Monkey Bread

I loved this recipe the minute I heard its name...monkey bread. Also known as pull apart bread, monkey bread gets its name from the fact that you eat it by pulling apart the little balls just like a monkey. When I first saw the recipe, I knew that fate was calling my name because the recipe called for one packet of quick rise yeast, and that's exactly how much I had in my pantry.

The dough is easy is to make and the process of rolling the balls in butter and then sugar coating them is fun. Be warned though: this recipe is not for impatient people. After making the dough initially, you must let it rise for 20 minutes before proceeding to sugar coat the balls. Then, you have to wait another hour for the dough to rise in the pan before baking for 30 minutes. Overall, the process is time consuming simply because you end up waiting for so long...but the taste is worth it.

The first time I made monkey bread, I did it with my brother after dinner one night. By the next morning the whole family had devoured it over breakfast. This time, I decided to do it with some friends and their kids...the monkey bread was consumed within 20 minutes of coming out of the oven. The great part about this recipe is that you can do it with kids and let them go crazy...there's no measuring involved when it comes to rolling the balls in butter and then sugar coating them. Also, the recipe leaves room for experimenting. For example, the first time I prepared the monkey bread I followed the recipe as stated. However, the next time I decided to put little chocolate chips into the center of each of the dough balls before sugar coating them. Each time the monkey bread tasted great, and the chocolate inside was a great surprise the second time around. The recipe can also be altered by sugar coating them with sugar and chocolate instead of sugar and cinnamon. The possibilities are endless!

Monkey Bread

For the dough:

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 envelope instant yeast
• 3/4 cup warm milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1 large egg

1. Lightly grease a 10" bundt pan and large bowl.
2. Put the warm water and a pinch of sugar into a small bowl and pour yeast on top. Stir until the yeast softens and completely dissolves.
3. In the large bowl, mix the butter, sugar, milk, salt, and egg. Once evenly mixed, add the yeast mixture and fully incorporate.
4. Gradually add the flour and mix until a dough forms. Cover with a towel and set aside in a warm place for 20 minutes.

For the coating:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tsp cinnamon (you can play around here and add what you like...be creative)

1. Tear off the dough into roughly 1" pieces and roll into a ball.
2. Dip the dough ball into the melted butter and let excess liquid drip off before rolling around in sugar cinnamon mixture.
3. Pile all of the sugar coated dough balls on top of one another in the prepared bundt pan. Cover with a towel and set aside in a warm place for an hour, or until the dough rises and fills the pan.

Note: If you want to use chocolate chips, simply flatten the piece of dough that you tear off, put 3-4 chocolate chips in the middle and then cover with the rest of the dough and shape into a ball before sugar coating.





Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a plate and devouring to your heart's delight.