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Made with frozen dinner roll dough, Rhodes Rolls Monkey Bread really is the best. The fluffy chunks of bread are covered in cinnamon and sugar and baked in a gooey, butter sauce that makes this perfect for breakfast or dessert!
I made this Rhodes Rolls Monkey Bread for our Sunday school class. Because I was putting it together on a Sunday morning (easily the CRAZIEST day in our home) I didn’t have any plans to blog the recipe.
But as I was on my way to choir practice before church, I sent my husband a message asking him to snap a photo just in case.
I’m glad he did, because this turned out so well and several people asked for the recipe. But since it was just a cell phone picture and it’s now several years old, I decided to give this post little love with some updated pictures. 🙂
The thing that sets this recipe apart from all other Monkey Bread recipes is that it’s made with frozen yeast rolls, rather than refrigerated biscuit dough. There’s also NO butterscotch pudding required-just a buttery brown sugar mixture that caramelizes while baking. YUM.
I’ve tried other brands, but I get the best results with Rhodes dinner rolls from the freezer section. (And no, this isn’t a sponsored post.) 😉
The result is tender bites of bread, covered in cinnamon and sugar, rather than dry biscuits. I honestly don’t like Monkey Bread made any other way. Unless you are going to go with homemade dough like this Garlic Butter Pizza Monkey Bread. *chef’s kiss*
I got the idea from Elle’s Studio and even made it in a baking pan like hers the first time I tried this recipe, but I believe it cooks much more quickly and evenly in a Bundt cake pan. Besides, it looks prettier this way. 🙂
Stick with a good quality Nordic Ware Bundt pan like this one to get an even bake and make it easy to remove.
Most bags of Rhodes rolls (found in the freezer section) will come with 36 rolls in a bag. This recipe calls for just 24 rolls, though. The fuller the pan, the more likely you will get a sticky mess spilling over the sides, so stick with 24 if you’re making Rhodes Rolls Monkey Bread in a Bundt pan.
Start by cutting the rolls in fourths and then rolling them in a sugar and cinnamon mixture. This works best when the rolls are mostly thawed, but still partially frozen. It makes it easier to cut them up while still holding their shape.
Then toss the pieces of dough into a well greased pan and pour the butter and brown sugar mixture all over the dough. After that, all you have to do is bake and you’ve got a gorgeous pan of monkey bread that tastes so much better than the kind made with biscuit dough.
This monkey bread is a “special occasion” breakfast and always gets popular around Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who loves to bake for the holidays! If you want to really take it up a notch, try making Cream Cheese Stuffed Monkey Bread.
Can I make this into an overnight monkey bread recipe?
Yes! Prepare the recipe as directed, but then cover and refrigerate overnight. If you leave them out on the counter, the dough will rise way too much. In the morning when you’re ready to bake, pull it out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then bake as directed.
Do I need to thaw the frozen rolls first?
Nope. Well, at least not all the way. I pull mine out and let them sit at room temperature for a little while so they start to get soft around the outside. But having them still partially frozen helps make it easier to cut them into fourths. By the time you have finished cutting them up and rolling them in the cinnamon and sugar, they should be thawed out.
Do I need to let the dough rise?
You can, but I don’t. 🙂 If you leave them in the refrigerator overnight, they will rise a bit even in the cold. This yields a slightly softer, fluffier bread after baking. If you go straight from prepping to baking, they will cook just fine. You’ll end up with nicely defined chunks of bread that are perfect for a “tear and share” loaf.
More “special occasion” breakfast ideas:
- Reindeer Pancakes for Christmas
- Overnight French Toast Bake (perfect for busy holiday mornings like Thanksgiving!)
- 17 Christmas Breakfast Ideas
Rhodes Rolls Monkey Bread
Ingredients
- 24 Rhodes dinner rolls , almost thawed
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter (one stick)
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- Cut rolls into fourths.
- Coat each piece with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. (If you coat generously, you may need to mix a little more)
- Toss coated pieces into a greased bundt pan.
- Over low/medium heat, melt butter and stir in brown sugar until mixed well (about two minutes.)
- Pour over bread pieces as evenly as possible.
- Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Place a plate or serving platter on top of the pan and then flip it over to turn out the ring. Tap gently to get it to release.
- Sprinkle the top with any leftover sugar and cinnamon mixture. Serve warm.
Video
Nutrition
Don’t forget to pin the recipe for later! 
Post updated 8/2018
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Staci says
I made this for my 3 year old granddaughter and she loved it! Funniest part was her calling it “monkey balls” and my husband told her she probably shouldn’t call it that lol. So she now calls it “sweet balls”. Oh the innocence of children!
Nicole Burkholder says
Ha hahaha! I love that 🙂 Sweet girl <3 But yeah, maybe not monkey balls... 😉
Jessa Cloud says
I’m trying your recipe this morning! I premade it last night. The rolls look super soft after letting them sit overnight in the fridge. I didn’t read your comment about waiting to pour of butter/brown sugar mixture over the rolls until before bake time. I poured it over them last night. :/ hoping they still turn out as yummy as yours! I just popped them in the oven. Can’t wait to try them! Thank you for your recipe. 🧡
Nicole Burkholder says
Please report back and let us know how it worked out for you! I’m curious to see how they will bake up. (I think no matter what it will be tasty) 🙂
MomaJ says
Well, I tried this and it was, frankly horrible… I don’t know if my Rhodes dough was defective or some other reason, but the dough didn’t rise at all so I have hard, sugar/cinnamon coated chunks of unrisen, tasteless horribly chewey dough.
