Packed with warm cinnamon and the delightfully floral flavor of cardamom, this pull-apart bread is sure to be a favorite among children and adults alike. With a homemade brioche-like dough, this Monkey Bread differs from others that use convenience doughs like refrigerator biscuits. Those are not as good as doing it the right way!
The scratch-made dough is soft and fluffy, creating the perfect texture, both warm from the oven or sliced and toasted after it’s cooled. Each dough ball is coated in cinnamon-cardamom sugar mixture that creates a sticky glaze once baked. If you don’t have cardamom, feel free to substitute it for your favorite baking spice blend or even ground ginger. For another enriched bread, try my homemade brioche bread recipe or homemade babka recipe.
What You’ll Need for This Recipe
Brown Sugar: You can use dark brown sugar instead for a deeper caramel flavor
Spices: I love the combination of cinnamon and cardamom but you can definitely add your favorites or stick with just cinnamon.
How to Make Monkey Bread
1. Add 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt and instant yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk together to combine then create a well in the middle.
2. Whisk the eggs together then pour in to the well along with the melted butter and warm (110F) milk. Use your spatula to mix the wet and dry together just a bit. Place the bowl in your stand mixer and attach a dough hook.
3. Run the mixer on medium low speed (2) for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle in the remaining flour as you go and use a spatula to scrape the bowl down after the first 5 minutes or so. Continue mixing until the dough is tacky when touched but will not stick to your clean finger. Transfer the dough into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with plastic and leave in a warm place to rise for 45-60 minutes.
4. After your dough has nearly doubled in size brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle a few tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar on a clean work surface. Carefully invert the dough onto your prepared surface butter side down and gently stretch and pat it into a 12 by 12 inch square. Brush the top with more melted butter and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar then cut into an 8 x 8 grid.
5. Pour the remaining melted butter into the bundt pan and brush up toward the top then dust lightly with sugar. That pool of butter on the bottom will be delicious after the bake. Give each piece of dough a light roll then roll in the cinnamon sugar and place in the pan. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes. While the bread rises set oven to 350F.
6. After the bread has a final rise make the brown sugar coating. Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and place in a medium pan along with the brown sugar and up to two tablespoons of the remaining cinnamon sugar. Heat on medium-low stirring frequently until the sugar and butter start to simmer, immediately remove from heat then whisk together and pour the brown sugar topping over the risen monkey bread then pop it into the oven to bake for about 35 minutes. The monkey bread is done when the top is golden and firm. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes then invert onto your serving dish and enjoy!
Pro Tips for this Recipe
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Don’t give up on your dough! It will continue to stick to your bowl while kneading even when it’s ready. It’s a soft dough, which is perfect for creating that brioche-like texture in the finished bake. Just know it won’t form a solid dough ball; the finger test will be your friend to let you know when it’s ready!
- Monkey bread doesn’t pull apart very well when it cools, but it’s still delicious! Slice an inch or so thick, toast, and top with butter or your favorite preserve.
- To cut into an 8×8 grid without doing math(!) simply but the square in half. Cut each of those halves in half and again with the two halves just created, leaving you with 8 strips. Repeat the process, cutting perpendicular to your original cuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do they call it Monkey bread?
Instead of being cut into, this dessert is more of a finger food that you pick at much like we would imagine a monkey doing with their food.
Does it have to be made in a bundt pan?
A bundt pan will give you that classic shape that’s easy to pick apart but you can bake it in a loaf pan or any number of other shapes.
How do you know when it’s done?
The top will be a golden brown and firm to the touch. The actual bake time will depend on the pan you’re using as well as your oven.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Monkey Bread recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Monkey Bread
Equipment
- Large Bundt Pan
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4¾ cups all-purpose flour divided
- 1¼ cup sugar divided
- 1 packet instant yeast 0.25-ounce
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup whole milk warm, 110F - 120F
- 3 large eggs room temperature and lightly beaten
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and divided
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
For the Brown Sugar Coating
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter 113g
- 2/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 4 cups flour, ½ cup sugar, yeast, and salt. Make a well in center and add milk, eggs, and 4 tablespoons melted butter. Beat on medium-low speed with dough hook attachment until dough comes together and is elastic but sticky, about 15 minutes, adding remaining flour a few tablespoons at a time while kneading. (Dough will not pull away from the bowl. It should be sticky but not stick to you when touched with a clean fingertip.)
- Transfer for a lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cinnamon, cardamom, and remaining ¾ cup sugar. Lightly sprinkle the counter with 2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar in a 12-inch square. Brush top of dough in bowl with 1 tablespoon butter. Carefully turn out dough, butter-side down, onto sugar; gently pat and stretch into a 12-inch square. Brush top of dough lightly with 1 tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar. Add remaining melted butter to a 15-cup Bundt pan and brush up the sides. Dust with 2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar, just until lightly coated. (Butter will pool in the bottom of the pan.)
- Cut dough into an 8x8 grid. Roll each dough piece into a ball, and coat with additional cinnamon sugar. Place balls in pan as you work. Loosely cover and let rise for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 while the bread rises.
- Meanwhile, combine butter, brown sugar, and up to 2 tablespoons of any remaining cinnamon-sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat stirring frequently until the sugar and butter start to simmer, immediately remove from heat then whisk together and pour the brown sugar topping over the risen monkey bread. Place pan on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown and firm to the touch. Let cool for 5 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Don’t give up on your dough! It will continue to stick to your bowl while kneading even when it’s ready. It’s a soft dough, which is perfect for creating that brioche-like texture in the finished bake. Just know it won’t form a solid dough ball; the finger test will be your friend to know when it’s ready!
- Monkey bread doesn’t pull apart very well when it cools, but it’s still delicious! Slice an inch or so thick, toast, and top with butter or your favorite preserve.
- To cut into an 8x8 grid without doing math(!) simply but the square in half. Cut each of those halves in half and again with the two halves just created, leaving you with 8 strips. Repeat the process, cutting perpendicular to your original cuts.
