Monkey Bread Using Frozen Dinner Roll Dough

If you’ve been following along, you already know that my viral dinner roll dough freezes beautifully. After so many of you asked whether my roll dough could be frozen, I tested it — and not only did it thaw and bake perfectly, but it also made the BEST monkey bread ever. 🤍

Yes, you can use canned biscuit dough — and it works great — but using homemade roll dough takes this classic pull-apart treat to another level. It becomes softer, fluffier, and richer, with that warm cinnamon-sugar goodness in every bite.

If you love cozy desserts that taste nostalgic and come together easily, this one’s for you. It’s perfect for weekends, holidays, brunches, and honestly… whenever that sweet tooth strikes.

And if you want to prep ahead? Just freeze some dough and pull it out whenever you’re ready to bake. Cozy dessert on demand. ✨

⭐ 

Ingredients

• 30 oz thawed dinner roll dough (or biscuit dough)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar

👩‍🍳 

Instructions

1. Prep: Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut & Coat: Cut dough into bite-size pieces. Toss in a mixture of 1 cup sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon. Place coated dough pieces into the Bundt pan.
3. Make Syrup: In a saucepan, melt 1 cup butter with ½ cup brown sugar and ½ cup leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture. Stir until smooth — do not boil.
4. Bake: Pour mixture over dough. Bake 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
5. Serve: Let cool 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm and enjoy every sticky, gooey bite!

🍞 

Homemade Dinner Roll Dough (Freezer-Friendly!)

You can use store-bought dough, but this is the dough that made this monkey bread truly special — and it’s the same dough from my viral roll recipe with millions of views.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups warm water
• 2 Tbsp active dry yeast
• ½ cup salted butter, melted (1 stick)
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 7 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. Combine warm water and yeast; rest 2–3 minutes.
2. Add melted butter, salt, sugar, egg, and flour. Mix until combined; knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and rise 40 minutes.
4. Punch down and shape into rolls — or into dough balls for freezing or monkey bread.
5. To freeze: Place dough balls on a tray and freeze solid (about 3 hours). Transfer to a freezer bag.
6. To bake later: Thaw 4 hours until soft and puffy, then bake like fresh.

Tip: For monkey bread, let frozen dough balls thaw and rise before assembling.

💡 

Tips & Variations

• Add chopped pecans for a caramel-pecan twist
• Drizzle with vanilla glaze after baking
• Use brown sugar + cinnamon only for a deeper caramel flavor
• Make ahead: assemble the night before and bake in the morning

📌 

Make-Ahead Magic

Freeze the dough and you can have:

• Fresh rolls anytime ✅
• Monkey bread anytime ✅

Homemade convenience really is the best of both worlds. ✨

💬 

Let’s Bake Together!

Made this recipe? Tag me @DeliciouslyBold — I love seeing your creations!

🔖 

Pin & Save

This is a great one to save for holidays, weekend brunch, or dessert night.

Monkey Bread Using Frozen Dinner Roll Dough

This gooey, pull-apart Monkey Bread is made using my homemade dinner roll dough — the same dough from my viral roll recipe! You can use fresh dough or thaw frozen dough, making this the perfect make-ahead sweet treat. Each bite is coated in cinnamon-sugar and drenched in buttery caramel goodness. Cozy, sticky, and irresistible for holidays, brunch, or an easy weekend dessert. Serve warm and watch it disappear!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

if thawing frozen dough: 4 hours hrs

Course: Bread, Dessert

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the Monkey Bread:

• 30 oz thawed dinner roll dough or biscuit dough
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar

For the dinner rolls dough:

• 2 ½ cups warm water
• 2 Tbsp active dry yeast
• ½ cup salted butter melted (1 stick)
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 7 cups all-purpose flour

Equipment

• Bundt Pan

Method

 

For the monkey bread:

1. Prep: Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut & Coat: Cut dough into bite-size pieces. Toss in a mixture of 1 cup sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon. Place coated dough pieces into the Bundt pan.
3. Make Syrup: In a saucepan, melt 1 cup butter with ½ cup brown sugar and ½ cup leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture. Stir until smooth — do not boil.
4. Bake: Pour mixture over dough. Bake 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
5. Serve: Let cool 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm and enjoy every sticky, gooey bite!

For the dinner rolls dough:

1. Combine warm water and yeast; rest 2–3 minutes.
2. Add melted butter, salt, sugar, egg, and flour. Mix until combined; knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and rise 40 minutes.
4. Punch down and shape into rolls — or into dough balls for freezing or monkey bread.
5. To freeze: Place dough balls on a tray and freeze solid (about 3 hours). Transfer to a freezer bag.
6. To bake later: Thaw 4 hours until soft and puffy, then bake like fresh.

Notes

 For monkey bread, let frozen dough balls thaw and rise before assembling.

• Add chopped pecans for a caramel-pecan twist
• Drizzle with vanilla glaze after baking
• Use brown sugar + cinnamon only for a deeper caramel flavor
• Make ahead: assemble the night before and bake in the morning