Easy pumpkin pull apart bread is the perfect fall treat. This pumpkin pull apart bread is quickly made with pre-made pizza dough and each layer is filled with sweet mixture of pumpkin, pecans, autumn spices, and caramel.
Table of Contents
Layers of soft, fluffy sheets of dough infused with autumnal spices from addition of cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg and layered with sweet pumpkin puree and caramel. A little added texture of crunchy pecans is very pleasant to the pallet of soft and gooey pull apart bread.
This easy and quick pumpkin pull apart bread is almost effortless and a perfect fall weekend treat. Since we are using pre-made dough, it will take you minutes to put together. You can serve it for breakfast, brunch, snack, or dessert.
I highly recommend that you get some fresh pre-made pizza dough from the deli/bakery section of your grocery store rather than canned and pre-packaged. The results will be much tastier!
Ingredient Notes and Tips
Pizza dough – to make it nice and easy, get the pre-made pizza dough from the grocery store. I highly recommend you get freshly made dough from the bakery section of the store if available.
Pumpkin Puree – you can use your favorite store-bought pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree. Just note that homemade pumpkin puree can sometimes be thinner so you really need to pay attention to that! When getting store-bought, make sure to get pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie mix!
Brown Sugar – you can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. The difference between the two is in the amount of molasses added, dark brown sugar containing more, of course.
Pecans – you can either buy finely chopped pecans or chop them yourself. I don’t recommend a blender or food processor because the chop will not be even, some will always get ground into powder while other pieces are in chunks.
Caramel sauce – use caramel sauce or caramel topping. Just note that caramel topping will be much thicker and should be warmed to thin it out. You can also try salted caramel sauce if you wish!
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread
Roll out pizza dough into a rectangle that’s about 16×8 inches in size. (It’s okay if the dough is thin as long as it’s not so thin that it rips or is see-through.)
In a small mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, spices, and pecans. Mix until all incorporated.
Brush dough with melted butter (1) and drizzle 1/4 cup of caramel all over the dough. Spread pumpkin mixture evenly all over the dough (2).
Use a pizza cutter to easily slice the dough lengthwise into three long strips and then width-wise, creating squares. Stack squares (4) and place them side-by-side into the prepared loaf pan (5). Drizzle some more caramel over the top (6) and place in the oven.
Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350°F (note, it may take additional 5 minutes or so depending on the pan used and the oven). Drizzle some more caramel over the top once baked (8).
Recipe FAQs
I do not recommend it! Canned pumpkin puree has only one ingredient – pumpkin.
Pumpkin pie filing actually comes mixed with sugar, spices, and a few other ingredients. Using pumpkin pie filling in recipes that call for pumpkin puree will compromise the taste. It’s hard to gauge how much sugar and spices to take away from the recipe to balance what’s in the pie filling.
That’s why I don’t usually recommend using pumpkin pie filling in any pumpkin recipes that call for pumpkin puree.
Of course, you can make your own pizza dough to make this pumpkin pull apart bread, just make sure it is a plain pizza dough. At the most, you can add some pumpkin pie spice to it but don’t add more sugar or other flavors.
It’s best to use pizza dough or plain yeast dough. Biscuit dough has a different texture and baking needs, it will not come out the same. Bake time would also be different.
More Delicious Recipes to Try
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Easy Caramel Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce to drizzle on top
- Flour for surface
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease an 8×4 bread loaf pan.
- Roll out pizza dough into a rectangle that’s about 16×8 inches in size.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, spices and pecans. Mix until all incorporated.
- Brush dough with melted butter and drizzle 1/4 cup of caramel all over the dough.
- Spread pumpkin mixture evenly all over the dough.
- Cut the dough easily using a pizza cutter, lengthwise, into three long strips. Then cut in width-wise, creating squares. Stack squares and place them side-by-side into the prepared loaf pan. Drizzle some more caramel over the top and place in the oven.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. (Note, it may take additional 5 minutes or so depending on the pan used and the oven).
- Drizzle some more caramel over the top once baked.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in August 2015.
Judee says
I am just wondering if you could use the frozen bread dough instead of the pizza dough for this recipe
lyuba says
Hi Judee,
I am actually not familiar with frozen bread dough but if you’re talking like raw frozen biscuit dough, I think that would work. Just gently roll out each biscuit, spread the filling on each biscuit, and put them together in and into the pan. Depending on the size of the biscuit, you can layer them in different container.
You can even use something like this: https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2016/04/easy-poppy-seed-pull-apart-muffins.html
I hope it works well!!
