Monkey Bread
Baking Medium

Monkey Bread

Quick answer

Total time
65 min
Level
Medium
Servings
8 servings
Ingredients
6

About this dish

Monkey bread is made by dividing a milk-and-butter yeast dough into small balls, coating each piece with melted butter and cinnamon sugar, and stacking them in a Bundt pan.

Read more

Knead the dough until it feels smooth and less sticky, then let it complete its first rise. A fingertip indentation that returns slowly indicates that the dough is ready to divide. Make the balls similar in size so pieces near the outside and center of the pan bake at a comparable rate. Dip each one lightly in butter, roll it in the cinnamon mixture, and layer the coated pieces without compressing them. Small gaps give the dough room to expand during the second proof. Once the balls look puffy and begin to touch, bake until the top is deep golden and the butter and cinnamon sugar bubble around the edges. Rest the pan only briefly after baking. Melted sugar can firm against the pan as it cools, so invert the bread onto a plate while it is still warm. The individual pieces then pull away along their joined edges, combining a sticky cinnamon-coated surface with a soft bread interior.

Ingredients

servings
IngredientAmountUnit
milk180 mlmlShop
sugar120 ggShop
butter120 ggShop
Shop All Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps
  1. 1
    Season

    Mix 320 g bread flour with 180 ml warm milk, 6 g instant yeast, part of the sugar, and part of the melted butter.

    Knead for 8-10 minutes, until the dough feels elastic and sticks less to your hands.

  2. 2
    Control

    Place the dough in a bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm spot.

    It is ready when it is nearly doubled and an indentation pressed with a finger rises back slowly, not immediately.

  3. 3
    Season

    Stir the remaining sugar with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and keep the remaining butter melted.

    Divide the dough into small balls of similar size so the pieces bake evenly and pull apart cleanly.

  4. 4
    Season

    Dip each dough ball lightly in melted butter, then roll it in the cinnamon sugar.

    Layer the coated balls in the Bundt pan, leaving a little space instead of pressing them tightly together.

  5. 5
    Control

    Cover the pan and proof the dough again at room temperature.

    Wait until the balls look puffy and just start touching one another, which helps the bread stay soft after baking.

  6. 6
    Finish

    Bake at 180C for 30-35 minutes, until the top is deep golden and caramel bubbles around the edges.

    Let it stand for only 5 minutes, then invert onto a plate and serve warm while sticky.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique
Similar-sized dough balls receive an even coating of butter and cinnamon sugar
Finish cue
Bake at 180C for 30-35 minutes, until the top is deep golden and caramel bubbles around the edges.

Cooking decision evidence

Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.

This recipe

65min, 6 ingredients

Category median

55min, 8 ingredients

Based on 248 recipes

Use-up ingredient planner

Turn these ingredients into two more meals

The overlap excludes basic seasonings. Open the next recipe and your selected dishes will stay with you.

Tips

A bundt pan gives the classic shape.
Best served warm while sticky and soft.

Estimated nutrition (per serving)

Calories
410
kcal
Protein
6
g
Carbs
52
g
Fat
19
g