Blueberry Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze

Blueberry Monkey Bread

Blueberry Monkey Bread is a pull apart treat built from layers of soft, buttery homemade dough and a sweet, tangy blueberry sauce, all finished with a cream cheese glaze.

If you have never made one, picture a bundt pan packed with little dough balls that you pull out with your fingers, each one coated in cinnamon sugar and swirled with fruit.

I made this for a slow Sunday brunch the first time, and by the time I set the platter down, most of it had vanished before the coffee was even poured. It is that kind of bread.

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It works beautifully for breakfast, dessert, or a snack, and it is delicious warm or cold. Warm, the glaze slides into every crevice. Cool, the blueberry flavor steps forward a little more. Either way, it is a very forgiving bake.

The homemade dough is the heart of the recipe. It bakes up soft and buttery, which is exactly what you want when every bite is meant to pull away cleanly from the next.

Blueberry Monkey Bread Ingredients & Smart Substitutions

This recipe has four parts: the dough, the blueberry sauce, the cinnamon sugar coating, and the cream cheese glaze. Nothing here is hard to find, and most of it is probably in your kitchen right now.

About the butter. The recipe calls for unsalted butter so you stay in control of the salt. If salted butter is all you have, go ahead and use it, but cut back on the added salt so the bread does not end up tasting salty.

About the blueberry sauce. This is where the magic happens. Fresh blueberries cook down with sugar, a cornstarch slurry thickens things up, and lemon juice plus a pinch of salt keeps the flavor bright instead of flat.

Half the berries go into the pan, and the other half get stirred in at the end so you still get whole, jammy pieces. If you use frozen blueberries, expect them to need a little longer on the heat.

Make the sauce ahead. You can cook it up to a few days in advance. Let it cool, tuck it into an airtight container, and keep it in the refrigerator. In a pinch, blueberry pie filling works as a substitute.

About the cinnamon sugar. Each dough ball gets a dip in melted butter and then a roll in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Do not skip that little bit of salt. It makes the sweet coating taste fuller and keeps the whole bread from tasting one note.

About the glaze. Softened cream cheese and butter get mixed until smooth, then confectioners’ sugar and milk go in. Add the milk a little at a time until it pours. And if you would rather skip the glaze entirely, that is completely fine. The bread is delicious without it.

The recipe makes 12 servings, and the source nutrition lists about 370 calories per serving with the glaze.

Can I Assemble Blueberry Monkey Bread Ahead Of Time?

Yes, and this is one of my favorite things about the recipe. You can do all the work the night before and simply bake in the morning. Here is the full flow, so you can decide whether to bake right away or let it chill overnight.

Start the dough. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the warm milk, warm water, sugar, and melted butter. Mix until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Add the yeast and let it rest until it turns foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Mix and knead. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour and kosher salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed until combined.

Increase the speed to high and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer it to a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until doubled.

Make the sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1 cup of the blueberries and the sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. The berries will start to pop as they heat.

Whisk the cornstarch and cold water together in a small bowl until smooth, pour that into the pan, and stir until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, a pinch of kosher salt, and the remaining 1 cup of blueberries. Let it cool to room temperature.

Assemble. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set out two small bowls. Put the melted butter in the first one, and mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in the second. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 36 equal pieces, about 1 inch each.

Working one at a time, coat each piece in butter, then roll it in the sugar mixture until fully coated. Arrange 12 pieces in the bottom of the pan. Spoon half the blueberry sauce over them. Add another 12 coated pieces, then the rest of the sauce, and finish with the final 12 pieces. Discard any leftover sugar mixture.

Rise. Cover the pan and let the bread rise until doubled, about 50 to 60 minutes. The dough balls should almost reach the top of the pan.

Or chill overnight. If you want to bake tomorrow, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. The bread rises slowly in the cold, which builds flavor while you sleep.

When you are ready, take it out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, then bake as directed.

Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the bread is deeply browned on top and around the edges. An instant read thermometer inserted into the dough should read at least 190°F.

Turn it out. Let the bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a small knife around the edges to loosen it, then invert it onto a platter.

Glaze. Mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk, adding more milk as needed for a smooth, pourable glaze. Drizzle it over the warm bread.

From start to finish, the recipe takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes, with 15 minutes of prep and 40 minutes in the oven. Most of that time is hands off while the dough does its thing.

Give the dough all the time it needs to rise, and do not rush the blueberry sauce. That sauce is what makes this bread so special.

Can I Use a Different Pan?

A bundt pan is the classic choice, and a 12 cup pan gives you that tall, pull apart shape. But it is not the only option. A 9 by 13 inch baking dish works, and so do a bread pan or a springform pan.