Becky says
Can this be made the night before and refrigerated?
lyuba says
Hi Becky, you can always make it ahead of time but you would just have to eat it cold or reheat it. As with anything else, reheated isn’t always as good as fresh from the oven 🙂
I hope you enjoy it!
April says
can this be frozen and then baked at a later time?
lyuba says
Hi April,
I’m sorry, I’ve never tried freezing a baked good. I don’t actually freeze much savory dishes either. Sorry, I’m not sure how this would come out after being frozen.
Beth Partington says
Hi, this sounds delicious. I got some walnuts on sale and wondered if you thought finely chopped nuts on top of the pumpkin mixture would be good? I’m making it for Christmas eve tomorrow. I think my family will love it. Thanks for sharing.
lyuba says
Oh yes, if you like walnuts it will be good on top! I hope everyone liked it 🙂
Thank you!
Chase says
I’m just trying this recipe today for Halloween cause it seemed fun. But I must not have done it right because after the time the recipe says to bake it was sill soft in the middle. It’s still in the oven now for a good 10 min or so extra and still nothing. I think I must have put the squares in the pan wrong. The recipe doesn’t say how so I just layered them in he bottom. Looking at other recipes it seems I should have stood the pan on one end and stacked the squares that way perhaps? I think it’d be good to include in your recipe how the squares are suppose to be put in the pan. Hopefully it turns out.
lyuba says
Hi Chase,
I’m sorry about the confusion! Yes, the slices of dough should be side by side, not on top of each other in the pan. I hope it turns out too! I will clarify the directions here!
Sarah says
I was wondering how they were supposed to be stacked as well and was going to completely by-pass this recipe despite how yummy it looks because the instructions aren’t well written. It appears as though you still haven’t edited the recipe. I’m sure I’m not the only one who turned away because it wasn’t well written and confusing.
lyuba says
I’m sorry you were confused as well. This is actually only the second time this concern has been brought up but I have gotten many messages on social media from people making the bread. I’m sorry the instructions aren’t clear to you, I thought is would be easy to tell from the final photo that they are layered side by side.
I did forget to edit the recipe, thank you for reminding me. It is edited now.
Meredith Hill says
I did the same darn thing. I don’t think the directions were very clear. My pan is still in the oven, too. I foresee a culinary disaster ahead…….
lyuba says
I”m sorry about that, Meredith! I will reword it and take some step by step pictures. I’ll actually work on a quick demo video too. That will make it easier. I hope you will give the bread another shot 🙂
Helen Leiby says
The pizza dough for this,,is it in a can or do I buy the rectangle prebaked?
lyuba says
Hi Helen,
Actually, if you check a deli section of your grocery store, they should have fresh pre-made dough in a bag. It’s freshly made every couple of days.
If you can’t find it anywhere, I’d go with a couple of cans of original pizza dough. (But I’m not sure the amount exactly because I haven’t tried using canned one.)
Helen Leiby says
Thank You. Here in PA, I know none of our Deli Departments makes pizza dough. I can make my own, just wanted an easy way out. Thank You!!!!
danette balco says
How do you make the caramel?
lyuba says
Hi Danette,
You can buy caramel sauce or caramel topping at the store or you can came one yourself. I have a recipe for one right here: https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2014/08/ultimate-caramel-cake-and-60-birthday-cakes-collection.html
Starlean Marsh says
I have just ordered your cookbook. I am very excited to see what wonderful recipes it has to offer.
lyuba says
Awe, thank you so much! I really hope you like it 🙂
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
This sounds like my kinda cookbook! I can’t wait to see it all! This bread, I mean OH MY GOSH!
lyuba says
Thank you so much, Julianne! 😀
Linda says
How exciting to have a book on sale. And pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors. I like pumpkin pie the least. But breads and cakes are right up there with my all time favorites.
This bread sounds awesome
Congratulations and good luck. Wishes for tasty dishes, Linda
lyuba says
Thank you so much, Linda! 🙂
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
I can honestly say that the cookbook is a treasure. So many wonderful recipes and the pictures are stunning. I am looking forward to making the Pumpkin Snickerdoodle cookies.But there are so many great recipes in there it will be hard to pick. Congratulations it is a keeper!!
lyuba says
AWE! Thank you, Marisa!! 😀
Jenna says
Very exciting! Congrats Lyuba! Thanks for sharing this irresistible recipe~
lyuba says
Thank you so much, Jenna! 🙂