This bread is dangerous. For real. I mean it. I know we’re not exactly tight, but I swear I ain’t lying to you. Let me break it down for you. Balls of dough are dipped in melted butter, rolled in cinnamon sugar, stacked into a bundt pan
I’ve made this bread quite a few times and every time I make it, I legitimately eat a third of it. It’s a recipe I keep coming back to; it’s that good. Yes it requires yeast and rising time, but once you’ve got a piece of that sticky, sweet bread in your hand, it’ll all be worth it. The blood. The sweat. The tears.
This bread is just too good not to make. I find myself mindlessly dipping pieces of it into the sticky puddles of icing left on the plate, shoving them into my mouth and just telling myself, “One more piece, just one more. The pieces are so small (not really) and I’m still so hungry (false).” It’s a vicious cycle folks. One I hope to get you started on as soon as possible. Start your free trial today. Call 1-800-eat my monkey balls.
Monkey Bread
Print RecipeIngredients
- Dough
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup milk, warm (about 110 degrees)
- 1/3 cup water, warm (about 110 degrees)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 ounces rapid-rise yeast (1 envelope)
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Brown Sugar Coating
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the Dough: Adjust oven rack to medium-low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Butter bundt pan with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Set aside.
In large measuring cup, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Mix flour and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook, (see below for making Monkey Bread without a mixer). Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to 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 coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.
For the Sugar Coating: While dough is rising, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in bowl. Place melted butter in second bowl. Set aside.
To Form the Bread: Gently remove dough from bowl, and pat into rough 8-inch square. Using bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces.
Roll each dough piece into a ball. Working one at a time, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into bowl. Roll in brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in bundt pan, staggering seams where dough balls meet as you build layers.
Cover bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough balls are puffy and have risen 1 to 2 inches from top of pan, 50 to 70 minutes.
Remove pan from oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
For the glaze: While bread cools, whisk confectioners' sugar and milk in small bowl until lumps are gone. Using whisk, drizzle glaze over warm monkey bread, letting it run over top and sides of bread. Serve warm.
Notes
The dough should be sticky, but if you find it's too wet and not coming together in the mixer, add 2 tablespoons more flour and mix until the dough forms a cohesive mass. After baking, don't let the bread cool in the pan for more than 5 minutes or it will stick to the pan and come out in pieces. It's happened to me. It ain't pretty. Monkey bread is at its best when served warm. Recipe from Cook's Illustrated
