Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Wreath

This festive Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Wreath is light, soft, extra sweet, cinnamony, and SO delicious. It even has a bit of melted chocolate. Serve this right out of the oven while the bread is still sticky and warm. This bread is melt in your mouth good…and oh so impressive. It’s also simpler than you’d think to make. Plus, it’s always a crowd pleaser during the holidays.

I had a perfectly good and very delicious recipe all set and ready to go for today, but…it just didn’t feel like the right recipe for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

So I changed things around and here we are with this pretty and oh so festive cinnamon sugar wreath. What’s the right recipe for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving? Who know, but this feels good to me!

It’s sweet, cinnamony, and extra delicious. It makes a yummy breakfast or dessert. It will of course be great for Thanksgiving morning (maybe while enjoying the Macy’s Day Parade?). But it’s equally awesome for the entire month of December.

What is a bread wreath?

I know this bread might look like it takes hours to make, but trust me, it’s really pretty simple. I used my favorite base brioche dough, so it’s really light and soft. You’ll roll the dough out with cinnamon sugar, cut it into squares, and arrange it in a tube pan

What’s great about this pull apart bread is that while it’s a nice addition to your holiday brunch or dessert table, it also works as an afternoon snack that people can enjoy after coming in from the cold. It’s always nice to have something for people to graze on while chatting away.

The details

The dough is the simplest to make. Simply mix the yeast with warm milk and a small touch of honey. It’s important to let that mix sit for a few minutes to allow the yeast to “activate”.

Next, add the butter, eggs, flour, and salt. Mix until smooth and let the dough rest until doubled in size. Then it’s time to assemble.

While the dough rests, mix the filling

It’s super simple. I love to use a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon. The brown sugar adds a nice depth of flavor. And the cinnamon adds a nice cozy festive touch.

And of course, there’s the chocolate. You can leave it out, of course, but I think the mini chocolate chips add a little something special.

Once the bread has risen, simply roll the dough out, then spread with butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and chocolate. Cut the dough into squares, then layer the squares, and arrange in a tube pan. If you don’t own a tube pan, I’d recommend dividing the dough between two traditional bread pans. That works great too!

Let the bread rise until it’s puffy on top, then bake. Wonderful smells will waft from your oven…nothing really beats cinnamon sugar baking away.

Here’s the thing, you can’t stress if your unbaked bread dough looks a little crazy. Know that the layers of dough do not need to be perfect…just bake the bread. As soon as you pull this out of the oven you’ll be impressed. And no matter what, it’s going to be delicious.

The most important thing you must do? Serve the bread while it’s still warm and sticky and the chocolate is melty.

Very few things are more delicious. I’m already excited to bake this again…and I’ve made it five times in a three day span. Sooo, I will wait until the family shows up later in December for Christmas. But I really am excited to share it with the fam!

Ingredients

• ▢3/4 cup warm milk
• ▢2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• ▢1 tablespoon honey
• ▢4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
• ▢3 large eggs
• ▢3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢1 1/4 cups light or dark brown sugar
• ▢2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ▢1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature
• ▢1 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

• 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the milk, yeast, and honey. Let sit 5-10 minutes, until bubbly on top. Add 4 tablespoons butter, eggs, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. If the dough is still sticky, add the additional 1/2 cup flour, adding more as needed until the dough is smooth to touch.

  2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

  3. Meanwhile, mix the filling. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Butter a tube pan.

  4. Transfer the dough to a work surface and cut into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 dough piece at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle (roughly 14×10 inches). Spread 2tablespoons butter over the dough, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar and 2-4 tablespoons chocolate chips. Gently press the chips into the dough. Cut the dough lengthwise into 3 strips. Cut the strips crosswise into 4 strips each, making 12 squares (see above photo). Stack all 12 dough squares, 1 on top of the other. Repeat with the remaining 3 dough pieces and remaining butter.

  5. Arrange stacks in the buttered tube pan, standing up like little books, allowing gaps between dough pieces (see above photo).

  6. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until the dough almost reaches the top, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake until the bread is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand in the pan 5 minutes, then carefully remove. Serve warm.