What Is Monkey Bread?
Monkey bread is made by rolling tender, fluffy dough in cinnamon sugar and baked in a Bundt pan with a generous drizzle of melted butter and brown sugar. It’s simply made for sharing. It’s like the best part of a cinnamon roll (the gooey inside), but an entire cake of it. It may sound too good to be true, but it gets better. It’s so easy to make you can throw it together for breakfast in the morning with no hassle and no waiting for the dough to rise since it uses canned store-bought buttermilk biscuit dough. (Here’s a delicious version that uses homemade dough.)
How to Make Monkey Bread
I use canned biscuit dough rather than making the dough from scratch because I’m usually making it for a brunch or get-together that requires other cooking and planning. Plus, nobody can tell the difference. Many recipes instruct you to cut each biscuit into quarters, but I prefer cutting them in six pieces to make them bite-sized. It also means there are more pockets of cinnamon and caramel. The balls of dough then get tossed with cinnamon and granulated sugar before arranging them in a greased Bundt pan. Finally, the best part: the whole cake is covered in melted butter and brown sugar before baking.
Monkey Bread Swaps and Mix-Ins
It truly is difficult to make improvements to monkey bread, but if you’re looking to add something extra, start with one of these swaps or additions:
Try other spices in place of or in addition to the cinnamon. You could add 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg or 1 teaspoon of cardamom, or replace the cinnamon altogether with the same amount of pumpkin pie spice. Add some crunch with 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans. Add some fruitiness and extra sweetness with 1/2 cup of raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped dates.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
I doubt you will have any leftovers to store, but if you do, they can be stored, covered, at room temperature for 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. And if you aren’t serving monkey bread warm, you’re missing out. Reheat it in the oven at 300°F until it is warm to the touch, or use the microwave for individual servings.
Recipes for Fans of Cinnamon Sugar
Pear Cake with Cinnamon Sugar Brown Sugar Snickerdoodle Cookies Cinnamon Sticky Buns Snickerdoodle Coffee Cake Apple Coffee Cake
Separate the biscuit dough and cut each biscuit into 6 evenly sized pieces. Monkey bread is best served warm on the day it is baked. Any leftovers can be stored airtight at room temperature for 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat the monkey bread in a 300°F oven until warm to the touch, or heat individual servings in the microwave. Did you love the recipe? Leave us some stars below!
