Easy Pull Apart Pizza Monkey Bread

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Coming up with crowd-pleasing party snacks that won’t keep you stuck in the kitchen all day can feel like mission impossible. Between coordinating appetizers, managing different dietary preferences, and trying to serve something that stays warm and tasty throughout the gathering – party food prep can quickly become overwhelming.

That’s why this pull apart pizza monkey bread has become my go-to party solution: it’s quick to put together, uses simple ingredients you probably already have, and creates that fun, social eating experience that gets everyone gathering around the table.

What Kind of Pizza Dough Should I Use?

For this recipe, refrigerated pizza dough from the store works perfectly fine and saves you tons of time in the kitchen. You’ll find it in the refrigerated section near the canned biscuits and crescent rolls – Pillsbury is a common brand that works great here. If you’re feeling ambitious, homemade pizza dough can definitely be used instead, just make sure it’s not too sticky when you’re working with it. The key is to let any refrigerated dough sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes before using it, which makes it much easier to handle and shape. Remember to check the expiration date when buying refrigerated dough, and avoid any cans that look damaged or bloated.

Options for Substitutions

This fun pizza bread is pretty adaptable – here’s what you can switch up:

• Refrigerated dough: If you can’t find pizza dough or biscuits, you can use all biscuits or all pizza dough instead. You could even use homemade pizza dough – just make sure it equals about 30 ounces total.
• Mini pepperoni: Regular-sized pepperoni works fine – just cut them into quarters. Or try other pizza toppings like diced ham, crumbled sausage, or keep it vegetarian with chopped bell peppers and mushrooms.
• Dried onion bits: No dried onion? Use 2 tablespoons of finely minced fresh onion or 1 teaspoon of onion powder.
• Italian herb mix: Make your own by mixing equal parts dried basil, oregano, and thyme. Or just use dried oregano on its own.
• Mozzarella cheese: Any good melting cheese works here – try provolone, fontina, or an Italian cheese blend. Just avoid hard cheeses as they won’t give you that nice stretchy texture.
• Fresh parsley: You can skip it or use dried parsley (1 teaspoon), or try fresh basil instead for a different flavor.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest challenge when making monkey bread is ensuring even distribution of ingredients – randomly tossing everything together can lead to some pieces being bland while others are overseasoned. To get it right, mix your oil, butter, and seasonings in a large bowl first, then gently toss each piece of dough in this mixture before layering. Another common mistake is overcrowding your bundt pan – filling it more than 2/3 full can cause the center pieces to remain doughy while the outside burns, so leave room for the dough to expand during baking. Temperature control is crucial too – baking at too high a temperature can burn the cheese and create a tough exterior, so stick to 350°F and check the center with a knife at the 25-minute mark to ensure it’s fully cooked. For the best cheese pull effect, let the bread rest for 5-10 minutes after baking, but serve while still warm – reheating won’t give you the same stretchy, melty cheese experience.

What to Serve With Pizza Monkey Bread?

This cheesy, pull-apart bread is basically a meal on its own, but there are some tasty sides that can round out your spread. A fresh garden salad with Italian dressing helps balance out all that delicious bread and cheese, while some extra warm marinara sauce on the side is perfect for dipping. If you’re serving this at a party, try putting out some antipasto items like marinated artichokes, olives, and roasted red peppers to give your guests some variety. For a complete Italian-inspired meal, you might want to add a simple Caesar salad and some garlic-roasted broccoli to sneak in those veggies!

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: Once your pizza monkey bread has cooled down, wrap it well in aluminum foil or place it in an airtight container. It’ll stay good in the fridge for up to 3 days. The cheese might firm up a bit, but don’t worry – it’ll get melty again when reheated!

Freeze: This pull-apart bread freezes really well! Just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and pop it in the freezer for up to 2 months. I like to cut it into portions before freezing so I can grab just what I need later.

Reheat: To bring back that fresh-baked taste, warm it in the oven at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes if refrigerated, or 20-25 minutes if frozen (after thawing). You can also zap individual portions in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, though the texture won’t be quite as nice as oven-warming.

Preparation Time	15-20 minutes
Cooking Time	40-50 minutes
Total Time	55-70 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Medium

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 2500-2700
• Protein: 80-100 g
• Fat: 180-200 g
• Carbohydrates: 200-230 g

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon dried onion bits
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons italian herb mix
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 can (16.3 ounces) of refrigerated flaky biscuits
• 1 can (13.8 ounces) of refrigerated pizza dough
• 1 package (5 ounces) mini pepperoni slices
• 1/2 cup marinara or pizza sauce (with extra for dipping)
• 1 package (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese (equals about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Bundt Pan

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease a Bundt pan generously to ensure the bread doesn’t stick, making it easier to remove after baking.

Step 2: Create the Olive Oil Mixture

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine olive oil, butter, onion flakes, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and parsley.

Microwave in 30-second intervals until the butter is fully melted, stirring in between to ensure the flavors are well mixed.

Step 3: Prepare the Dough and Pan Filling

Cut the biscuits into quarters and the pizza dough into 1 1/2-inch pieces.

Scatter a third of the pepperoni slices and a third of the Parmesan cheese evenly in the bottom of the prepared Bundt pan.

Step 4: Assemble the Bread Layers

In the bowl with the olive oil mixture, toss the cut biscuit and pizza dough pieces until they are well coated.

Place half of these coated dough pieces into the Bundt pan.

Sprinkle with half of the remaining pepperoni and Parmesan cheese.

Drizzle 1/4 cup of marinara sauce evenly over the dough, then sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese on top.

Step 5: Complete the Assembly

Add the remaining biscuit and pizza dough pieces into the Bundt pan.

Top with the rest of the marinara sauce, pepperoni slices, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese to ensure full, even coverage.

Step 6: Bake and Serve

Place the Bundt pan in the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and the dough is cooked through.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully removing it.

Serve warm, and if desired, pair with additional marinara sauce for dipping.