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Pumpkin Spice Pull Apart Bread

Pumpkin spice pull apart bread made with a soft, yeasted pumpkin dough and a cinnamon-sugar filling layered between each tear-and-pull section. Baked until golden in a loaf pan, then finished with a tangy cream cheese glaze drizzle.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
rising 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For pumpkin dough
  • 0.75 cup warm milk
  • 2.25 tsp yeast
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 0.25 cup melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 0.33 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3.25 cup flour
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 0.5 tsp salt
For pumpkin spice filling
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
For glaze
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 1.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the pumpkin dough
  1. Warm the milk and activate the yeast by stirring in the sugar until foamy, about 5 minutes. The surface should look bubbly and thick, indicating the yeast is working.
  2. Whisk in the melted butter, egg, and pumpkin puree until smooth. Stop when the mixture looks uniform and slightly opaque.
  3. Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 7-8 minutes.
  4. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and rise for 1 hour. It should nearly double in size and spring back slowly when gently pressed.
Shape, layer, and let rise
  1. Roll the dough into a 12x16 rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Keep it even so the layers bake uniformly.
  2. Brush the rectangle with melted butter and sprinkle the filling mixture evenly over the top. The filling should cover the surface in a consistent layer.
  3. Cut the dough into 4 lengthwise strips, then stack the strips. Align the edges so you get clean, even sections.
  4. Cut the stacked dough into 6 square stacks. You should have 6 compact stacks ready to be placed in the pan.
  5. Place the stacks on their sides in a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Space them snugly so the pull-apart sections form as they rise.
  6. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. The dough should puff up and fill out the pan noticeably.
Bake and glaze
  1. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden. Tent with foil halfway through to prevent over-browning while the center finishes baking.
  2. Whisk cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to make a pourable glaze. Drizzle over the bread while warm so it seeps into the layers.

Notes

Pro tip: ensure the milk is warm (not hot) before adding yeast so it foams quickly; also keep the filling evenly distributed for consistent pull-apart layers. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days, then warm individual portions 15-20 seconds to soften. Freezing is yes: wrap slices and freeze up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge and rewarm. For a lighter option, swap half the powdered sugar in the glaze with a powdered sugar alternative (check label for conversion) to reduce overall sweetness.