Bananas Foster Pull-Apart Bread is ooey-gooey homemade bread that is filled with bananas and drizzled with caramel sauce. Try my Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread for another banana-flavored treat.
Bananas Foster Pull-Apart Bread
There is no alcohol or flames to make this delicious bread. But, you will still get the banana fosters flavors of the bananas coated in butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. (You could add a little bit of rum extract if you wanted.) The flavors are baked into this delicious bread that can be enjoyed with a morning cup of coffee, as a snack, or even served as a dessert.
Bananas Foster Pull-Apart Bread Ingredients
Although Bananas Foster is an elegant and fancy dessert, there are no fancy ingredients needed to make this recipe. In fact, you may have what you need already on hand! Plus, there are no matches or alcohol needed.
Bananas: You will need 2 ripe bananas for this recipe. One banana will be smashed and the other one sliced.
Lukewarm Milk and Water: When a recipe calls for lukewarm milk or water, it means that a thermometer should read between 100°F and 115°F. This is warm enough to activate the yeast. If the water is too cold, it won’t get the yeast going; if the water is too hot, it will kill it. You can always run water over your wrist to check for the water temperature to be warmer than your body temperature.
Pull-Apart Bread Dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast using the dough hook attachment. With the mixer on low, slowly add the butter, milk, water, vanilla, and then eggs. Turn the mixer on medium-low and knead until the dough is soft and smooth (about 2 minutes). If it seems too dry add a little water, if it seems too sticky add just a little flour, up to a 1/4 cup. Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about an hour.
After the dough has had time to rise to double its size, it’s time to roll it out. Gently deflate the dough and place it on a floured work surface. Roll the dough out to about a 12×20-inch rectangle. Prepare the bananas foster filling to add to the dough.
To make the filling, melt the butter. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1 mashed banana to the melted butter, mixing to combine. Spread the mixture over the entire surface of the dough. Top with the banana slices.
Cutting and Assembling Bananas Foster Pull-Apart Bread
Cut the dough crosswise into six long strips. Make sure you have a knife that is long and sharp as well as wide enough that you could use it to move the long pieces of dough over to the stack. Stack the strips on top of one another. After all the strips are stacked, cut the stack into six pieces.
Finally, start setting the sections into the pan making sure that the dough is upright, or stacking horizontally, not vertically. Cover the loaf with a clean towel and let it rise again for 30-60 minutes. (I know…more waiting, but it will be worth it!)
After the hour, bake the bread for 45-55 minutes, tenting it with aluminum foil after the first 30 minutes. You will know the bread is done if a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it, but no batter. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool for 15-20 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle caramel sauce over the bread and serve.
Looking for More Homemade Bread Recipes?
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup lukewarm milk
- ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
Filling
- 2 ripe bananas, divided (1 mashed, 1 sliced)
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick or 57g) butter, melted
Topping
- caramel sauce, for drizzling on warm bread
Instructions
Dough
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In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
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With the mixer on low, slowly add butter, milk, water, vanilla, and then eggs. Turn the mixer on medium-low and knead until the dough is soft and smooth (about 2 minutes). If it seems too dry add a little water, if it seems too sticky add just a little flour, up to a 1/4 cup.
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Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
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Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
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Roll the dough into a 12" x 20" rectangle.
Filling
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In a medium bowl, combine the mashed banana, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter.
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Spread the mixture over the entire surface of the dough.
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Top with the slices of the second banana.
Assembling and Baking Pull-Apart Bread
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Grease a 5×8-inch loaf pan.
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Cut the dough crosswise into six 3 1/2" x 12" strips.
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Stack the strips on top of one another.
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Cut the stack into six pieces, about 2" x 3 1/2" each.
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Turn the pieces on edge, and place them in the loaf pan one in front of the other from one end of the pan to the other, squeezing them in tight.
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Cover the pan and allow the loaf to rise for 30 to 60 minutes until it's almost doubled in size. While the loaf is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Bake the loaf for 45 to 55 minutes in the center of the oven, tenting it with foil after 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven, and transfer it to a rack to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before turning it out of the pan to cool completely.
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Drizzle caramel over warm bread and serve.