If you are looking for a fun twist on classic garlic bread, this pull-apart garlic bread monkey bread is just what you need. This garlic monkey bread is made with soft, pillowy store-bought pizza dough paired with melty butter, and zesty parmesan cheese baked until golden brown. Whether you serve it as a side, appetizer, or as a quick snack, this pull-apart bread is addicting!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Minimal prep: The dough pieces do not need to be perfectly shaped when making this recipe. All you need to do is toss everything together into a bowl, and bake!
- Great store-bought shortcut: This is such an easy recipe because of the simple ingredients needed. No scratch-made doughs are needed here. The best part is that store-bought works perfectly fine! If you do have some extra time on hand, I recommend giving my garlic parmesan yeast dinner rolls a try!
- Kid and family-friendly: Who doesn't like cheesy garlic bread? If you want to impress your kids or family members, this monkey bread is a great recipe to do the trick. The flavors are mellow yet familiar. For even more fun, pair with this Pizza Dipping Sauce!
Ingredient Notes
- Store-bought pizza dough: Frozen or fresh pizza dough will work for this recipe. You can usually find the pizza dough close to the deli section in your grocery store. Some local pizzerias will also sell their pizza dough if you ask.
- Salted butter: I recommend using salted butter, as pizza dough on its own can be a little bland. It adds a layer of savory flavor.
- Fresh garlic: Fresh garlic adds the bite of garlic that everyone knows and loves about garlic bread.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated parmesan cheese is the best choice for this garlic parmesan monkey bread recipe. It adds the most flavor and also gets slightly melty. Avoid using the canned shelf-stable parmesan here.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
Substitutions
- Pizza dough: Canned refrigerated biscuits or frozen yeast rolls will work in place of using pizza dough. Cut the biscuit dough disc into quarters, and roll. If you prefer homemade pizza dough, you can use it.
- Salted butter: Unsalted butter will work in place of salted butter. You will want to add some extra salt to the garlic butter mixture.
- Fresh garlic: If you prefer, you can use all granulated garlic or garlic powder. It will be a more mellow garlic flavor.
- Dried oregano: You can swap for a premixed Italian seasoning blend.
Variations
- Extra cheesy: Sprinkle in shredded mozzarella cheese in between each layer of balls to give this monkey bread a cheesy twist.
- Herbaceous: Add some basil pesto, fresh parsley, or other fresh herbs to the butter mixture, for an earthy twist.
- Meaty: Add some little pieces of salami, or prosciutto to the bread dough while tossing in the garlic butter mixture.
- Stuffed: Stuff the squares of dough with a small cube of mozzarella cheese. Bring up the sides, and roll them into round balls.
- Mini garlic monkey bread: Place the balls into a muffin tin instead of a large baking pan, for individual servings.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all ingredients: This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Portion the pizza dough into equal pieces. Using your hands, smooth the portions into round balls.
In a saucepan on the stove or a microwave-safe medium bowl in the microwave, melt the butter. If melting the butter in the microwave, do so in 10-second increments to avoid burning or splattering in the microwave.
Add the fresh minced garlic, garlic powder, dried oregano, and half of the parmesan cheese to the melted butter. Mix well to combine.
Add the pizza dough balls to the melted butter mixture. Toss them well, so they are all coated with garlic butter. Make sure all the pizza dough is fully coated in garlic butter and parmesan cheese.
Transfer the dough balls to a bundt pan, or a loaf pan. Make sure to add the additional garlic butter left over in the bowl. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
Expert Tips
Prep your work surface: You want to work with a lightly floured surface sprinkled with all purpose flour.
Prevent dough from sticking: If the dough is sticking to your hands spray your hands with some non-stick cooking spray, and then smooth the dough balls.
Let the pizza dough rise: When using store-bought pizza dough, take it out of the fridge a few hours before using. Place in a large bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Place dough in a warm place until the dough rises and doubles in size.
Cover with foil: If the top of the monkey bread starts to brown too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.
Make Ahead & Storage
To store leftover monkey bread, remove the bread from the baking pan. Wrap in parchment paper, and transfer to a large freezer bag or an airtight container.
To reheat, transfer the bread to a baking sheet and heat covered in aluminum foil for 10-15 minutes, at 350°F.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Serve this savory monkey bread alongside other appetizers like cheesy taco pockets, stuffed mushrooms Neptune, and jalapeno cream cheese pinwheels.
Salads: Breads and salads are the perfect match. Some of my favorite salads to serve this garlic bread with are this classic salami chopped salad, a nostalgic wedge salad with ranch dressing, or a barley Greek salad.
Pasta: You can always use a side of bread to mop up the sauce from your pasta. This pull-apart bread is the perfect side for rigatoni al forno, buffalo chicken lasagna rolls, or Olive Garden giant cheesy stuffed shells.
Recipe FAQs
Monkey bread is best eaten fresh out of the oven, but if you have leftovers, they will be fine to eat once you heat them. To keep the bread from drying out, cover it with foil while reheating it.
It is best to leave leftover monkey bread at room temperature. The fridge will harden the dough, and reheating it will not make it as soft as it would be when fresh. Because leftovers are not kept in the fridge, the shelf life is not very long.
Monkey bread does not have to be made in a bundt pan. By rolling the pizza dough into balls, the bread will naturally pull apart when it bakes. You can use an oven-safe skillet or a baking dish.
More Side Dish Recipes
Pull-Apart Garlic Bread Monkey Bread (Pizza Dough)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ball Pizza dough - store-bought, thawed and risen
- 1 cup Salted butter - 2 sticks
- 4 cloves Garlic - finely minced
- 1 tablespoon Granulated garlic
- ½ tablespoon Dried parsley
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese - finely grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Portion the pizza dough into equal pieces. Using your hands, smooth the portions into round balls.1 lb ball Pizza dough
- In a saucepan on the stove or a microwave-safe medium bowl in the microwave, melt the butter. If melting the butter in the microwave, do so in 10-second increments to avoid burning or splattering in the microwave.1 cup Salted butter
- Add the minced garlic, granulated garlic, dried oregano, and half of the parmesan cheese to the melted butter. Mix well to combine.4 cloves Garlic, 1 tablespoon Granulated garlic, ½ tablespoon Dried parsley, ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- Add the pizza dough balls to the melted butter mixture. Toss them well, so they are all coated with garlic butter. You want each ball of pizza dough to be fully coated in garlic butter and parmesan cheese.
- Transfer the dough balls to a bundt pan, or a loaf pan. Make sure to add the additional garlic butter left over in the bowl. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.½ cup Parmesan cheese
✱Recipe Notes
- Prep your work surface: You want to work with a lightly floured surface sprinkled with all purpose flour.
- Prevent dough from sticking: If the dough is sticking to your hands spray your hands with some non-stick cooking spray before smoothing the dough balls.
- Let the pizza dough rise: When using store-bought pizza dough, take it out of the fridge a few hours before using. Place in a large bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Place dough in a warm place until the dough rises and doubles in size.
- Cover with foil: If the top of the monkey bread starts to brown too quickly, cover with aluminum foil.
Dawn says
This was a hit with my kids!! So yummy.