monkey bread

The monkey bread recipe (or monkey bread, as we know it here) is pure vice. A caramelized and cinnamon-flavored sponge cake built with patience and love, one ball at a time. Without a doubt, it is worth it, especially following the wise instructions of Virginia, author of Sweet&Sour , who leaves you the recipe here.

Monkey bread or monkey bread is a sweet bread of American origin, which coincidentally is better known outside its borders. It is a kind of pull apart bread, caramelized, with a cinnamon flavor. The dough itself is not an excessively brioche dough, because it does not use a lot of butter or sugar. The sweet and butter load is found in the batter of the dough balls that are placed one on top of the other, generally in a tube mold .

In this case, I have used a quality mould, such as all Nordic Ware ones , which allow easy unmolding and more like in this case, which forms a caramel crust. I have opted for the traditional Anniversary , which is the one that for my taste allows us to see the crown shape better.

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

KitchenAid Artisan food processor and monkey bread made with the Nordic Ware Anniversary pan

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

For the mass:

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

*Extra flour for the hob

** If you do not use invert sugar, add only 60g of white sugar

For the batter:

• 350g of brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 150g warmed melted butter

Spoon for Bérard flour and monkey bread made with the Nordic Ware Anniversary mold

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in the microwave and reserve.
2. Warm the milk to no more than 35-38 degrees (you can easily check this with a digital thermometer ), add the yeast, and mix until smooth. Booking.
3. In a bowl put the flour and salt and mix. Make a hole in the center and add the lukewarm melted butter, the milk with the yeast, the beaten egg, the sugar and the inverted sugar if applicable. 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 work, but the result is the same.
4. If you're using the KitchenAid, mix all the ingredients well with the paddle attachment, switch to the hook, and knead until you have a smooth, glossy dough.
5. Flour the table a little, turn the dough over and make a ball with it. Oil a large bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in volume. It will take you about 1 hour and a half at a temperature of about 23-24 ºC.
6. Prepare a bundt cake mold about 25cm in diameter and spray it with non-stick spray or butter. Booking.
7. When it has doubled its volume, prepare two bowls in one place the melted butter and in another the brown sugar mixed with cinnamon.
8. Flour the table again and stretch the dough with a rolling pin in the shape of a rectangle with a thickness of about 1/2 centimeter. This dough is a tad soft, so don't skimp on flour, or it will stick to the table.
9. With a sharp knife , cut strips and each strip into not too small squares of dough, like the ones you see in the photo. Shape each one into a ball and coat each ball first in the melted butter and then in sugar. Go placing the battered balls inside the mold, one next to the other but loosely, creating layers of balls until the mold is practically filled, 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 for about 5 minutes on the counter. Then turn the mold over and remove it carefully.
13. Serve it warm or warm, it's tastier than cold, but in any case it's delicious.
14. It can be cut like any cake, but it is ideal to take it by removing each ball with your fingers

Laura Ashley porcelain bowls and Nordic Ware Anniversary bundt pan

To enjoy.

Virginia