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.
How to Make Bubble Bread
To bake these little bites of buttery, salty deliciousness, bake the bread for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the bread from the oven, drizzle four tablespoons of butter over it, and invert the pan onto a large serving plate. Sprinkle the kosher salt over the top. Serve warm.
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.
Can you use a bread machine for the dough?
Hi, JCeee! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. We have not used a bread machine for this recipe, but you could possibly use one to mix and knead the dough if that helps. Have a great day!
What sound track did you use for bubble bread? Surely that is the secret to such delicious bread!
Made these today and they turned out great. I don’t have shortening on hand so I used butter instead. My family has requested them to be made again.
Has anyone tried this with Rhodes rolls?
WHAT SHORTENING DO YOU USE
I wonder if I could do this with you Hawaiian sweet roll recipe. Hmmmmm
What adjustments do I need to make to the bubble bread recipe for high altitude. (Denver CO)
Hi, Tabitha! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. Here are some high-altitude tips you could try. Have a wonderful day!
This bread is absolutely fantastic. I have made this recipe many times and it is always a hit.
This looks fun! The instructions call for egg, but I didn’t see egg on the ingredient list. Is it one whole egg? (Seems like it would work with or without egg, but the egg would add a nice texture.) Thank you!!
Hi Bonnie – egg is the 5th ingredient in the ingredient list and used in Step #2 in the instructions.
I do not have a mixer can I use my hands or a hand mixer