Monkey Bread

I feel bad it's been so long since I've blogged. So much has been going on and I'll blog about that later.So many fun changes going on! My family has a tradition to have a Halloween party the Saturday before Halloween. When I was little I remember my Mom making homemade cinnamon rolls with homemade chili. I love making cinnamon rolls, but sometimes they can be time consuming. That's why I love Monkey Bread. It's tastes like a cinnamon roll, but can come together in under an hour and is a fun treat for Saturday mornings. I love that these remind me of my childhood. Plus, it's so fun to pull them apart when you eat them. Our kids love that!

This bread recipe is SO fast and easy and is one of our family favorites. I use it for bread sticks, cinnamon rolls, Monkey Bread, pizza crust, rolls, etc. It's a great multi-purpose bread dough. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Here's what you need:

Bread

-1 1/2 C warm water (about 120 degrees. You don't want it hot or it can kill the yeast.)

-1 TBS of dry, active yeast

-2 TBS sugar (can also use honey)

-1 1/2 tsp. salt

-1 TBS oil (I use olive)

-3 to 5 C all-purpose flour (can also use 1/2 white flour with 1/2 whole wheat flour.) **You want the dough to still be slightly tacky, so use caution not to use too much flour. I typically only have to use 3 cups. It really depends on the brand and moisture content of your flour.

Dip

-1/2 C melted butter

-1 tsp. real vanilla extract

-1 C brown sugar

-1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Glaze

-2/3 C powdered sugar

-1/2 tsp. real vanilla extract

-2-3 TBS milk

1. In large bowl combine warm water and 2 TBS sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle yeast on top of water and allow to stand for 5 minutes until it gets foamy. Once it's foamy stir in oil and salt. Add flour and stir. You can also mix flour in with your hands, but being careful not to overmix. This dough doesn't require a lot of kneading. **If Raisins are desired, add them to the dough now before the first rising.

2. Cover bowl with a warm, damp towel and allow to rise 10 minutes. You can allow it to rise longer which will result in even fluffier bread, bread but it's not required. 

3. Grease bundt pan and punch down dough. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Have 2 bowls to the side, one with melted butter and vanilla and the other with the brown sugar and cinnamon mixed. Take chunks of dough and dip in butter and then roll in sugar mixture. Place around in bundt pan until the dough is gone.

4. Cover with a warm, damp cloth and allow bread to rise again until the dough doubles which takes about 15-20 minutes. Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown. 

5. Remove pan from oven and allow bread to rest in pan for 5-10 minutes. While bread is resting, make the glaze. In a small bowl, take powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 TBS of milk and stir. Continue adding 1 TBS of milk until the consistency is thick, but slightly runny. Flip bread out onto a serving platter and top with glaze. Serve and enjoy warm.

Enjoy and Happy Baking!

Here's the printable recipe.