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This festive Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Wreath is light, soft, extra sweet, cinnamony, and SO delicious. It even has a bit of melted chocolate. Serve this right out of the oven while the bread is still sticky and warm. This bread is melt in your mouth good…and oh so impressive. It’s also simpler than you’d think to make. Plus, it’s always a crowd pleaser during the holidays.
I had a perfectly good and very delicious recipe all set and ready to go for today, but…it just didn’t feel like the right recipe for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
So I changed things around and here we are with this pretty and oh so festive cinnamon sugar wreath. What’s the right recipe for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving? Who know, but this feels good to me!
It’s sweet, cinnamony, and extra delicious. It makes a yummy breakfast or dessert. It will of course be great for Thanksgiving morning (maybe while enjoying the Macy’s Day Parade?). But it’s equally awesome for the entire month of December.
What is a bread wreath?
I know this bread might look like it takes hours to make, but trust me, it’s really pretty simple. I used my favorite base brioche dough, so it’s really light and soft. You’ll roll the dough out with cinnamon sugar, cut it into squares, and arrange it in a tube pan.
What’s great about this pull apart bread is that while it’s a nice addition to your holiday brunch or dessert table, it also works as an afternoon snack that people can enjoy after coming in from the cold. It’s always nice to have something for people to graze on while chatting away.
The details
The dough is the simplest to make. Simply mix the yeast with warm milk and a small touch of honey. It’s important to let that mix sit for a few minutes to allow the yeast to “activate”.
Next, add the butter, eggs, flour, and salt. Mix until smooth and let the dough rest until doubled in size. Then it’s time to assemble.
While the dough rests, mix the filling
It’s super simple. I love to use a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon. The brown sugar adds a nice depth of flavor. And the cinnamon adds a nice cozy festive touch.
And of course, there’s the chocolate. You can leave it out, of course, but I think the mini chocolate chips add a little something special.
Once the bread has risen, simply roll the dough out, then spread with butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and chocolate. Cut the dough into squares, then layer the squares, and arrange in a tube pan. If you don’t own a tube pan, I’d recommend dividing the dough between two traditional bread pans. That works great too!
Let the bread rise until it’s puffy on top, then bake. Wonderful smells will waft from your oven…nothing really beats cinnamon sugar baking away.
Here’s the thing, you can’t stress if your unbaked bread dough looks a little crazy. Know that the layers of dough do not need to be perfect…just bake the bread. As soon as you pull this out of the oven you’ll be impressed. And no matter what, it’s going to be delicious.
The most important thing you must do? Serve the bread while it’s still warm and sticky and the chocolate is melty.
Very few things are more delicious. I’m already excited to bake this again…and I’ve made it five times in a three day span. Sooo, I will wait until the family shows up later in December for Christmas. But I really am excited to share it with the fam!
Looking for other cinnamon recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Cinnamon Knots with Coffee Icing
Easy Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting
Lastly, if you make this Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Wreath be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Wreath
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 518 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups light or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the milk, yeast, and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly on top. Add 4 tablespoons butter, eggs, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough is still sticky, add the additional 1/2 cup flour, adding more as needed until the dough is smooth to touch.2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.3. Meanwhile, mix the filling. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Butter a tube pan. 4. Transfer the dough to a work surface and cut into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 dough piece at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle (roughly 14×10 inches). Spread 2tablespoons butter over the dough, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar and 2-4 tablespoons chocolate chips. Gently press the chips into the dough. Cut the dough lengthwise into 3 strips. Cut the strips crosswise into 4 strips each, making 12 squares (see above photo). Stack all 12 dough squares, 1 on top of the other. Repeat with the remaining 3 dough pieces and remaining butter. 5. Arrange stacks in the buttered tube pan, standing up like little books, allowing gaps between dough pieces (see above photo).6. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until the dough almost reaches the top, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake until the bread is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand in the pan 5 minutes, then carefully remove. Serve warm.
This post was originally published on November 23, 2021
Can this be made the day before and kept in the refrigerator overnight? Thanks f I can do that, I can serve it Christmas morning.
Hey Cindy,
You bet, that will work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Could you make the dough or the whole thing ahead of time?
