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Sweet Orange Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread
5 from 52 votes

Sweet Orange Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Sweet Orange Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread is a soft yeast dough bread infused with fresh orange zest throughout the dough and layered with a spiced filling of butter, sugar, cinnamon, and more orange zest. The dough is rolled out, spread with this fragrant filling, and assembled into layers that pull apart easily after baking. The loaf is finished with an orange-flavored icing combining powdered sugar, fresh orange juice, and vanilla extract, enhancing its sweet and citrusy notes.

Total Time
3 hrs
Servings: 1 (9x5) loaf
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • unsalted butter filling; 6 Tbsp butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1.5 tsp cinnamon, 3 Tbsp freshly grated orange zest
  • sugar
  • cinnamon
  • orange zest
  • powdered sugar orange icing with listed amounts
  • orange juice
  • orange zest
  • vanilla extract
bread
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/3 cup milk whole or 2%
  • 1/4 cup butter unsalted
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 egg large
  • 2 tbsp orange zest freshly grated
filling
  • 6 tbsp butter unsalted
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp orange zest freshly grated
orange icing
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup orange juice fresh
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In the bowl of your electric mixer, stir together 2 cups of the flour, sugar and yeast.
  2. Place the milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat over low heat just until the butter melts. Remove from the stovetop and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in the water and vanilla extract. With the dough hook attached to your mixer, stir in the milk and butter mixture until combined. Add the salt and the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the orange zest. The dough will be very sticky! Add the remaining 3/4 cup flour gradually, beating for another 2 to 3 minutes until the dough comes together again. It should still be stick. Place it in a well oil bowl and cover with a towel. Let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
  3. After one hour, punch the dough down and turn it out on a floured surface. Roll it into a large rectangle, about 12×20 inches if possible. Add the filling: brush the dough with the melted butter, cover with the sugar, cinnamon and orange zest. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 5 strips from top to bottom – lengthwise. Stack the 5 strips together, then cut them into 6 sets of squares.
  4. Brush a 9×5 loaf pan liberally with melted butter. Place the dough, cut side down, into the loaf pan, pressing it together. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place again for 45 minutes.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pan in the oven and bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and set. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes, then gently turn the bread out onto a flat surface. Cover with the orange icing and serve immediately!
orange icing
  1. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth and a glaze forms. If it’s too thick, add more orange juice 1 teaspoon at a time. If it’s too thin, whisk in more sugar a few tablespoons at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Notes

  • The dough is sticky; handle it with floured hands and surfaces when shaping.
  • Freshly grated orange zest in both dough and filling adds natural citrus flavor.
  • The bread is best served after cooling and icing for the glaze to set properly.
  • Use unsalted butter in the filling for controlled salt level.