Sourdough Pull-Apart Sweet Bread (With Different Fillings)

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A sweet and fluffy sourdough pull-apart bread made with an enriched dough and filled with different fillings like fruit jam and Nutella. It bakes up golden brown, pulls apart easily, and is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or holiday mornings.

If you’ve ever stood in your kitchen trying to decide what kind of sweet bread to make — jam, Nutella, farmers cheese filling?— this recipe is for you.

Instead of choosing just one filling, this sourdough pull-apart sweet bread lets you do a little bit of everything. Each roll is filled individually, so some have jam, some have Nutella, and some have a mix. When you pull the bread apart, everyone gets something slightly different, which honestly feels very realistic to how life (and family baking) actually works.

This recipe is made with an active sourdough starter, enriched with milk, egg, butter, and sugar, and baked until golden brown. The texture is soft and fluffy, the flavor is lightly sweet, and it pulls apart beautifully. It’s perfect for Christmas morning, weekends, special occasions, or just baking something fun and comforting at home.

If you love sourdough cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, or a good pull-apart bread, this one is definitely worth trying.

Why I Love This Recipe

This isn’t your average sweet roll recipe, and it’s not quite a sourdough monkey bread recipe either. The dough itself is closer to a brioche dough — rich, buttery, and soft — but it’s naturally leavened through bulk fermentation instead of using commercial yeast.

That means:

• Better flavor
• Softer texture
• And all the benefits of homemade sourdough

What really makes this bread special is how it’s shaped. Instead of pinching dough closed like traditional buns, each piece is rolled gently and placed seam-side down. During the second rise, the dough seals itself, which gives you a smooth, bakery-style top of the dough without any fuss.

And because each roll is filled separately, you don’t have to commit to just one flavor. It’s a great option if you’re baking for kids, guests, or just indecisive eaters (me included).

Texture & Flavor

• Soft, fluffy crumb with a pull-apart texture
• Lightly sweet dough that doesn’t overpower the filling
• Buttery and comforting with a mild sourdough flavor
• Finished with powdered sugar for a classic look

This bread is rich without being heavy and sweet without being too much. It reheats well, which makes it great for the next day too.

Ingredients

Dough

• 100 g active sourdough starter, fed and bubbly, room temperature
• 240 g whole milk – warm milk makes this dough soft, rich, and tender. Compared to water, milk helps create a fluffier crumb and keeps the bread moist even the next day. 
• 1 large egg, room temperature – The egg adds structure, richness, and color to the dough. It helps bind everything together and gives the finished bread that soft, bakery-style texture
• 75 g granulated sugar- Sugar lightly sweetens the dough and feeds the sourdough during fermentation. This recipe isn’t overly sweet — the sugar mostly supports the rise and balances the tang from the starter.
• 80 g unsalted butter, very soft – Butter is what turns this dough into something closer to a brioche dough. It makes the crumb soft, rich, and buttery without being greasy. The butter must be very soft so it mixes in properly during the long mix time.
• 500–520 g all-purpose flour- All-purpose flour keeps this bread light and fluffy while still providing enough structure to hold the fillings. Bread flour will make the rolls chewier, which isn’t ideal for a pull-apart style bread.
• 9 g salt – Salt strengthens the dough structure, controls fermentation, and balances sweetness. Even in sweet breads, salt is essential. Don’t skip it, and don’t reduce it too much or the dough will feel slack and bland.

For best results, make sure you’re using a mature sourdough starter that reliably rises and falls. Since sourdough is the only leavening agent here, starter strength matters.

Fillings

Use what you like and what you already have:

Raspberry, strawberry, or apricot jam

• Nutella
• 1 cup jam – of your choice
• 1 cup farmers cheese, 1 egg yolk, 2 tbl sugar. 
  You’ll need about 1–1½ teaspoons per roll. Thick fillings work best so they don’t leak everywhere while baking.

For Finishing

• 1 tbl Milk
• 1 egg yolkThis combo gives the bread a beautiful golden brown color without making the crust thick or shiny. The milk keeps the tops soft, while the egg yolk adds just enough richness and color — perfect for brioche-style sourdough.Best tip: Whisk the milk and egg yolk together in a small bowl and brush it on gently right before baking.
• Powdered sugar – for dusting 

How to Make Sourdough Pull-Apart Sweet Bread

Step 1: Mix the Dough 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the warm milk, egg, sugar, and active starter.

Add the flour and salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This helps hydrate the flour and makes the long mixing time easier.

Attach the dough hook attachment and mix on speed 2 in your KitchenAid, adding the softened butter a little at a time. At first, the dough will look very soft and like a sticky dough — this is normal for enriched sourdough.

Keep mixing until the dough becomes smooth and elastic and starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl (about 15 minutes). It should feel soft and buttery, not dry. If needed, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, but try not to add too much.

Step 2: Bulk Fermentation (First Rise)

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place.

This first rise usually takes 6–8 hours, depending on room temperature. You’re looking for about a 50–70% increase in size, not a full double. Slower rise times give better structure and flavor.

Step 3: Divide & Rest

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Use a bench scraper or bench knife to divide it into 12 equal pieces.

Roll each into a ball, cover loosely, and let rest for 10–15 minutes. This step makes shaping much easier, especially if this is your first time working with enriched sourdough.

Step 4: Fill & Shape

Flatten one dough ball into a small oval or rectangle, about 4–5 inches long. Spread 1–1½ teaspoons of filling over the surface, leaving a clean edge along one long side.

Roll the dough into a log, similar to cinnamon buns, but don’t pinch the seam closed. Place seam-side down into a buttered baking pan, loaf pan, rectangular pan, or bundt pan.

Repeat with the remaining dough, alternating fillings as you go. Arrange the rolls snugly so they support each other while rising.

Step 5: Final Rise (Second Rise)

Cover the pan and let the rolls rise for 2–4 hours, until very puffy and touching. This final rise is important for a soft, fluffy crumb.

When gently pressed, the dough should spring back slowly.

Step 6: Bake

Preheat your oven to 350°F 

Brush the tops with the egg wash. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until golden brown. The internal temperature should be around 190–195°F.

If the tops brown too quickly, loosely tent with foil.

Step 7: Finish & Serve

Let cool for about 10 minutes, then dust generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This bread pulls apart easily and is perfect for sharing.

Make-Ahead Options

This is a great recipe if you want to plan ahead:

• Shape the rolls and refrigerate overnight
• Let them come to room temperature and finish rising the following morning, then bake

Leftovers store well in an airtight container for 2 days at room temperature or up to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat gently before serving.

Can I Use Commercial Yeast Instead?

Yes. If you want a quicker version:

• Use 7 g instant yeast
• Remove the sourdough starter
• Add 50 g extra milk and 50 g extra flour

The rise times will be much shorter, but you’ll miss some of the flavor and health benefits that come with sourdough bread.

My Best Tip

• Don’t rush the rise. This dough needs time, especially during bulk fermentation and the final proof. If you give it that time, you’ll get the best results every single time.
• Mix the dough long enough. You should be able to stretch the dough slightly without it ripping. ( window pane) 

This sourdough pull-apart bread is cozy, flexible, and forgiving — exactly the kind of recipe I love having on hand. It works for holidays, slow weekends, and everything in between.

If you try it, let me know which filling you loved most — and what you’d change next time.