Monkey Bread

Why this recipe works Monkey bread is a knotty-looking loaf made from rich balls of dough coated in cinnamon, sugar, and melted butter and baked in a Bundt pan. It’s traditionally served warm so that the sticky baked pieces can be pulled apart. The older recipes we found produced a delicious bread, but they were two- day affairs; newer versions favored convenience, calling for store-bought biscuit dough and yielding lean, dry, bland bread that simply wasn’t worth the time saved. We wanted a faster recipe for monkey bread that didn’t compromise on its delicious flavor and sticky, sweet appeal. To expedite the rising and proofing in this recipe we used a generous amount of instant yeast and added sugar to the dough, which jump-started the yeast. Butter and milk helped keep the dough tender and flavorful. Before assembling the bread, we rolled the balls of dough in melted butter and sugar to give them a thick, caramel- like coating. White sugar was good, but light brown sugar, with its molasses notes, made a coating that was even better. Mixing multiple spices with the sugar muddied the flavor, but a generous amount of cinnamon alone added warm character to the coating. Once the bread had cooled slightly, we finished by drizzling a simple confectioners’ sugar glaze over the top.

MAKES: 1 loaf

RISING TIME: 3 to 4 hours

BAKING TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 5 to 6 hours

KEY EQUIPMENT: 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE DOUGH

• 3¼ cups (16¼ ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) whole milk, room temperature
• ⅓ cup (2⅔ ounces) water, room temperature
• ¼ cup (1¾ ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE BROWN SUGAR COATING

• 1 cup packed (7 ounces) light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

FOR THE GLAZE

• 1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, yeast, and salt. In a 4-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together milk, water, sugar, and melted butter until the sugar has dissolved. Using the dough hook attachment on low speed, slowly add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until a cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes.
2. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium-low and knead the dough until it is smooth, elastic, and clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom, which takes approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and knead it by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 30 seconds. Place the dough seam side down in a lightly greased large bowl or container. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise until it doubles in size, which usually takes about 1½ to 2 hours. If you prefer, you can refrigerate the dough for at least 8 hours or up to 16 hours. In that case, let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before shaping in step 4.
4. Thoroughly grease a 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Place melted butter in a separate bowl.
5. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured counter and press it into a rough 8-inch square. Using a pizza cutter or chef’s knife, cut the dough into 8 even strips. Then cut each strip into 8 pieces, resulting in a total of 64 pieces. Loosely cover the pieces with greased plastic.
6. Working with a few pieces of dough at a time (keeping the remaining pieces covered), place them on a clean counter. Using your cupped hand, drag the dough pieces in small circles until they feel taut and round. Dip each ball in melted butter, then roll it in the sugar mixture to coat. Place the coated balls in the prepared Bundt pan, staggering the seams where the dough balls meet as you build layers.
7. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough balls rise until they reach 1 to 2 inches below the lip of the pan, which usually takes 1½ to 2 hours.
8. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the bread until the top is deep golden brown and caramel begins to bubble around the edges, typically for about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert it onto a serving platter and let cool for 10 minutes.
9. For the glaze Meanwhile, whisk sugar and milk in bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over bread, letting it run down sides. Serve warm.