Hey Jordanna,
Sure, you can make the dough ahead of time and keep in the fridge, you can also assemble the bread and keep in the fridge, allow to rise and then bake. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi there! Question— would it be ok to use a regular electric hand mixer? Or maybe just mix by hand instead? I do not have a stand mixer with a dough hook, but I’m dying to make this! Thanks in advance!
I mixed by hand and it’s in the oven right now! We’ll see how it turns out. 🙂
Hi Emily,
I would just mix with a wooden spoon and then knead by hand. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Looks delicious! Could use coconut milk in this recipe?
Hey Megan,
Yes, coconut milk will work here! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
hey! just wondering- can you freeze part of the the dough before rolling out and adding in the cinnamon and chocolate chips? i’m baking for one so having two loaves is a bit extra! thank you so much.
Hi Claire,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious! (No surprise because all of her recipes are amazing :)) It’s just my boyfriend and I so we cut the recipe down to 3 servings. It was so good that we could have kept it to the full serving size!
Hey Claudia,
Happy Friday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks to much for giving it a try!! xTieghan
Hi there! Would this be okay to make the day before (leave ready to bake covered in the pan in the refrigerator) and bake the following morning?
Hey Ana,
You bet, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi I would like to ask, would bread flour work here?
Hi Rachel,
I’ve not tested this with bread flour, but it should be okay to use. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Have you made this with One to one Gluten free flour?
Hey Linda,
Using an equal amount of GF flour should work well for you here. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
If using pre-made dough, what would you recommend? Puff pastry dough?
Hey Emma,
Sorry, I have not tried this with pre-made dough, I definitely would not use puff pastry though, maybe some type of bread dough. Let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi! Thanks for the recipe. Can you substitute whole wheat sprouted flour, oatmeal milk and monk fruit/erythriol blend?
Hi Stephanie,
So sorry, I really am not familiar with using monk fruit/erythriol blend, I do not know if that will work. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Seeing that you made this like five times in a three day span makes me feel better about making this twice in a four-day span. This was hands down my favorite dish I made for thanksgiving and all of my coworkers requested some for Monday, so here we go again ☺️ Worth all of the labor & love!!! I highly recommend everyone make one of these wreaths and just watch as the compliments flow in!!
Hey Adan,
Fantastic! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Have the best week:) xTieghan
This was a really complex recipe. It def took longer to put together than I thought. It’s still baking so I haven’t tried it yet but it does look delicious. I had a bunch of the brown sugar cinnamon mixture left. The recipe calls for 1 and 1/4 cup but then it says to put 1/4 cup of it on each section of dough which would total 1 cup. So what is the extra 1/4 cup for? Also, typically recipes I have done say to spread melted butter over the dough before putting brown sugar on, but yours said to do room temperature butter. I was just wondering what the difference is! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hey Liz,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try. The extra cinnamon sugar can be saved and used at a later time. For me, the room temp butter is less messy. I hope it turns out okay! xTieghan
Could one use fresh cranberries, instead of the chocolate?
Hi Pat,
Sure, I would probably cook them down first to avoid too much tartness or you could use dried cranberries. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi thank you for the recipe it was so yummy. What is the proper storage for leftovers? Fridge? Counter?
Hi Mel,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! I would store in an airtight container on the counter. Have a great weekend! xTieghan
Hey there! So, I can make this the night before and refrigerate after I assemble it before it rises? If so, how long should I take it out in the morning before baking? This sounds perfect for Christmas morning!!!!
You bet! I would give it a few hours so it can rise and come to room temp!
Just made this recipe – and it is delicious! Love your recipes!
Hi Sheri,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
Just made this recipe – and it is delicious! Love your recipes!
Hi, can you make this ahead of time? If so, can you freeze it?
Hey there,
Yes, you can make through step 5, freeze, thaw and then bake as directed. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Sheri,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
When I combined yeast, warm milk and honey it did not bubble? What am I doing wrong?
Hi Melissa,
What kind of yeast did you use? Did you allow it to sit for a little? Was your milk to hot? Let me know! xTieghan
Do you have to
Use a stand mixer? I only have the handheld
Hi Kayla,
Just mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan