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Monkey bread is like cinnamon rolls, but instead of being rolled up into a log they are rolled into balls. And rolled into a mixture of cinnamon and brown sugar. I love to make monkey bread during the holiday season. Since this monkey bread can be made ahead of time, it makes a great Christmas morning breakfast treat. Warm sticky dough coated in a cinnamon and sugar coating and topped with a vanilla glaze. This monkey bread will feel more like a dessert than a breakfast.
The dough that I used for this is the same dough that I used to make cinnamon rolls. This dough uses milk and butter, which makes the dough more tender and fluffy. Active dry yeast is mixed with warm milk and sugar to activate the yeast. Mix the yeast mixture into a large bowl with the flour, salt and sugar. Add in melted butter and eggs. Mix until a dough forms. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth. Place the dough into a large greased bowl, cover it with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until it is doubled in size.
The cinnamon and sugar coating is made by whisking brown sugar and ground cinnamon together in a shallow dish. Deflate the dough and roll it into small balls. Roll each ball into the melted butter, then roll them into the cinnamon sugar coating. Place the coated balls into a greased bundt pan. You can make the monkey bread ahead at this point by wrapping the bread in foil and refrigerating for at least 8 hours or overnight. When you are ready to bake, bring the monkey bread to room temperature for 1 hour. Bake it as usual.
To help get the monkey bread out of the bundt pan, leave the bread in it to cool for about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to release it from the sides. Place a plate on top of the bread and turn it upside down on it. The monkey bread should easily come out of the pan. Allow it to cool for another 5 minutes before icing. To make the vanilla icing, mix powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Evenly pour the icing over the monkey bread.
Homemade Monkey Bread
Ingredients
Ingredients for Dough
- 1 cup warm milk
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
Ingredients for Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
Ingredients for Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place milk into a measuring cup and microwave for one minute, until warm. Mix active dry yeast and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar into the milk. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, remaining sugar and salt. Add in yeast mixture, melted butter and eggs. Mix until a dough forms. Knead dough out onto a floured surface, adding more flour as needed until smooth.
- Place dough into a large greased bowl. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish. Place melted butter into another shallow dish.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Deflate dough and divide into 40-45 small balls. Roll each ball into the melted butter, then coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place coated balls into a greased bundt pan. Cover and let rise at room temperature for another 30-60 minutes. Or refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. When ready to bake, let rise at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
- Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes. Let sit in pan for 5 minutes. Turn pan upside down onto a plate. For the frosting, whisk powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract together until smooth. Drizzle frosting over monkey bread.