almost caramel-like flavor that makes it taste just like pecan pie.
- Instant yeast: Instant yeast makes this dough easy to work with and helps it rise into a fluffy, pillowy loaf.
- Whole milk: Adds richness and moisture to the dough. Make sure your milk is warm, but not hot, when you add it to the yeast mixture.
- Unsalted butter: Butter makes both the dough and filling wonderfully rich. Use softened butter for the filling so it’s easy to spread evenly over the dough.
- Eggs: Eggs enrich the dough and give it a soft, tender texture.
- Vanilla extract: A little vanilla rounds out the flavors in the dough.
- Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup adds a subtle maple flavor to the pecan filling and glaze.
- Cinnamon: Gives the filling that warm, cozy flavor you’d expect from a cinnamon roll.
- Pecans: The star of the show! Finely chopped pecans get sprinkled throughout the layers so you get a little crunch in every bite.
- Powdered sugar: Forms the base of our simple maple glaze.
Tips for Making the Best Pull-Apart Bread
- Don’t overheat your milk. Yeast is sensitive to temperature, so you want your milk and butter mixture to be warm to the touch, not steaming hot. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast and prevent your dough from rising properly.
- Give the dough enough time to rise. The rise times are a guide, not a strict rule. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, your dough may need a little more or less time. Look for the dough to double in size rather than relying exclusively on the clock.
- Make sure your butter is softened. Softened butter makes it much easier to spread the filling into an even layer without tearing the dough.
- Chop your pecans finely. Smaller pieces distribute more evenly throughout the layers and make the bread easier to pull apart.
- Use parchment paper. Lining your loaf pan with parchment on all sides makes it so much easier to lift the finished loaf out of the pan without losing any of those gooey edges.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Make ahead: You can assemble the loaf the night before to make your morning a little easier. After arranging the dough stacks in the loaf pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, let the loaf sit at room temperature until puffy and doubled in size before baking. Depending on how much it has risen in the refrigerator, this may take a little longer than the usual 45-minute second rise.
Storage: Store leftover pecan pie pull-apart bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheating: Warm individual pieces in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds to soften the bread and make the filling gooey again. You can also reheat the loaf in a 300°F oven until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This is a great recipe to prep ahead, especially for Thanksgiving morning. Assemble the loaf the night before, cover, and refrigerate. Let it finish rising at room temperature the next morning before baking.
Yes. You can substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast in the same quantity. Dissolve it in the warm milk and butter mixture first and allow it to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, until foamy, before adding it to the dry ingredients and then double the rise time!
The dough should look smooth and feel supple and elastic. You can also try the windowpane test: stretch a small piece of dough gently between your fingers. If you can stretch it thin enough to see light through it without it tearing, the gluten has developed enough.
Yes! Let the baked loaf cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm in the oven before serving. For the best texture, add the maple glaze after reheating.
Whether you’re making this for Thanksgiving brunch, Christmas morning, or just because you’re craving something a little special, this pecan pie pull-apart bread is guaranteed to be a hit. With buttery layers, gooey brown sugar filling, crunchy pecans, and a sweet maple glaze, it’s basically everything you love about pecan pie wrapped up in a soft, fluffy loaf. And honestly, what’s better than pulling apart a warm piece straight from the pan?
Happy baking, my friends!
XXX
PrintPecan Pie Pull Apart Bread
- Prep Time 1 hour
- Rise Time 1 hour 45 minutes
- Cook Time 50 minutes
- Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
- Yield 16 servings
- Category Breakfast
- Method Baking
- Cuisine American
Pecan Pie Pull Apart Bread
This pecan pie pull-apart bread has soft, fluffy layers filled with buttery brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, and chopped pecans, finished with a sweet maple glaze.
- Prep Time 1 hour
- Rise Time 1 hour 45 minutes
- Cook Time 50 minutes
- Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
- Yield 16 servings
- Category Breakfast
- Method Baking
- Cuisine American
Ingredients
For the bread
- 3 1/2 cups (450g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (52g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 packet instant yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup (160g) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (52g) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (212g) packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
Icing
- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons milk
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- First, make the dough. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, mix the flour, brown sugar, yeast, and salt on low speed until combined.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the milk and butter until the mixture is warm to the touch and butter is mostly melted, about 45 seconds (you don’t want the mixture to be steaming or too hot, as this can kill the yeast). Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, then add in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Every minute or two, turn off the mixer, pull the dough from the hook, and flip it upside down. This will help knead the dough evenly. Knead until the dough is smooth, supple, and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough is ready when you can stretch a quarter-sized piece of dough between your fingers and see light through it (without it breaking). This means the gluten has developed enough. If your dough breaks, knead for a few minutes more and try again.
- Transfer the dough to a large lightly-oiled bowl and cover the bowl with a dish towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- While the dough is rising, make the filling. In a medium bowl, combine the butter, dark brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt. Use a silicone spatula to mix together until smooth and combined. Set aside.
- Line a 2-pound loaf pan* with parchment paper on all sides. Set aside.
- Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a 12-inch long by 19-inch-wide rectangle, with the wider side closest to you. Spread the filling all the way to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle the pecans all over the filling, gently pressing them into the mixture.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the dough crosswise into 6 even strips (each strip should be approximately 3 inches wide). Stack the strips on top of each other. Then, cut the stack of strips into 6 equal pieces, length-wise. You should end with 6 stacks, each with 6 layers of dough.
- Place the dough stacks into the prepared loaf pan. The end product should look like a dough accordion in your loaf pan. Cover the loaf with a dish towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the towel or plastic wrap and bake the loaf until the dough is puffed up and the top is golden brown all over, about 45 to 50 minutes. Place the loaf pan on a wire cooling rack to cool slightly in the pan, about 15 minutes.
- While the bread cools, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk, vanilla and salt until smooth.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the bread from the pan, then set it onto a cooling rack. Drizzle the glaze on top of the loaf (it’s okay if it’s still a little warm!) and allow it to sit until the glaze is set, then serve.
- Prep Time 1 hour
- Rise Time 1 hour 45 minutes
- Cook Time 50 minutes
- Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
- Yield 16 servings
- Category Breakfast
- Method Baking
- Cuisine American
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