Buttery Bubble Bread is homemade bread that is a soft, salty, and buttery pull-apart bread that is easy to make and perfect for dinner rolls. For another pull-apart bread, try my Homemade Monkey Bread.
Buttery Bubble Bread
Bubble Bread is very similar to monkey bread. Just like monkey bread, this Buttery Bubble Bread can be picked apart with your fingers. These small, delicious ‘bubbles’ of bread are coated and topped with butter, sprinkled with salt, and baked to a beautiful golden brown.
Bubble Bread Recipe
With butter in the name, I knew I had to use the best quality butter. I opted for Challenge Butter to make sure that my bread would be the best-tasting bubble bread you will ever try! Challenge Butter is made the old-fashioned way, churned fresh daily from the freshest milk and cream from happy cows at family-owned dairies since 1911.
In fact, Challenge is the only major U.S. dairy product company that controls the whole process when it comes to making its butter, from milking the cows, to transporting milk, to making the butter to packaging and distributing. Talk about quality control! I also used Challenge Butter in my Kentucky Butter Crunch Cake which turned out to be the best pound cake I have ever made or tasted!
Bread Dough
This bubble bread dough is easy enough to make, but it does take a little patience. Both the dough and the dough balls will need time to rise. To get started, get out a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Whisk the yeast and warm water in the bowl of the mixer. Let that sit for about five minutes.
Next, add the sugar, shortening, egg, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the bowl. Then, turn the mixer on low and add 1 cup of flour at a time. Finally, use the dough hook attachment to mix on low for 5-6 minutes. If you don’t have a dough hook attachment, knead the dough by hand until smooth. Place the dough in a greased bowl, flipping it over to get both sides greased, and cover it with plastic wrap or a clean towel. Let it rise for about an hour (or until doubled in size).
Shaping the Dough Balls
To shape the bubble bread, first, divide the ball of dough into 30 equal-sized pieces. Work each piece of dough on a clean work surface with your hand cupping the dough. Gently press down on the ball of dough, moving your cupped hand in a circular motion until you have a smooth ball of dough.
In a bowl, melt a stick of butter. Dip each dough ball into the butter and place them in a greased 9-inch Bundt pan. Pour any leftover butter over the dough. Cover the pan and let the dough rise until double in size or about 45 minutes. Once the dough is close to being double in size, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bubble Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 1 cup (250 g) warm water
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) salted Challenge Butter, melted
Topping
- 4 tablespoons salted Challenge Butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or less, to taste
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Add the sugar, shortening, egg, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Turn the mixer on low and add 1 cup of flour at a time, adding a little more (or less) flour as needed.
- Knead (with the dough hook of the stand mixer) for 5-6 minutes, or until smooth.
- Spray a medium bowl with nonstick spray; place the dough in the bowl. Flip over the dough, getting both the top and bottom covered in the nonstick spray. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- When you are ready, punch the dough, turn it out onto a floured surface, and divide the dough into 30 equal-sized pieces.
- Push down slightly (but firmly and evenly) on the dough and roll the ball under your palm in a circular motion. Use the cupped sides of your hands to keep the dough centered in your palm. You may have to work the dough for a while, but eventually, it will come together and most of the lines and folds should have incorporated into the dough, forming a smooth dough ball.
- In a medium bowl, melt the stick of butter and dip the dough balls in the butter. Place in a greased 9-inch Bundt pan, pouring any of the leftover butter on top.
- Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle the 4 tablespoons of melted butter on the bread. Invert the bundt pan onto a large serving plate.
- Top with salt. Serve warm.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Did a half recipe for bread machine. Beautiful texture, soft crumb. Added in 1/4 tea ginger to benefit the yeast.
Will label this recipe a “keeper!”
Ooohhhh, love the addition of tea ginger!
Can you make this bubble bread with bread dough sold as dough balls in the freezer section? How would you adjust the instructions?