Very disappointed….
Nicole Burkholder says
Was your dough old? I had this happen one time when I made a batch because I used a bag that I found in the back of my freezer. It was old, but I decided to risk it. The dough balls were little hard nuggets of nastiness. I was so disappointed-but I knew I was taking a chance with the old dough. The same thing can happen if you’re using a bad that’s been opened/thawed and then refrozen.
I’ve made this recipe personally dozens of times over the years, and so have many others. The recipe has lots of good comments and ratings, so I think your case was an outlier. And having experienced the same exact thing once, I’m sure it had to do with the dough. Sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you! I’d try again, because it’s so delicious! If you’re concerned about whether the dough is any good, you can allow it to thaw first, then cut it up and allow the pieces to rise a bit before putting them in the oven (just to make sure the dough will puff up like it’s supposed to.)
Tracy says
Can I prep this the night before and bake the next morning?
Nicole Burkholder says
Yes, but the dough will rise some in the fridge overnight so it may be a bit more airy/fluffy rather than chewy. If you cut the dough while it’s still partially frozen, that will help. Just do the cutting and rolling in sugar mixture the night before. Don’t add the butter/sugar topping until before you bake it.
Tricia says
Love this! When I am not baking bread from scratch this Rhodes dinner roll version of monkey bread is the best! So worth the effort of cutting and coating each piece. My one change is: MORE CINNAMON! LOL I at least double the cinnamon that this recipe calls for, if not more.
Nicole Burkholder says
That’s funny, because I have some people say there’s too much 🙂 It’s subjective, I guess. And yes, the extra effort of covering each piece makes this SO MUCH better! 🙂 Thanks for the review/stars!
H Mama says
Can this recipe be halved? I don’t have a full bag of rolls left LOL!
Nicole Burkholder says
For sure! Do you have a smaller Bundt pan by chance? You can also use something like an 8×8 cake pan. You still want the pieces kind of piled up on each other.
Barb Meyer says
I would like to make these in a 9×13 pan. Would the directions still be the same as for a bundt pan?
Nicole Burkholder says
It is possible to do, although it cooks more quickly and evenly in a Bundt pan. But the basic overall directions would be the same. You just may need to add a little cook time and the edges are going to be a little more done than the middle because it seems to take a bit longer for the center to finish baking. Just keep an eye on it and watch for that golden brown color!
Lisa McDowell says
It would be nice to know the amount of time it takes to get almost thawed out dough so we know how much total time it actually takes.
Nicole Burkholder says
Well, that really depends on how warm your kitchen is. If it’s a hot day, or your oven was on and is warm in kitchen, it can take as little as 15-20 minutes for the rolls to thaw out enough to slice them. Then by the time you’re done slicing them all and rolling in sugar/cinnamon, they will be thawed completely. If it’s cold, it may take longer-perhaps 30-45 minutes at room temperature before you can slice them comfortably. Again, it’s all relative to the ambient temperature. If you’re in a hurry, warm up the oven, turn it off and put the rolls in the oven to defrost quickly. Just don’t forget about them! 🙂
Elizabeth says
All this prep isn’t necessary. Yes, it will make the topping evenly distributed. And, you’ll get a great topping-to-bread ratio. But, if you’re in a hurry, just toss the thawed, uncut rolls in a pan, stir dry ingredients together and put over rolls, and melt butter and pour over top. I’ve made it like that for years. I just checked this recipe for the temperature and cooking time. On a non-lazy day, I might try it your way. It’s probably better. 🙂
Nicole Burkholder says
Yes, I’ve tried it that way, but I prefer the smaller pieces-they definitely get a better coating and the butter/sugar combo is so much better than just butter! I think your way is nice and easy, which is great-but a little more prep makes for much better tasting (and more evenly cooked in my experience) monkey bread 🙂 Thanks for the tip for “lazy days” though 🙂
Luanne King says
I trued Elizabeth’s way – the original is much better! May be a little more work but worth the time👍
Connie barter says
What does “almost thawed” mean with this particular recipe? Thanks!
Nicole Burkholder says
Just that you don’t need to wait for the rolls to completely thaw out. They are actually a little easier to slice if still slightly frozen. They will continue to thaw as you prep the recipe and are ready to go by the time you’re done.
So soft to the touch, but likely still a bit frozen in the center. (It’s also totally fine if they are completely thawed when you are working with them-you’ll just likely end up with more rise/puffier pieces.)
RitaBrockway says
Usually make in cpe with the biscuits but going to do these next. Grandkids love them. Since it calls for 24 rather than 36, I’m going to get the bigger bag of 72, so I’ll have enough for 3 batches without extras.
Nicole Burkholder says
Great idea!
Elizabeth says
This is great. The kids love it. I do add pecans to the pan before I add the rolls. And add a little bit of cream and vanilla to the brown sugar and butter. Takes to the next level. Great recipe. I have only had this with canned biscuits when i was younger and i have grown to hate canned biscuits. So when i found tour recipe made with rolls i was excited. Great job on the recipe
Nicole Burkholder says
Mmmm…that little bit of cream makes it very caramel-like. Sounds delicious. And yes, pecans are perfect to add to the “top” if you like nuts! That’s Christmas morning perfection right there 🙂