Monkey Bread

Have you ever had Monkey Bread before? If you haven't this will be a revelation to you. Monkey Bread (also called pull-apart bread) is kind of like caramel rolls, but in the form of little balls baked in a bundt pan.

Then when you eat it, you can cut it into slices, or pull off the little balls and eat it that way.

This stuff is dangerous, it's just begging to be picked at and before you know it, you'll have eaten the whole thing! But you will be so deliriously happy, it will be worth it.

I combined Monkey Bread recipes from The Pioneer Woman and Brown Eyed Baker for this recipe. If you want a faster result, substitute 3 cans biscuit dough for the dough recipe. Just coat in the cinnamon sugar, drop into the pan, coat with the caramel and bake!

printable recipe

Monkey Bread

Dough:

4 Tbsp butter, divided, 2 Tbsp softened and 2 Tbsp melted

1 cup milk, warm

1/3 cup water, warm

1/4 cup white sugar

2 1/4 tsp (1 package) yeast

3 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp salt

Coating:

1 cup white sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

Caramel:

2 sticks butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 170F then turn off. Butter the bundt pan with the 2 Tbsp softened butter and set aside. In a bowl, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar and yeast.

Mix flour and salt in a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. This is not a great picture but hopefully it gives you an idea of what the dough will look like at this point.

After the dough comes together, increase speed medium and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes.

Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball.

Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat surface of dough with cooking spray. 

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until doubled in size, about a half hour.

While the dough is rising, mix the white sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. When dough is ready, turn out onto a light floured surface and pat into an 8 inch square.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 64 pieces, 8 rows of 8. Doesn't have to be precise, as you can tell by the picture!

Drop the balls into the bowl with the coating in it.

Cover and shake to coat (alternately you may use a large ziploc bag).

Place balls in the bundt pan, staggering them like bricks to build layers.

Cover pan and place in warm oven until risen 1 to 2 inches from the top of the pan, another 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F, meanwhile heat the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. 

Cook and stir for a few minutes until completely blended. 

Pour evenly over dough balls in bundt pan.

Bake in oven until top is deep brown and caramel is bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes.

Allow to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then remove to a plate or cooling rack.

Dig in!