Just keep in mind that cooking times will vary with a different pan. A shallower dish usually bakes faster, and a deeper one takes longer. Check the middle of the bread to be sure it is done, and reach for that instant read thermometer if you have one. The dough should read at least 190°F.

How To Store Blueberry Monkey Bread

Let the bread cool to room temperature first. Storing it warm traps steam and turns the outside soft and sticky.

If you added the glaze, keep the bread in the refrigerator. If you skipped the glaze, it can sit at room temperature for up to a day or two. Either way, wrap it well so it does not dry out.

A quick warm up brings it right back to that fresh from the oven feel. I like mine warmed up a bit, honestly.

Freezing Monkey Bread

Freezer space and a big batch of monkey bread are a very good match. The trick is to freeze it without the glaze, since the glaze does not hold up well through thawing.

Here is how I do it:

• Let the baked bread cool completely.
• Wrap it tightly in aluminum foil.
• For extra protection, add a second layer of foil or slide the wrapped bread into a freezer safe bag.
• Label it and freeze for up to 2 to 3 months.
• Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight when you are ready to serve.

Once it has thawed, warm it slightly if you like, then add the glaze if you are using it. That last step is easy to forget when you are hungry, so I usually set the cream cheese out on the counter the night before as a little reminder.

Frozen and thawed monkey bread is honestly almost as good as fresh, especially if you warm individual pieces for a few seconds. The blueberry pockets stay jammy and the cinnamon sugar coating softens just enough.

It is a great thing to have on hand for a lazy Saturday, a house full of guests, or a morning when nobody wants to think too hard about breakfast.

A single recipe makes 12 servings, which means you can freeze part of it and still have plenty for a weekend breakfast.

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Blueberry Monkey Bread

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Blueberry Monkey Bread Blueberry Monkey Bread is a pull apart treat built from layers of soft, buttery homemade dough and a sweet, tangy blueberry sauce, all finished with a cream cheese glaze. If you have never made one, picture a bundt pan packed with little dough balls that you pull out with your fingers, each one coated in cinnamon sugar and swirled with fruit.

• Total Time: 165 min
• Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Dough*
¾ cup (184 g) whole milk, heated to 110°F
½ cup water, heated to 110°F
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
3 ¼ cups (406 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Blueberry Sauce
2 cups (296 g) fresh blueberries, divided
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cold water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pinch kosher salt

Assembly
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Glaze
4 ounces (½ package) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup (83 g) confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk, or more as needed for desired consistency

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Instructions

Dough
1-In a medium mixing bowl combine warm: In a medium mixing bowl combine warm milk, warm water, sugar, and melted butter. Mix until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Add yeast and let it rest until it becomes foamy (about 5-10 minutes).
2-In the bowl of a stand mixer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour and kosher salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
3-Increase the speed to high: Increase the speed to high. Knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic (about 6-8 minutes).
4-Transfer the dough to a greased bowl: Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until doubled.

Blueberry Sauce
5-To a medium saucepan over medium heat,: To a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1 cup of blueberries and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Blueberries will start to pop as they heat.
6-In a small bowl, whisk together the: In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch is dissolved. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the blueberries and stir until thickened (about 1 minute).
7-Remove the saucepan from the heat: Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, a pinch of kosher salt, and the remaining 1 cup of blueberries. Set aside while you prepare the bread.

Assembly
8-Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with non-stick: Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
9-Set out two small bowls: Set out two small bowls. To the first bowl, add the melted butter. In a second bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
10-Turn the dough out onto a lightly: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 36 equal pieces, about 1 inch each.
11-Working one at a time, coat each: Working one at a time, coat each section of dough in butter. Then, roll in the sugar mixture until completely coated. Arrange 12 pieces of the coated dough in the bottom of the prepared pan.
12-Spoon half of the blueberry sauce over: Spoon half of the blueberry sauce over the top. Continue with another 12 pieces of coated dough, and the remaining blueberry sauce. Finish by topping with the remaining dough pieces. (Discard any remaining sugar mixture.)
13-Cover and let rise until doubled, about: Cover and let rise until doubled, about 50-60 minutes. (The dough balls should almost reach the top of the bundt pan.)
14-When ready, preheat the oven to 350°F: When ready, preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the pan and bake the bread until it’s deeply browned on top and around the edges, 40-45 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the dough should read at least 190°F.)
15-Let it cool for 5 minutes: Let it cool for 5 minutes. Then, run a small knife around the edges of the pan to loosen it. Invert it onto a platter.

Glaze
16-In a medium bowl, mix together the: In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
17-Stir in the confectioners’ sugar and 1: Stir in the confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon of whole milk, adding more milk as needed to achieve a smooth, pourable glaze.
18-Drizzle the glaze over the warm monkey: Drizzle the glaze over the warm monkey bread.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 40 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 370kcal