How to Make Monkey Bread- A Christmas Treat

If you don’t know what monkey bread is, you might not know there are two ways to make it. The popularity of Monkey Bread is due to the “pull apart” feature. It is a tasty addition to breakfast or brunch. Serve with a favorite dipping sauce.

Monkey bread dough is a sweet yeast dough. The fun part is rollng the dough into balls and layering them in a 10 inch Bundt pan to create pull apart sections. Depending on the recipe, there are three basic parts:
. Dough
. Filling
. Dipping Sauce

Making Monkey Bread from Scratch

If you plan to make monkey bread from scratch, try the following recipe. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients to Make the Dough:

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 (1/4 ounce) envelope active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
(additional butter for greasing the Bundt pan)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp honey
2 1/2 tsps. Kosher salt
3/4 cup citron
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions to Make Monkey Bread Dough:

1. In a small saucepan, heat whole milk until slightly scalded (bubbles form around the edge of the pan) (about 100 to 110 degrees F.).

2. Pour 1/4 cup of the milk into mixer bowl. For easier handling, use a stand mixer with a paddle and dough hook attachments. To the milk, stir in yeast and let stand until foam forms (about 5 minutes).

3. Beat in remaining milk, flour, butter, granulated sugar, eggs, honey and salt at low speed until a sticky dough forms. Add in citron and walnuts until well blended.

4. Switch to dough hooks. Beat at medium speed until dough is smooth and pulls away from sides of the bowl (about 5 minutes). Cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel and let stand in a warm, draft free place until doubled in size (1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes).

Ingredients for Filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
Scant Kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions to Make Filling:

In a small saucepan melt butter. Cook over moderately low heat until butter turns an amber color. It will have a somewhat nutty smell (about 3 minutes). Whisk in honey and salt and cool slightly.

Punch down dough. Divide into 8 pieces. Cut each piece into 6 smaller pieces (should total 48). Roll each into a ball about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (About the size of a plum).

Next, stir together brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt.

Generously grease a 10 inch Bundt pan and dust the bottom with half the sugar mixture. Turn the pan to coat fully. Arrange balls in even, overlapping layers in the pan. Pour 1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey mixture on top. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand about 1 hour until the dough rises to the top.

Place the pan in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Bake until golden brown for 55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack at least 10 minutes.

To remove the bread from the pan, Invert a plate on top and turn bread out onto the wire rack. Cool for another 15 minutes.

Ingredients for Dipping Sauce:

4 ounces cream cheese softened
3 tbls. honey
1/4 tsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. bourbon or almond liqueur

A Faster, Easier Monkey Bread Recipe for a Christmas Treat
There is a faster, easier way to make Monkey Bread: purchase unbaked, packaged sweet roll dough from the refrigerator section of your grocery.

Ingredients:
3-4 packages of dough rolled into balls to equal 48 small balls.

Directions:
Stir together 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and pinch of salt.

Generously grease a 10 inch Bundt pan and dust the bottom with half the sugar mixture. Turn the pan to coat fully.

Arrange balls in even, overlapping layers in the pan, adding remaining sugar mixture. Pour 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and 1/4 cup honey mixture on top.

Place the pan in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Bake until golden brown for 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack at least 10 minutes.

To remove bread from the pan, Invert a plate on top and turn bread out onto the wire rack. Cool for another 15 minutes.

Since Livnfresh is founded in Michigan, we love foods that are warm and “comfort foody” during the Holiday season. Not much better than waking up, throwing on your favorite hoodie and then lounging and enjoying some tasty food while sipping your coffee out out one of our stylish tumblers.

Ok, now let’s get to the sweet part- how to make monkey bread!

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