Apple Cinnamon Puzzle Bread

Each little nugget of this 5-ingredient "puzzle" is a ball of soft dough that's been rolled in cinnamon-sugar, nestled together in a Bundt pan and baked until puffed up, golden brown, and perfectly sticky. And there's more - thanks to a middle layer of applesauce, there's sweet apple in every bite too.

This type of "pull-apart" bread is also called monkey bread, monkey puzzle bread, sticky bread, Hungarian coffee cake, golden dumpling coffee cake, pinch-me cake, and pluck-it cake. Adorable names, all of them. The dough is soft, the coating sweet and sticky and pulling it apart is almost as deliciously fun as eating the chewy bread. I served it for breakfast, but I'm 100% confident it's welcome anytime.

In fact, I think this would be a GREAT addition to your holiday baking list! Imagine the joy you can bring to friends and family when you plop THIS bread down on the table - warm and sticky from the oven.

Apple Cinnamon Puzzle Bread
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Cooking spray
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter
2 (1 pound) loaves bread dough, fresh or frozen and thawed according to package directions
1/2 cup applesauce

Coat a 9- or 10-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Add 3 tablespoons of the cinnamon-sugar mixture to the butter and mix well. Pour mixture into the bottom of the Bundt pan and spread out in an even layer.
Pull each loaf apart into 24 little pieces (making 48 total pieces). Shape the pieces into balls, about 2-inches in diameter. Roll each ball in the remaining cinnamon-sugar to coat all sides. Arrange half of the balls in the Bundt pan (stack them on top of each other). Pour the applesauce over top. Arrange the remaining cinnamon-sugar coated balls over top.
Let the dough rise (at room temperature) for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the puzzle bread for 40 to 45 minutes, until the dough is puffed up and golden brown (don't worry if the bread rises high out of the pan).
Cool the bread, in the pan, for 5 minutes.
Loosen the sides and invert the pan onto a serving plate. Serve warm and watch the hands dive in!

Serves 6 to 8