Bring on the Monkey Business - A Look at Monkey Breads

Monkey Bread or Break-Aparts have been gaining in popularity for a number of years and it is easy to see why.  They are a perfect treat for a crowd like a family gathering or a small party with friends or just a special dish to make and take.  If done with whole grain bread dough, it is like having a nutritious dessert.  They are easy to make, unusal to look at and delicious to eat!  We thought you would like to see some great Monkey bread recipes and maybe try some out for yourself.  We will also share some helpful hints in making these crowd-pleasers even easier.  By the way Pam says she will never make Monkey bread again because she ate the whole thing!!!!

We don't know where the term "Monkey Bread" came from, but what it is describing is a bread usually made in an angel food cake tin or a Bundt pan, from balls of dough.  The balls or mini-buns are usually dipped in butter and then rolled in sugars or herbs, or other foods and then dropped willy nilly into the the cake pan to rise and bake.  When you turn it out it is specatacular-looking and is eaten by pulling off the individual buns, hence the term "Break-Aparts

How to Make Monkey Bread-

Think of Monkey Bread as a technique, a type of dessert with a variety of options.  It doesn't require a lot of precision and there is not much time commitment (you have to wait for the bread to rise) especially if you are doing your bread dough in a Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine.  And it's great as a kids'project because the kids love handling the dough and dipping the bread pieces and it really doesn't matter how it's put together.  Here are the main steps.

1. Make your bread dough.  We like to use our Basic Whole Wheat Bread recipe but you can also use a part wheat recipe or an all white bread recipe.  We let the dough kneead in the Bosch mixer for the full kneading time and then proceed as follows.  To fill the Bundt or Angel Food pan you need a recipe that calls for at least 4 cups of flour.  I like to take about a third of our total bread recipe to make the Monkey Bread and use the rest for regular loaves and buns.  You can really get imaginative with your dough by making it a little sweeter by add several Tbsp. of sugar (white or brown) or cocoa to make a chocolate Monkey Bread, dried fruits like raisins, or even nuts and seeds.  Adding an egg or two will make the dough richer and adding extra gluten will make the dough lighter.

2. Cut the chunks.  We put oil on the counter and oil our hands generously to remove the dough and divide it into to portions.  You can roll it out on your counter and cut across the dough with a sharp knife or just pinch off the same size chunks and squeeze them into small balls.  Keep the chunks equal in size as quite small about the size of a large walnut.

3. Coat the chunks.  There is more than one way of doing this.  We like to dip them in a bowl of melted butter and then drop them in a zip-lock bag with the sugar mixture and give them a shake. (Something like shake and bake).  For cinnamon monkey bread, dip the chunks in butter and roll them in a cinnamon and sugar mixture.  We also like to add nuts and dried fruits in between the layers of the chunks.  You can also top the whole mixture with nuts or even just put them on the bottom of the pan before adding the bread chunks.  Remember anything that is on the bottom will end up on the top when you turn it out on the plate when you've finished baking it. For a change of pace you can use jam, Xagave, honey, or fruit syrups to dip the bread balls or even roll them in finely chopped nuts or dessimated coconut.  It is up to you and your imagination.

4. Drop in the pan.   You can use any pan that you want but the tube type pans like the angel food and Bundt pans will allow the bread bake evenly on the inside as the mass of dough is usually larger than what we normally would bake.  Spring form pans are not a good choice as they may leak.

The Secrets of Great Monkey Bread

1.  It took us a while to discover that adding  ingredients that absorb moisture from the air, made for a moister, tastier monkey bread. We now add potato flour to the dough and brown sugar to the glaze.

2. Get gooey. Use plenty of butter and a sugary glaze. Again, a little brown sugar helps.

3. Keep the pieces small. Smaller pieces of dough and flat pieces have more surface area to dredge in your sugary coating. Chunks should be no larger than a walnut.

4. Cover with foil. The sugary glaze caramelizes and the top may burn while baking. The simple solution is to drape a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the pan during the last ten minutes of baking. The foil will reflect the heat.

5. Use a thermometer. Just because the top of the loaf is brown doesn’t mean the center of the loaf is cooked. The best way to tell is with a thermometer. When the center of the loaf reaches 185 to 190 degrees, the bread is done.

6. Eat it fresh. Still warm is the way to go. Like all bread products, day old is not as good. You can try reheating it in an oven at 250 degrees but some glazes may become too runny so watch your monkey bread carefully.

Try out these great Monkey Bread Recipes and Variations like Herbed Parmesan Monkey Bread, and Butterscotch Monkey Bread.