As the butter and brown sugar bubble together, they turn into a glossy caramel that smells like the start of something good. Pour it over the spiced biscuit pieces, and the oven does the work of turning them into a pull-apart ring. That’s the part I love about Pumpkin Spice Monkey Bread: each piece gets its own coating of pumpkin pie spice, sugar, and caramel, with no dough to mix from scratch.
I cut each refrigerated biscuit into four pieces so there are plenty of small bites to catch the sauce. A 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan gives the pieces room to settle into the ring, and the center tube helps the middle bake through. Once the top is deeply golden and the center pieces are cooked, let the bread rest before turning it out. The finished ring is sticky at the edges, soft inside, and easy to pull apart while it’s warm.
Kitchen Note
I stop cooking the brown sugar and butter as soon as the mixture looks smooth and bubbles evenly. It continues to cook in the oven, so there’s no need to darken it in the saucepan.
Save this Pumpkin Spice Monkey Bread for a warm, pull-apart treat with spiced biscuit pieces and buttery brown sugar caramel.
Why the Center Tube Matters in a Pan Full of Biscuit Pieces
A Bundt pan does more here than give the bread its familiar ring. Its center tube brings heat close to the middle of the dough, which matters when biscuit pieces are piled together and covered with caramel. The pieces at the center need to cook through, not just the ones along the outside edge. That’s why I use a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan rather than guessing with a pan that holds less or has a different shape.
Pan capacity also gives the pieces room to settle as they bake. A pan that’s too small leaves less space for the biscuits and bubbling sauce, while a much larger pan spreads the mixture into a thinner layer. Both can change how the bread bakes. With the right-size Bundt pan, the pieces form a connected ring but stay easy to pull apart once you turn it out.
What Gives These Biscuit Pieces Their Pumpkin-Spice Caramel Coating
- Refrigerated buttermilk biscuits — These provide the tender, pull-apart structure without mixing or kneading dough. Use the two 16.3-ounce cans of biscuits; cutting each biscuit into four pieces gives the sugar and spice plenty of surface to cling to. The biscuits are meant to be used straight from the can, not baked first.
- Granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice — Tossing the biscuit pieces with both before they go into the pan spreads the spice across the dough instead of leaving it concentrated in the sauce. Use pumpkin pie spice for the familiar warm, blended flavor; ground cinnamon alone will taste simpler and more cinnamon-forward.
- Unsalted butter — Butter melts with the brown sugar to make the pourable caramel sauce. Unsalted butter keeps the sauce from tasting saltier than intended, since the ingredient list doesn’t include added salt. There’s no need to buy a specialty brand; fresh butter that tastes clean is what matters.
- Packed light brown sugar — The molasses in brown sugar gives the sauce its caramel-like flavor and helps it coat the biscuits. Pack it firmly when measuring so the amount is consistent. Dark brown sugar can work as a swap, but its stronger molasses taste will make the sauce more pronounced.
- Nonstick cooking spray — Coat the Bundt pan well, including the center tube and the grooves. This helps the sticky caramel-coated ring release when you invert it.
How to Build the Ring, Cook the Caramel, and Bake It Through
Coat and Arrange the Biscuit Pieces
Heat the oven to 350°F and coat a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut each biscuit into four pieces, then toss them in a large bowl with the granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Turn the pieces until the coating looks even, with no bare patches of dough. Arrange them in the prepared pan so the pieces sit throughout the ring rather than gathering in one spot.
Cook the Brown Sugar Butter Sauce
Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the packed light brown sugar and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until the mixture is smooth and bubbling. If you see streaks of unmelted butter or dry sugar, keep stirring over medium heat until they come together. Take the pan off the heat once the sauce is evenly blended and bubbling.
Bake Until the Center Pieces Cook Through
Pour the caramel sauce evenly over the biscuit pieces, then bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Look for a deeply golden top, and check that the biscuit pieces in the center are cooked through; a browned surface alone doesn’t tell you what’s happening in the middle. Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a serving plate. The pan and caramel will still be hot, so use care as you turn it out.
Simple Ways to Change the Spice, Sugar, or Biscuit Base
A Cinnamon-Forward Spice Coating
Replace the pumpkin pie spice with ground cinnamon for a more straightforward cinnamon taste. Keep the rest of the coating and caramel the same; you’ll lose the blended spice character but still get a sweet, warmly spiced pull-apart bread.
A Deeper Molasses Caramel
Use packed dark brown sugar in place of the light brown sugar for a deeper molasses note. The caramel will taste richer and more assertive, while the biscuit pieces and pumpkin pie spice remain unchanged.
A Gluten-Free Biscuit Version
Use refrigerated gluten-free biscuit dough in an equivalent amount in place of the buttermilk biscuits, cutting each biscuit into four pieces before coating. The texture can be more delicate or crumbly than the wheat-based version, so arrange the pieces gently and bake until the center pieces are cooked through.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The caramel will firm up, and the biscuits will be less soft than when freshly baked.
- Freezer: Freeze cooled portions in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating for a more even warm-up.
- Reheating: Warm individual portions in the microwave in short bursts until heated through. Avoid prolonged heating, which can make the biscuit pieces tough and the caramel overly hot.
Questions That Come Up When Baking Pumpkin Spice Monkey Bread
Pumpkin Spice Monkey Bread
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Coat a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan with the nonstick cooking spray.
- Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces.
- Toss the biscuit pieces in a large bowl with the granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice until evenly coated.
- Arrange the coated biscuit pieces in the prepared pan.
- Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir in the packed light brown sugar, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and bubbling.
- Pour the caramel sauce evenly over the biscuits and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until deeply golden and the biscuit pieces in the center are cooked through.
- Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Carefully invert the bread onto a serving plate.
