Monkey Bread - Bake from the Heart
Monkey bread is essentially a wonderfully chaotic concept: it’s at once a bread, a dessert, and a shared centerpiece for all. To maximize that chaos, we begin with our Dinner Roll Dough and split it into 70 pieces. Smaller pieces result in increased surface area, enhanced caramelized edges, and more of those lacquered, sticky-sweet morsels that everyone vies for. The warm cream poured over just before baking is what transforms this from merely good to truly remarkable: it seeps into the spaces between the dough, creating a self-basting effect in the oven. The outcome is a treat that is incredibly soft inside, sticky and golden outside, best served warm, and easily pulled apart at the table, without any reservations.
**Yields 1 (15-cup) loaf**
- 1½ cups (330 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 4 teaspoons (8 grams) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Dinner Roll Dough (recipe below)
- ½ cup (120 grams) warm heavy whipping cream (105°F/41°C to 110°F/43°C)
Begin by spraying a 15-cup Bundt pan with baking spray that contains flour. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, and salt. Punch down the Dinner Roll Dough and divide it into 70 pieces (each weighing 14 to 18 grams). Using lightly floured hands, form any leftover bits of dough into smooth shapes. (Keep the dough covered to prevent drying out.) In batches, dip the dough balls into the butter mixture, turning them to ensure they are well coated, then place them into the prepared pan. Drizzle any leftover butter mixture over the dough in the pan, lightly shaking it to allow the mixture to settle into any gaps. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free area (75°F/24°C) until puffed, approximately 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Pour the warm cream over the dough. Bake until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted near the center reads 190°F (88°C), about 45 to 50 minutes, covering with foil if necessary to prevent excessive browning. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the loaf onto the serving plate and let it cool for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately. Store, covered, for up to 3 days.
**Let us know how it turned out!**
**Dinner Roll Dough**
**Yields 40 rolls or 1 (15-cup) loaf**
- 4¾ to 5 cups (594 to 625 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons (14 grams) instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon (9 grams) kosher salt
- 1 cup (240 grams) water
- ½ cup (120 grams) sour cream
- 1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg (50 grams), room temperature
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 1½ cups (188 grams) of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup (240 grams) of water, sour cream, and melted butter over medium heat until it reaches 120°F (49°C) to 130°F (54°C) on an instant-read thermometer. Add the hot sour cream mixture to the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until well combined. Then, mix in the egg until incorporated. With the mixer on low, gradually add 3¼ cups (406 grams) of flour, mixing just until a shaggy dough forms. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Mix at low speed until a soft, somewhat sticky dough forms, about 10 to 12 minutes, stopping to scrape the dough hook and the sides of the bowl; add the remaining ¼ cup (31 grams) of flour, 1 tablespoon (8 grams) at a time, if the dough is too sticky. Cover and let the dough rest in a warm, draft-free location (75°F/24°C) until it has puffed up, about 20 to 30 minutes.
**Let us know how it turned out!**
Other articles
Sausage-Filled Dinner Rolls - Bake from Scratch
In the American South, where Bake from Scratch is based, we have the renowned Sister Schubert brand offering these soft, fluffy yeast rolls. Created from scratch by Patricia “Sister” Schubert in her Alabama kitchen, the brand became so adored that it became almost interchangeable with the classic Southern dinner roll. In 2021, they introduced the sausage “pig-in-a-blanket” variety.
Monkey Bread - Bake from Scratch
Monkey bread is essentially a wonderfully chaotic concept: it serves as a bread, a dessert, and a communal centerpiece. To maximize that chaos, we begin with our Dinner Roll Dough, which we cut into 70 pieces. Smaller pieces create more surface area, resulting in greater caramelization, more chewy edges, and an abundance of that glossy, sticky sweetness.
Sausage-Filled Dinner Rolls - Bake from Scratch
In the American South, where Bake from Scratch is based, we have the delightful soft, pillowy yeasted rolls from the renowned Sister Schubert brand. Created from scratch by Patricia “Sister” Schubert in her kitchen in Alabama, the brand has become so cherished that it is practically interchangeable with the Southern dinner roll. In 2021, they introduced the sausage “pig-in-a-blanket” variation.
Monkey Bread - Bake from the Heart
Monkey bread is truly a wonderfully chaotic concept: it serves as a bread, a dessert, and a dish meant for sharing. To fully embrace this chaos, we begin with our Dinner Roll Dough and split it into 70 pieces. The small pieces create more surface area, resulting in more caramelized edges and an abundance of those glossy, sticky-sweet bits.