Homemade Monkey Bread

Monkey Bread or Sticky Bread  is a pastry treat that is served as either breakfast or dessert. It is made with balls of dough and dipped in coated in a cinnamon brown sugar mixture. Severed as a finger food everyone will love digging into this gooey pan of goodness. 

What is Monkey Bread?

Monkey Bread  that can be served as dessert or a delicious breakfast that tastes like dessert. It is made with a from scratch dough that is formed into balls then dipped in melted butter and coated in a cinnamon brown sugar mixture. 

The balls of dough are stacked into a bundt pan so that when baked they stick together. Because the pieces of dough stick tighter when baked some people call this treat Cinnamon-Pull-Apart-Bread. 

How to make Monkey Bread from scratch: 

Ingredients:

• Whole Milk
• Sugar
• Dry Active Yeast
• Coconut Oil
• Vanilla Extract 
• Eggs
• Salt
• Flour 
• Unsalted Butter
• Brown Sugar
• Ground Cinnamon 

Equipment:

• Mixer
• Bundt Pan 

Directions: 

1. Whisk together your milk, granulated sugar, and active dry yeast in a large bowl or stand mixer. Allow the mixture to sit until the yeast begins to foam. This should take about 5 minutes. 
2. Once the milk mixture is foamy, add in the coconut oil, vanilla extract, and eggs. Whisk the ingredients together until well incorporated.
3. Add the salt and flour and whisk again. Until the flour and milk mixture are incorporated into each other. Continue stirring until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
4. On a lightly floured surface, gently knead the dough until smooth and slightly sticky. 
5. Place the dough back in your bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes.
6. While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit.
7. Melt butter in a small bowl then in a second bowl combine brown sugar and cinnamon.  Grease a bundt pan with non-stick spray. Set aside until dough is ready. 
8. Once the dough has risen, break the dough into balls about 1-1.5 inches in diameter. 
9. Dip the balls of dough into the melted butter then coat in the brown sugar mixture. Layer the dough balls in the greased bundt pan.
10. Bake for 15 minutes and allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan. 

How to know when Monkey Bread is baked through: 

It can be tricky to know when Monkey Bread is done baking because the middle tends to cook slower than the outer layers of dough. Test the dough by inserting a toothpick into the bread. If dough sticks to the toothpick then it needs to go back in the oven for a few more minutes.  Place the pan back in the oven and bake in additional 3-4 minute increments until the toothpick slides out clean. 

Storage and Freezing:

Storing: 

This delicious dish will last up to one week stored in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap. It is best to store your monkey bread on the counter because placing it in the fridge can cause the dough to harden and dry out. 

Freezing:

This dish can also be made ahead of time by preparing the balls of dough and storing them in a freezer bag. Simply line your Bundt Pan with the frozen balls of dough and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the dough is fully cooked.

I like to serve this with breakfast during the holidays. Monkey Bread is the perfect touch of sweetness to your breakfast buffet or casserole!

Happy Cooking Y’all!

Susanne