Sunday, April 5, 2020

Monkey Bread


Monkey Bread by freshfromthe.com.

True story: these photos were all taken with the iPhone 11 Pro, and I have to say they turned out pretty good. Portrait mode could be a game changer for bloggers who don't have the money to buy both a fancy camera (and learn how to use it) and a cellphone. Because honestly this looks pretty close to what I'd be able to do on a fancy camera with my basic skills, and the iPhone autocorrects the lighting as well, because it was fairly dark in the room too when I took these.

I promise, this isn't an ad for an iPhone! I just was impressed and thought I'd share.

Monkey Bread by freshfromthe.com.

I've made another version of Monkey Bread on here before that is very similar to this version. There are a few key differences - this one you make all at once, whereas the other you let sit in the fridge overnight, this one uses rapid rise yeast, whereas the other uses active dry, and this one just has a plain glaze whereas the other one uses one with orange extract added. So, if the other version sounds better to you, head on over and check it out.

Also, you may be wondering - where is the glaze in these photos? I think I put it on too soon, and it just started to melt right into it, soooo oh well. It still looks awesome without it, right? Yes, of course it does.

Monkey Bread by freshfromthe.com.

But, I'm gonna keep this short, so you don't have to read a bunch of stuff before getting to the actual recipe, because I know how I hate that when I'm reading blogs.

Monkey Bread

A breakfast classic alternative to cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients:
    For the Dough
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 Tablespoons, melted
  • 1 cup warm milk (about 110 degrees F)
  • 1/3 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 package rapid-rise or instant yeast
  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
  • 2 teaspoons table salt
  • For the Brown Sugar Coating
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
  • For the Glaze
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons milk
Instructions:

    For the Dough
  1. 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.
  2. In large measuring cup, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Mix flour and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. 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.
  3. For the Sugar Coating:
  4. While dough is rising, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in bowl. Place melted butter in second bowl. Set aside.
  5. To Form the Bread:
  6. Gently remove dough from bowl, and pat into rough 8-inch square. Using bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces.
  7. 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, following photo 4 below, layer balls in Bundt pan, staggering seams where dough balls meet as you build layers.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. For the Glaze:
  11. While the 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.
Recipe thanks to Cook's Country

Monkey Bread by freshfromthe.com.

2 comments:

  1. This looks delicious! We used to have monkey bread for Christmas morning breakfast every year, but I've never been able to get the recipe to work correctly since moving across the country. Do regional differences make that much difference in a recipe?? I finally gave up last year and switched to cinnamon rolls, but maybe I'll give this recipe a shot next time.

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    Replies
    1. Oh how strange! I never would've thought location would matter unless the elevation was super different. I do know we've had trouble with things rising properly if our yeast isn't very fresh, or if the water we've used isn't a good temperature. That's a bummer, though cinnamon rolls are very similar!

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