Thursday, May 5, 2011

Monkey bread

I mentioned that I made monkey bread for Easter, along with the cinnamon rolls. I just used the same dough I used for the cinnamon rolls, melted some butter, mixed up some brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and rolled my sleeves up.

monkey bread prep
{monkey bread prep}

Because I had never made it before, I used Deb's general instructions, although not the recipe. If you do this (and you should, because it's delicious) do pay attention to her actual instructions. I had more dough than I needed, and I overfilled the bundt pan, recklessly ignoring her instructions to leave plenty of room in the pan (after they are risen in the pan, you want 1 - 2 inches of space at the top and I'd recommend 2).

I don't have pictures of the hilarity that ensued, but you can imagine it - opening the oven on Easter morning, 20 eager people standing around waiting for brunch, only to see little rolls of dough launching out of the pan and all over the oven (they actually popped, rather than just oozed - it was rather impressive). Please note that I was not seeing the hilarity at this point, but I simply plucked the upper layer out of the pan as gracefully as I could and let it finish cooking (and poured myself a mimosa).

monkey bread, easter 2011
{monkey bread}

Luckily, it worked out.

monkey bread
{monkey bread, consumed}

So in sum, monkey bread itself is forgiving. All you need is a sweet yeasted dough, melted butter and some sort of sugar/spice mixture. But do follow the baking instructions.

Personally, I liked the monkey bread more than the cinnamon rolls on the day of, but found them lacking as leftovers. Because they're completely coated in butter and sugar, they don't retain any crisp outer texture after being stored. Happily, this stuff tends to go quickly, so you probably won't have an issue.

32 comments:

  1. Hahaha! I love that you're so open about your kitchen mishaps. This looks divine - I can't imagine there was any mishap at all looking at these pictures! And mimosas cure a lot of things too.

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  2. i love monkey bread! thanks for sharing this recipe - perhaps one day i'll make it when my kitchen isn't the size of a postage stamp.

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  3. wishing i had a little piece right this very second. a neighbor of ours brought us a monkey bread when we were little. to this day i've never had another, but have thought of it often. will have to get around to making my own!

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  4. your baking reminds me so much of the sort of stuff my mom used to make that i fear sharing a meal with you would involve me bursting into nostalgic tears. monkey bread is our christmas breakfast, and i love it to pieces, as it were.

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  5. Your bread looks so perfect. We also enjoy monkey bread for Easter. I do not make it.

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  6. Mmmm. I saw Paula Dean make monkey bread like a year ago and I still havent made it. I really need to get on it.


    It's Maternity Month at A Taste of T

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  7. My family loves monkey bread, but I've always felt a little guilty making it with canned dough. Excited to try this version.

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  8. Looks so delicious, can't wait to try this out!

    -Emmy

    www.sprinklesoneverything.wordpress.com

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  9. That looks absolutely delicious! xxxxx

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  10. Mhmn I love monkey bread. So delicious. I can only make it every now and then though!

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  11. God, that is a thing of beauty.

    I would never think that YOU would have a kitchen mishap. I actually don't believe it. No photos = it didn't happen. hehe. xo.

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  12. yum! this just made my day, flashback to my childhood! xx

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  13. I didn't know monkey bread existed until my friend, Mary, brought it for lab meeting. (We always had refreshments for lab meeting, with an organized schedule of refreshment-bringers, complete with automated email reminders; we were a highly food-oriented lab.) It was delicious.

    What is the nifty contraption on which you're cutting up the monkey bread in the top photo?

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  14. ooh, I love monkey bread!! the first time I had it was in my high school cooking class. I thought it was the most amazing thing ever. and so simple given the fact that we cheated and used store-bought biscuit dough. ha! that's how my high school rolls I guess. still, it was delicious. and now you have me craving it!

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  15. just came across your blog and love it!! this monkey bread looks delish...

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  16. I've never had monkey bread, but one time I made gorilla bread, which is the same thing but you put a dollop of cream cheese mixture in the yeast bread, like a stuffing. (Just flatten out the bread, place dollop on top, and fold bread around/roll shut.) It was amazing--so amazing that I never made it again. Dangerous stuff, that gorilla bread.

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  17. oh goodness, my stomach is growling. have you been to the swap meet at the oc fairgrounds? they sell cinnamon rolls there, and i always choose the ones that are coated in the butter and cinnamon with no glaze. heart attack on a plate. i had no idea they were called monkey bread! i love!!! (please bring these to the next party, since i know i'd screw them up if i tried to make them.)

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  18. Oh yum. I've always meant to make monkey bread. It looks so cinnamon sugary and delicious.

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  19. Yummy!!!!!! Hope wedding planning is coming along for you Rachel :-) Can't wait to see more details.

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  20. That looks amazing! I'll definitely have to try. Nice job reusing dough.

    http://www.abbyeatinghealthy.com/

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  21. Oh yum yum yum yum yum! Why do they call it monkey bread....?

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  22. Just found your blog and glad that I did. love the recipe and plan on using it in short order. looks so good.
    Thanks.

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  23. My mom used to make this all the time, it literally is one of my favorite things ever!!!

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  24. My house master in college used to serve monkey bread on Wednesday nights as a ploy to get you to join the physics team. I never joined the physics team, but man, did I put away some monkey bread on Wednesday nights. So I still equate monkey bread with mid-week study-break glee, tempered by slight twinges of guilt (from not joining physics team, and, obviously, eating too much monkey bread).

    Can't wait to try this. When I, you know, GO HOME TO THE GLORIOUS US OF A and have an OVEN! Yipee!

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  25. hope you are well, rachel...the blogosphere isn't the same without you ;o)

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  26. I second Heather's sentiment. We miss you! (And want to make sure you are well.)

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  27. I have never heard of monkey bread but I want some!! It sounds delicious. And it's good to know that other people think they know better than the instructions too! =) x

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  28. There is a bar near us that serves bacon and cheese monkey bread with white gravy. NOM NOM NOM

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  29. I'm definitely adding this to my list of must-try recipes. Thanks!

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  30. Don't you just love monkey bread. The smell is so overwhelming as it bakes. Your pictures and blog are fantastic!

    Lifecell

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  31. that looks incredible! can't wait to try it myself....thanks :)

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