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Make pumpkin bread this once and you’ll make it over and over! Imagine cinnamon rolls + pumpkin pie + an irresistible cinnamon glaze and you have this pull-apart pumpkin bread! This recipe is a hit everywhere it goes.
Everything about it is good from the melt-in-your mouth soft centers to the cinnamon glaze that melts into every groove. You’ll want this glaze on all your pumpkin-baked goods. It’s truly THAT GOOD!
This is a treat for breakfast, brunch or dessert and is sure to become a Fall favorite in your home as well. It’s well loved by kids and adults and you don’t even have to slice it! Portions easily pull apart from the loaf to expose gorgeous swirls of pumpkin spice.
P.S. This recipe makes 2 loves and you will love the make-ahead option so you can enjoy this freshly baked pumpkin bread in the morning! The last picture has your name written all over it! 😉
Ingredients for Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread:
3/4 cup warm milk (not hot) tip: microwave cold milk 40 seconds
1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), or use well-drained homemade puree
4 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour *measured correctly + 1-2 Tbsp (465 grams) *See note on measuring
1 large egg, room temp
2 Tbsp melted unsalted butter, divided (1 Tbsp for batter, 1 Tbsp to grease pans)
1/2 tsp salt
*Watch our easy video tutorial on how to measure correctly
Filling for Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread:
7 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, divided (6 for the filling and 1 Tbsp to brush tops)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (64 grams)
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Ingredients for Cinnamon Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
5-6 Tbsp heavy cream or half and half
What You’ll Need:
2 Bread Pans, An electric stand mixer (unless you want to knead by hand), Rolling Pin
How to Make Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread:
1. In bowl of an electric mixer, add 3/4 cup warm milk, sprinkle top with 1/2 Tbsp yeast and let sit for 7 min.
2. Whisk in 1/2 cup flour and 2 Tbsp sugar then whisk in 3/4 cup pumpkin puree. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm oven** for 25-30 minutes or at room temp 35-45 min. It will be puffy.
3. Whisk in 1 egg, 1 Tbsp melted butter, remaining 2 Tbsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt.
4. Using dough hook on speed 2, add remaining 3 cups flour (1/2 cup at a time allowing it to incorporate between each addition). Dough should feel barely sticky to the touch but should not stick to fingertips or the sides of the bowl while mixing. You may need an extra 1-2 Tbsp flour depending on how you measured it. Once all flour is in, continue kneading on speed 2 for 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm oven** for 1 hour or at room temp 2 hours. Dough should double in size.
5. Generously dust flour over a clean work surface and place dough in the center. Sprinkle dough with flour (just enough to keep the rolling pin from sticking) and roll into an even 16″x10″ rectangle. Dot the top of dough with 6 Tbsp softened butter and spread it out gently with a spatula.
6. Stir together 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice and sprinkle it all evenly over buttered dough.
This is a very exciting step for little helpers!
7. Roll the dough up starting with the longer side, keeping a tight roll. Push ends in slightly to make them a little more uniform then slice in half. Slice both halves into 1″ pieces, keeping the dough rounds connected at the base (don’t cut all the way through).
Butter 2 bread pans with 1/2 Tbsp butter each then transfer the sliced dough halves into buttered pans, connected side down. Gently pull the sliced rounds into opposite directions to create a layered effect.
(Note: if baking the following day, see notes***). Cover with plastic and let rise in a warm oven** for 30-45 minutes or at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until puffy.
8. Brush each loaf with 1/2 Tbsp melted butter and Bake at 350˚F for 22-25 min. I think it’s perfect at 23 minutes. Bread will be a light golden brown. Let bread cool in pan 10 minutes then apply glaze (see instructions below) generously over the top of each loaf while inside the pan.
How to Make the Cinnamon glaze:
1. Stir together the glaze ingredients, adding cream to reach desired consistency. Pour/spread generously over your two warm pumpkin loaves
To serve, each “cinnamon roll” pulls apart into perfect serving sizes. No need to slice it! 🙂
Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Pumpkin Bread:
- 3/4 cup warm milk, not hot
- 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 4 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 1-2 Tbsp, 465 grams *See note on measuring
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 2 Tbsp melted unsalted butter, divided (1 Tbsp for batter, 1 Tbsp to grease pans)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Ingredients for Pumpkin Bread Filling:
- 7 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, divided (6 for the filling and 1 Tbsp to brush tops)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (64 grams)
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Ingredients for Cinnamon Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 5-6 Tbsp heavy cream or half and half
What You'll Need:
- 2 Bread Pans, An electric stand mixer (or knead by hand), Rolling Pin
Instructions
How to Make Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread:
- In bowl of a mixer, add 3/4 cup warm milk, sprinkle top with 1/2 Tbsp yeast and let sit for 7 min.
- Whisk in 1/2 cup flour and 2 Tbsp sugar then whisk in 3/4 cup pumpkin puree. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm oven** for 25-30 min or at room temp 35-45 min. It will be puffy.
- Whisk in 1 egg, 1 Tbsp melted butter, remaining 2 Tbsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Using dough hook on speed 2, add remaining 3 cups flour (1/2 cup at a time allowing it to incorporate). Dough should feel barely sticky to the touch but should not stick to fingertips or the sides of the bowl while mixing. You may need an extra 1-2 Tbsp flour. Once all flour is in, continue kneading on speed 2 for 10 min. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm oven** for 1 hour or at room temp 2 hours. Dough should double in size.
- Generously dust flour over a clean work surface and place dough in the center. Sprinkle dough with flour (just enough to keep the rolling pin from sticking) and roll into an even 16″x10″ rectangle. Dot the top of dough with 6 Tbsp softened butter and spread it out gently with a spatula.
- Stir together 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice and sprinkle it all evenly over buttered dough.
- Roll the dough up starting with the longer side, keeping a tight roll. Push ends in slightly to make them a little more uniform then slice in half. Slice both halves into 1" pieces, keeping the dough rounds connected at the base (don't cut all the way through). Butter 2 bread pans with 1/2 Tbsp butter each then transfer the sliced dough halves into buttered pans, connected side down. Gently pull the sliced rounds into opposite directions to create a layered effect. Cover with plastic and let rise in a warm oven** for 30-45 min or at room temp for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until puffy.
- Brush each loaf with 1/2 Tbsp melted butter and Bake at 350˚F for 22-25 min. I think it's perfect at 23 min. Bread will be a light golden brown. Let bread cool in pan 10 min then apply glaze generously over the top of each loaf while inside the pan.
How to Make the Cinnamon glaze:
- Stir together the glaze ingredients, adding cream to reach desired consistency. Pour/spread generously over your two warm pumpkin loaves
Notes
**Oven should not be hotter than 100˚F or you will cook and ruin the yeast.
***For make-ahead overnight pumpkin bread: Once dough is in the pan and before the last rise, cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Dough may be refrigerated up to 18 hours prior to baking. Remove from refrigerator and keeping them covered, let cinnamon rolls rise in a warm oven** for 35 min or at room temp 1 1/2 hours or until puffy then proceed with step 8.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I want you to experience this pull-apart pumpkin bread! Just be aware – it has been know to disappear in seconds! 😉
I was looking for something other than pumpkin bread and came across your recipe. I had everything to make it so I put it together. So delicious and exactly what I was looking for ! I made only one change, only because I love cream cheese with pumpkin- cream cheese glaze. So so good. Great flavors all the way around! Thank you 🙏🏼
That’s wonderful, Liz! I’m so glad you found this recipe!