Description
This Chocolate Chip Pull-Apart Bread is a delightful treat featuring soft, buttery layers of dough generously filled with mini chocolate chips. The bread is easy to prepare, involving a comforting dough-rise process and baking to a golden perfection, making it perfect for sharing at breakfast or as a sweet snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough and Filling
- Cooking spray, for greasing
- 1 (1/4-oz.) packet active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed to 110° F
- 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, divided
- 2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 cup (53 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 cup (177 g) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Activate Yeast: Grease a large bowl with cooking spray. In a small bowl, sprinkle the active dry yeast over the warmed milk, then let it sit until foamy, about 5 minutes, to activate the yeast.
- Melt Butter: Microwave 3 tablespoons of the butter in 10-second increments until fully melted, which should take around 30 seconds in total.
- Make Dough: In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, whisk together the flour, light brown sugar, and kosher salt. Add the yeast mixture, melted butter, and the egg. Mix on low speed until the dough just begins to come together, then increase to medium speed and continue mixing until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- First Rise: Transfer the dough to the greased large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow it to rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, which usually takes 1 to 2 hours depending on the kitchen’s warmth.
- Roll and Prepare Filling: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into an 18-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Spread the remaining 4 tablespoons of softened butter evenly over the dough’s surface, then sprinkle the granulated sugar uniformly on top.
- Layer with Chocolate Chips: Cut the dough lengthwise into six strips, each about 2 inches wide. Sprinkle a heaping 2 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips on one strip, then stack another strip on top. Repeat this process with all strips and chocolate chips, gently pressing each piled strip together. Use your hands to press back in any chocolate chips that fall off. After stacking, cut the layered dough crosswise into six pieces, resulting in six stacks each with six layers.
- Second Rise: Grease a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Arrange the cut stacks into the pan with the cut side facing up. Cover the loaf pan and let the dough rise again until puffy, about 30 to 45 minutes.
- Bake the Bread: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Bake the loaf for 35 to 40 minutes or until it turns a deep golden brown. If the top browns too quickly, tent it loosely with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
- Cool and Serve: Once baked, allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before carefully removing it. This pull-apart bread is perfect warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Make sure the milk is warmed to about 110°F, not hotter, to properly activate the yeast without killing it.
- You can substitute mini chocolate chips with regular size chocolate chips or small chunks, but mini chips distribute more evenly.
- For best results, use unsalted butter so you can control the salt level in the dough.
- Letting the dough rise in a warm, draft-free environment helps with better yeast activation and rising.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, knead the dough by hand until it becomes smooth but this may take about 8–10 minutes.
- Storage: Keep leftover bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for longer storage.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chocolate chip bread, pull-apart bread, sweet bread, breakfast bread, chocolate chip dessert, yeast bread
