Monkey Bread….from scratch!

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This was originally posted on March 20th, 2009. It’s still my all-time favorite birthday cake!

Well, as you all know, I decided that for my birthday, instead of a cake, I wanted to try to make monkey bread. I had seen it on TV before and had heard of it many times but never made it. Let me just say, it was absolutely delicious! Because it is technically bread, when you bake it, it creeps that “fresh baked bread” smell all through the house (love love love that smell) but once you taste it, you automatically get a sweet, dessert vibe from it. Such a great combination! This would be great to make for easter because the pieces are made for many to pull away what they want, when they want it. Just a note: the dough that is made from this recipe can be used as an easy yeast roll as well. Just separate the dough into 12 pieces and put into muffin tins or place side by side in a square casserole pan. Top each dough piece with butter or margarine, bake and enjoy!

1 package of active dry yeast
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons veg. oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for kneading
1/4 lb butter or margarine (you won’t use it all but just in case), melted
1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon, mixed together

Heat water to 105 to 115 degrees.
Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large bowl.
Stir in sugar, oil, salt and egg.
Stir in one cup of flour until smooth.
Cover with a cloth and set in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Get out bundt pan and do not grease it (I greased mine which is why my bread came out so brown, so don’t grease yours!)
Stir down the sponge and add 1 1/2 cups flour. If you have a stand mixer, just use the paddle attachment until the flour is totally mixed in and then change to the bread dough attachment.
(If you don’t have a stand mixer) Take dough out of bowl and onto a floured surface.
Knead for 3 minutes adding flour if the dough is still sticky(you want it to be kind of sticky though).
Divide the dough into 32 pieces(use a pizza cutter to make it easier) and shape into balls.

Note: You can stop here, place the balls in a greased 9×12 dish, and top with melted butter. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes and have wonderful dinner rolls!

Roll each ball into the melted margarine and arrange balls into the bundt pan, sprinkling the cinnamon sugar mixture in between layers.
If you want, you can baste the top of the bread with the remaining butter or margarine(waste not want not!).
Sprinkle the top of the bread with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Let rise another 25 minutes in a warm place and preheat oven to 425 degrees. If the oven was your warm place the last time, then well, I guess you’ll have to put it next to the oven on the counter. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until light brown.
Remove from the pan to a rack or plate to cool.

Note: you can roll each dough piece in the butter, then in the cinnamon sugar if you want, but i’m lazy so I did it the “lazy mom’s” way.