Monkey Bread
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy, Moderate, Complex
A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. For that reason feel free to stir your own ideas into this dish.
When you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Add more of an ingredient you like or less of something you don’t like. Try substituting one ingredient for another.
Remember words have no flavour, you have to add your own!
Ingedients
For the bread:
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
For Rolling:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons, 4 ounces or 1/2 cup), melted
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°.
- Lightly oil a large bundt pan or other baking pan.
- In the bowl of a stand-up mixer fitted with dough hook attachment, add the melted butter, milk, brown sugar, vanilla and yeast. Mix for a few minutes and then add the flour and salt. Mix until the dough comes together in a shiny mass, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Put the dough into a large oiled bowl, cover with a towel and place in the preheated warm oven to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- When the dough has risen, take it out of the oven and pour the melted butter into a small bowl. Put the sugar and cinnamon into a second bowl and whisk well to combine.
- Punch down the dough to knock the air out of it and then form and roll small balls in your hand or on the counter. Dip them first in the melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon sugar and layer them into the bundt pan or other baking pan.
- Put the pan into the oven to rise for a second time, for about 45 minutes, until the dough balls reach the top of the pan and double once again. Remove from the oven and increase the heat to 350°. Once hot, place the pan back into the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
