monkey bread

There are many recipes for monkey bread floating around the internet.  A vast majority of them call for multiple cans of biscuits.  In my opinion, that’s a mockery of what monkey bread was really meant to be.  So I use a slightly sticky yeast dough recipe that I’ve been working with for many years.

This weekend, I had a craving for this sweet, sticky, incredibly bad for you loaf of goodness.  Lucky for you, I thought to take photos along the way.  Forgive the horrible quality as I took them with my cell phone camera.  Why I didn’t think to break out the “real” camera, I don’t know.  There will be more of that to come though…pinky swear.

Start by dissolving 2 1/2 tsp (1 package) yeast and 2 Tbsp sugar in 1/2 cup warm water (in the mixing bowl).  Let that sit for 10 minutes or so, until it’s nice and foamy.

Meanwhile, scald 1 cup of milk and cool back to lukewarm.  Drop a stick of butter into the hot milk to melt it.

Add the cooled milk and an egg to the yeast and beat them all together.

Add 4-5 cups of bread flour and 1 1/2 tsp. salt to the bowl. Mix until incorporated and then knead by hand or with the dough hook for 5-7 minutes.  The dough should be smooth and elastic when it’s ready.  It will be sticky!  Don’t add too much flour or the final product will be heavy and, well, gross.

That’s what smooth and elastic looks like.

Add about 1 Tbsp of oil to the bottom of a clean bowl.  Put the kneaded dough in the bowl and rub it around in the oil.  Turn the oiled side up.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel.  And wait.

And wait some more.

While you’re waiting, mix together 1cup of sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon in a Ziploc bag or a bowl.

When the dough has doubled (about an hour), punch it down and break off in pieces about 1″ in diameter.  I probably should have counted my balls, but didn’t think about it at the time.

Toss the balls of dough in the cinnamon-sugar.

And then layer them in a Bundt pan.  A 9×13 baking dish or a couple of bread pans would also work.

If your pan gets to be more than half full, it’s time for another.  I made the mistake of putting all my balls in one pan.  The result was ginormous.

After you clean up the cinnamon mess, it’s time to make some syrup.  Some people sprinkle a box of butterscotch pudding (cook and serve, and not sugar free, please!) between the layers, but we don’t like it that way.  Instead…

Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter and 1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar over medium-low heat.  Cook it just until the butter is melted and everything is nicely swirled together.

Pour the syrup over the dough balls.  Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator overnight.  OR let it rise for 45 minutes to an hour.  If refrigerated, take the pan out and set it on the counter for about 30 minutes before you want to pop it in the oven.

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350º.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a serving platter.

I recommend taking a picture BEFORE calling the kids to the kitchen.  Then let them have at it.