Soft Pull-Apart Sweet Bread

The photo appears to show a soft, enriched pull-apart sweet bread baked in a rectangular pan and finished with powdered sugar. Because the ingredient list isn’t visible in the image, I can’t verify the exact original recipe, so the recipe below is a reconstructed version designed to produce the same style of soft, golden, pull-apart pieces.

Ingredients
For the dough
4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour

2¼ tsp (7 g) instant dry yeast

½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

½ tsp salt

1 cup (240 ml) warm milk

2 large eggs, room temperature

60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the buttery filling
75 g (5 tbsp) softened butter

½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon — optional

1 tsp vanilla extract

For finishing
2–3 tbsp powdered/icing sugar

Optional
½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

½ tsp cardamom

1–2 tbsp sesame seeds
Method
1. Prepare the yeast
Warm the milk to approximately 38–43°C / 100–110°F.

It should feel warm, not hot.

Mix the warm milk with:

1 tbsp of the measured sugar

yeast

Leave for 5–10 minutes.

If using instant yeast, you can also mix it directly with the flour, but blooming it first makes it easier to check that the yeast is active.

2. Make the dough
In a large bowl combine:

flour

remaining sugar

salt

Add:

yeast/milk mixture

eggs

melted butter

vanilla

Mix until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.

3. Knead
Knead for approximately 8–10 minutes by hand, or 5–7 minutes with a dough hook.

The finished dough should become:

smooth

elastic

soft

slightly tacky

Don’t add large amounts of flour just because the dough feels sticky. Too much flour produces a dry, heavy bread.

4. First rise
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel.

Leave somewhere warm for approximately 60–90 minutes, or until doubled in size.

The exact time depends on room temperature.

5. Make the filling
Mix together:

75 g softened butter

½ cup sugar

cinnamon, if using

vanilla

You should have a soft spreadable mixture.

6. Shape the pull-apart bread
Punch the risen dough down gently.

Roll it into a rectangle approximately 30 × 45 cm (12 × 18 inches).

Spread the butter mixture evenly over the surface.

If desired, sprinkle raisins or chopped nuts over the filling.

Cut the dough into approximately 12–16 rectangular pieces.

Stack the pieces loosely or arrange them upright next to one another in a parchment-lined rectangular baking pan.

This is what produces the individual pull-apart sections seen in the photograph.

7. Second rise
Cover the pan.

Let the bread rise for approximately 30–45 minutes, until noticeably puffy.

Don’t skip this step—the second rise is important for a light texture.

8. Bake
Preheat oven to:

180°C / 350°F

Bake for approximately:

25–35 minutes

The top should become golden brown.

If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.

9. Finish
Allow the bread to cool for approximately 10–15 minutes.

Then generously sift:

powdered sugar

over the top.

For an even more dessert-like version, drizzle with a simple glaze made from:

1 cup powdered sugar

1–2 tbsp milk

½ tsp vanilla

Mix until smooth and drizzle over the warm bread.

Nut Information
Basic recipe
The basic version contains no nuts.

Optional nuts
You can add:

walnuts

pecans

almonds

pistachios

Use approximately ½ cup (50–60 g) chopped nuts.

For a Pakistani/South Asian flavor, pistachio + cardamom works particularly well.

Nut allergy
If making this for someone with a nut allergy, don’t simply omit the nuts—check packaged flour, butter, chocolate, toppings, etc. for may-contain/cross-contact warnings.

Approximate Nutrition
For the basic loaf, without nuts or glaze, the whole recipe is roughly:

Nutrient Approx. whole loaf
Calories 3,300–3,500 kcal
Carbohydrates 480–500 g
Protein 70–75 g
Fat 105–115 g
Fiber 10–13 g
Sugar 120–140 g

If divided into 16 pieces, approximately:

205–220 kcal each

30–31 g carbohydrates

4–5 g protein

6–7 g fat

These are estimates; the actual values depend on the flour, butter, milk, filling and amount of powdered sugar.

Q&A
Can I make it without eggs?
Yes. Replace the two eggs with approximately ½ cup (120 g) plain yogurt or use a suitable egg replacer. The texture will change slightly.

Can I use instant yeast?
Yes. Instant yeast is ideal for this recipe.

Can I use active dry yeast?
Yes. Use the same approximately 7 g / 2¼ tsp, and dissolve it in the warm milk first.

Why is my dough not rising?
Possible reasons include:

yeast is old or inactive

milk was too hot and damaged the yeast

room temperature is cold

too much flour was added

Why is my bread dense?
The most common causes are insufficient rising or excessive flour.

The dough should remain soft and slightly tacky, rather than stiff.

Can I make it less sweet?
Yes. Reduce the dough sugar to ¼ cup and the filling sugar to ¼–⅓ cup.

Can I make it more like cinnamon rolls?
Yes. Increase the cinnamon to 1½–2 tsp and add a little brown sugar to the filling.

Can I add chocolate?
Yes. Add ½ cup chocolate chips to the filling.

Can I use brown sugar?
Yes. Brown sugar gives the filling a deeper caramel-like flavor.

Can I use oil instead of butter?
For the dough, yes. Replace the 60 g butter with approximately 50 ml neutral oil. Butter is preferable for the filling.

Can I prepare it the night before?
Yes. Shape the bread, cover it well and refrigerate overnight. The next day, let it sit at room temperature until puffy, then bake.

Can I freeze it?
Yes. Cool completely, wrap tightly and freeze for up to about 2–3 months for best quality.

How do I keep it soft?
Once completely cool, store it in an airtight container. Don’t refrigerate unless necessary because refrigeration can make bread stale faster.

How do I get the beautiful golden top?
Brush the risen bread lightly with egg wash before baking:

1 egg

1 tbsp milk

Whisk together and brush gently over the surface.

Why does the photo have powdered sugar?
Powdered sugar is mainly a finishing/topping ingredient. It gives the bread its characteristic white, sweet appearance; it isn’t responsible for the bread rising.

Flavor variations
Cinnamon: butter + brown sugar + cinnamon
Cardamom: butter + sugar + ½–1 tsp cardamom
Coconut: add ½ cup shredded coconut
Raisin: add ½ cup raisins
Nut: add ½ cup walnuts/pecans
Pistachio: add ½ cup pistachios + ½ tsp cardamom
Chocolate: add ½ cup chocolate chips
Orange: add 1 tsp orange zest + vanilla

Best match for the pictured bread: vanilla dough + buttery cinnamon-sugar filling + powdered sugar on top.

Author
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Sara Mitchell

Sara Mitchell is an expert restaurant content creator who writes easy-to-read guides about CAVA and other Mediterranean fast-casual chains in the United States. She covers locations, menus, prices, and hours, making it simple for visitors to find nearby restaurants and what to order quickly.

With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.