Written by Lucas Caswell, Photos by Lucas Caswell, Edited by Benji Davidoff and Grace Liu
One of my mother’s favorites, this delicious pick-apart bread is great for a sweet start or a flavorful way to finish the day. It is named monkey bread as the enjoyer picks apart the pieces of bread with their hands as a monkey might. Although traditionally made in a bundt pan, I prefer to use a loaf pan. While many who choose to make monkey bread use canned biscuit dough, I get a sense of gratification when I make something from scratch. When it comes to bread, this recipe is fairly easy, requiring some basic skills like measuring, mixing, and kneading. Even casual bakers and chefs should be able to complete this recipe with ease.
Directions:
Place warm water in a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the bowl stand for 5 minutes or until foamy. Stir to dissolve the yeast.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast water and mix to combine. Fold the water and oil into the dough. Put the dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic for about 10 minutes.
Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it on a floured surface. Cover the dough with an inverted bowl
and let the dough rise for 1½ hours or
until twice the size.
Ingredients:
¼ cup 110°F to 115°F water
2¼ tsp instant yeast
3¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ tsp sea salt
1 cup water
3 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
1¼ cups granulated sugar
4 tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan generously with butter.
Place the melted butter in a medium bowl and in a separate bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon.
Remove the bowl that was covering the dough; flatten it out and pop the bubbles.
Cut the dough into 30 to 40 golf ball-sized pieces. Submerge 5 pieces, coating them evenly
with melted butter. Toss the coated pieces in the cinnamon sugar and coat evenly. Make sure not to over coat the balls as the sugar can burn in the oven
Put the pieces into the prepared pan and repeat with the remaining dough. When
all the dough is in the pan, gently press down the top to remove air pockets. Make sure the dough fills the pan evenly and is level.
Put the loaf pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips from the pan. Bake until the top is golden and crispy, 30-35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bread to cool for 20 minutes.
Serve immediately or store well-wrapped at room temperature for a few days. Freeze for longer storage. If you tried this Recipe, let us know what you think!
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