Monkey Bread: Step-by-Step Recipe

The monkey bread recipe (or pan de mono, as we know it here) is sheer indulgence. A caramelized, cinnamon-flavored cake built patiently and lovingly ball by ball, it’s one of the greatest temptations in baking. Here we bring you the traditional step-by-step recipe, so it turns out perfect on the first try.

Monkey bread or pan de mono is a sweet bread of American origin, which coincidentally is better known outside its borders. It’s a kind of pull-apart bread, caramelized, with cinnamon flavor. The dough itself isn’t overly enriched, because it doesn’t use much butter or sugar. The sweet and buttery load is in the coating of the dough balls that are stacked one on top of another, usually in a tube pan.

In this case, I used a quality pan, like all the Nordic Ware, which allow easy unmolding and are especially useful when a caramel crust forms, as in this case. I chose the traditional Anniversary, which in my opinion best shows the crown shape.

For the dough I used my KitchenAid, it really saves a lot of time, but you can do it by hand.

KitchenAid stand mixer and monkey bread made with the Nordic Ware Anniversary pan

Ingredients (For a bundt cake pan of approx. 25cm)

For the dough:

• 630gr all-purpose flour*
• 280ml whole milk
• 40gr white sugar**
• 20gr inverted sugar**
• 1 organic egg size "M"
• 70gr melted butter, slightly cooled
• 1 packet of dry yeast (approx. 8gr) or 1 cube of fresh yeast (approx. 25gr)
• 1 teaspoon salt

*Extra flour for the work surface

** If you don’t use inverted sugar, add only 60gr of white sugar

For the coating:

• 350gr brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 150gr melted butter, slightly cooled

Bérard flour spoon and monkey bread made with the Nordic Ware Anniversary pan

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside.
2. Warm the milk to no more than 35-38 degrees (you can easily check it with a digital thermometer), add the yeast and mix until dissolved. Set aside.
3. In a bowl put the flour and salt and mix. Make a well in the center and add the slightly cooled melted butter, the milk with the yeast, the beaten egg, the sugar and the inverted sugar if using. I used my KitchenAid, but if you don’t have an electric mixer you can do the whole process by hand. It will take more time and effort, but the result is the same.
4. If you use the KitchenAid, mix all the ingredients well with the paddle attachment, switch to the dough hook and knead until you have a smooth, shiny dough.
5. Lightly flour the counter, turn out the dough and shape it into a ball. Oil a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with a cloth and let rest in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in size. It will take about 1 hour and a half at a temperature of around 23-24 ºC.
6. Prepare a bundt cake pan about 25cm in diameter and spray it with non-stick spray or butter. Set aside.
7. When it has doubled in volume, prepare two bowls: in one put the melted butter and in the other the brown sugar mixed with the cinnamon.
8. Flour the counter again and roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 1/2 centimeter thick. This dough is a bit soft, so don’t skimp on flour, or it will stick to the counter.
9. With a sharp knife, cut strips and then cut each strip into squares of dough not too small, like those you see in the photo. Form a little ball with each piece and coat each ball first in the melted butter and then in sugar. Place the coated balls inside the pan, one next to the other but without pressing, creating layers of balls until you almost fill the pan, as you can see in the image below.
10. Cover and let rest another 30-40 minutes.
11. Preheat the oven to 180ºC and bake for about 35 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and let rest about 5 minutes on the counter. Then invert the pan and unmold carefully.
13. Serve it hot or warm; it’s better than cold, but in any case it’s delicious.
14. It can be sliced like any cake, but it’s ideal to eat by pulling each ball off with your fingers

Laura Ashley porcelain bowls and Nordic Ware Anniversary bundt pan

Enjoy.

Virginia

Recipe author: Without a doubt, it’s worth following the wise guidance of Virginia Marín, author of this recipe and of the blog Sweet&Sour.