Rhodes frozen rolls thaw overnight, then get cut into quarters—the dough's gluten structure creates that signature pull-apart monkey bread texture.
Rhodes Rolls Monkey Bread
A delicious and easy-to-make monkey bread using frozen dinner rolls, perfect for a sweet treat.
Prep
0
min
Cook
43
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
The Story
Right, so this gloopy, cinnamon-drenched tower of dough chunks traces its lineage to 1950s American church potlucks, but the pull-apart bread concept itself hails from Hungary's 'aranygaluska,' a golden dumpling cake dragged across the Atlantic by immigrants—Americans then bulldozed in Bisquick, bundt pans, and shameless quantities of butter until it became this sticky, caramelized monument to excess.
Regional Twist
Down in New Orleans, bakers ditch plain brown sugar for a praline-style mix, stirring in pecans and a splash of bourbon into that 12 tablespoons of melted butter, turning this humble bundt into something that tastes like Mardi Gras exploded in your kitchen.
📝 Ingredients
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 12 tablespoons butter, melted
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
📦Other(1)
- 1 bag, 24 oz, Frozen Dinner Rolls, Thawed
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
348
Protein
4g
Carbs
50g
Fat
14g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a bundt pan and set aside.
- 2
Add sugars and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, add melted butter.
- 3
Cut each roll into quarters with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Dunk each piece of dough into the butter and toss to coat.
- 4
Dredge in cinnamon sugar mixture and toss to coat. Toss into prepared pan.
- 5
Continue to add dough to pan, starting with the first layer and moving onto a second.
- 6
Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5-8 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Thaw rolls at room temperature (68-72°F) for 2-3 hours rather than overnight in the fridge, which over-proofs them and causes them to merge into a solid mass instead of maintaining individual pull-apart pieces.timing2-3 hours at 68-72°F
- ✓Use a 3:1 brown sugar to white sugar ratio (3/4 cup brown to 1/4 cup white) and keep cinnamon at 2 teaspoons per cup of sugar—higher concentrations over 2.5 tsp per cup become bitter and astringent due to tannin extraction.ingredient3:1 ratio; 2 tsp cinnamon per cup sugar max
- ✓Dunk dough pieces for exactly 1-2 seconds per side in melted butter held at 160-170°F; longer submersion causes gluten strands to absorb excess moisture and prevents proper browning (Maillard reactions require <10% surface moisture).technique1-2 seconds; 160-170°F butter temp
- ✓Layer dough pieces in a spiral pattern rather than random stacking so heat penetrates evenly; dense clumping creates a 15-20°F temperature differential between center and edges, causing undercooked centers.technique15-20°F differential with poor layering
- ✓After removing foil at the 35-minute mark, bake for exactly 5-8 minutes until internal crumb temperature reaches 205-210°F (measured with a meat thermometer in the deepest center piece), not just until toothpick is clean, preventing gummy centers.timing205-210°F internal temp
Share this recipe
Prep
0
min
Cook
43
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Rhodes frozen rolls thaw overnight, then get cut into quarters—the dough's gluten structure creates that signature pull-apart monkey bread texture.
Rhodes Rolls Monkey Bread
A delicious and easy-to-make monkey bread using frozen dinner rolls, perfect for a sweet treat.
The Story
Right, so this gloopy, cinnamon-drenched tower of dough chunks traces its lineage to 1950s American church potlucks, but the pull-apart bread concept itself hails from Hungary's 'aranygaluska,' a golden dumpling cake dragged across the Atlantic by immigrants—Americans then bulldozed in Bisquick, bundt pans, and shameless quantities of butter until it became this sticky, caramelized monument to excess.
Regional Twist
Down in New Orleans, bakers ditch plain brown sugar for a praline-style mix, stirring in pecans and a splash of bourbon into that 12 tablespoons of melted butter, turning this humble bundt into something that tastes like Mardi Gras exploded in your kitchen.
📝 Ingredients
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 12 tablespoons butter, melted
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
📦Other(1)
- 1 bag, 24 oz, Frozen Dinner Rolls, Thawed
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
348
Protein
4g
Carbs
50g
Fat
14g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a bundt pan and set aside.
- 2
Add sugars and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, add melted butter.
- 3
Cut each roll into quarters with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Dunk each piece of dough into the butter and toss to coat.
- 4
Dredge in cinnamon sugar mixture and toss to coat. Toss into prepared pan.
- 5
Continue to add dough to pan, starting with the first layer and moving onto a second.
- 6
Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5-8 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Thaw rolls at room temperature (68-72°F) for 2-3 hours rather than overnight in the fridge, which over-proofs them and causes them to merge into a solid mass instead of maintaining individual pull-apart pieces.timing2-3 hours at 68-72°F
- ✓Use a 3:1 brown sugar to white sugar ratio (3/4 cup brown to 1/4 cup white) and keep cinnamon at 2 teaspoons per cup of sugar—higher concentrations over 2.5 tsp per cup become bitter and astringent due to tannin extraction.ingredient3:1 ratio; 2 tsp cinnamon per cup sugar max
- ✓Dunk dough pieces for exactly 1-2 seconds per side in melted butter held at 160-170°F; longer submersion causes gluten strands to absorb excess moisture and prevents proper browning (Maillard reactions require <10% surface moisture).technique1-2 seconds; 160-170°F butter temp
- ✓Layer dough pieces in a spiral pattern rather than random stacking so heat penetrates evenly; dense clumping creates a 15-20°F temperature differential between center and edges, causing undercooked centers.technique15-20°F differential with poor layering
- ✓After removing foil at the 35-minute mark, bake for exactly 5-8 minutes until internal crumb temperature reaches 205-210°F (measured with a meat thermometer in the deepest center piece), not just until toothpick is clean, preventing gummy centers.timing205-210°F internal temp