Ridiculously Delicious Monkey Bread Recipe

This homemade monkey bread recipe is the perfect weekend activity to make with kids! Watch the homemade dough rise, dip the little dough balls in butter and cinnamon sugar, and enjoy this satisfying and rich treat pull apart style!

monkey bread recipe

While sheltering-in-place our family, like many families, has had the extra time for baking. This is monkey bread recipe is wonderful family baking project that kids will love because it is pretty hands on and loaded with sugar. I looked at a handful of recipes and decided to go with the version from Sallys Baking Addiction.

Directions

The directions for this homemade monkey bread recipe takes up to a few hours in total but each step is relatively simple.

monkey bread recipe dough

First, you make the homemade dough and let it rise for a few hours. (Use a large bowl! I should have used a bigger bowl than I did for this step, the dough gets so big!!) Then, you punch dough down and break off dough bites to roll in butter and cinnamon sugar.

Monkey Bread Recipe Dough Balls

Load up the bundt pan with these sugary bites, let bites rise for twenty minutes, and then pour over the brown sugar glaze. Pop in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes. Once it is out of the oven, invert onto serving platter, add a little icing, and enjoy!

Monkey Bread Recipe with Brown Sugar Glaze

This monkey bread is a ridiculously indulgent treat. I’m usually aiming to be on the healthier side of things so my kids could hardly believe that I was letting them bake and eat such a sugary treat. My five year old kept repeating, “thank you Mom! Just… thank you!!” while helping to make and eat our latest favorite guilty pleasure!

monkey bread recipe before icing

Ingredients for Monkey Bread Recipe

Milk is used in the dough, I used whole organic milk.

Yeast for the dough. You can use a packet of yeast or just measure out 2 1/4 teaspoons.

Sugar lots and lots of sugar!!

Eggs for the dough.

Salt is used in the dough but a little bit of flakey salt would be good as a finishing touch too!

All Purpose Flour can be hard to come by lately but you can’t make this recipe without it!

Brown Sugar mixed with butter makes such a delicious caramel like flavor!

Vanilla Extract adds just the right amount of vanilla flavor.

Confectioner’s Sugar to make the Icing. Honestly you don’t really need the icing, but why not!?

Cream or whole milk is used in the icing.

monkey bread recipe with icing

Monkey Bread Recipe

This homemade monkey bread recipe is the perfect weekend activity to make with kids! Kids love to watch the dough rise, dip the little dough balls in butter and cinnamon sugar, and enjoy this satisfying and rich treat pull apart style! Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword dessert, monkey bread

Prep Time 2 hours 40 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Servings

Calories 535kcal

Ingredients

Dough Balls

1 1/2 cups whole milk warmed, but not boiling.
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast or 1 packet
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter, slightly cooled
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Sugar Dip

1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Brown Sugar Glaze

1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing

1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons cream or whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Dough

Using a standing electric mixer, combine warm milk, yeast, and sugar using the paddle or dough hook attachment. Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Add in eggs, butter, salt, and 1 cup flour. Beat for about a minute and then scrape down sides of the bowl using a spatula. Add the remaining flour and beat for a few more minutes. Eventually the dough should bowl away from the sides of bowl in a clean way. Add extra flour if needed, about a tablespoon at a time until sides of the bowl are clean.

Knead the Dough

Beat for two more minutes in the mixer to knead the dough.

Let Dough Rise

Place dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let it rise in a slightly warm environment for about two hours, or until doubled in size. I often let mine raise in a preheated oven of 150 F degrees. Before I put the dough in the oven I turn the oven off and if it feels too hot, I leave the door slightly open.

Assemble the Monkey Bread

Grease your large bundt pan.
Melt 1/2 cup butter and set aside in a bowl. In another bowl add granulated sugar, a pinch of salt, and cinnamon and mix well.
Set the risen dough on the counter, remove the covering, and punch down the down to release the air.
Pinch of pieces of dough and roll into balls, a little bigger than an inch in diameter. Dip each individual dough ball into the melted butter, and then the cinnamon sugar. Place sugar coated dough ball into the bundt cake and repeat with the remainder of the dough.
Cover the bundt pan with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for about 20 minutes.

Make Brown Sugar Glaze + Bake

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Make brown sugar glaze by melting 1/4 cup butter in small saucepan. Add in brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt and whisk to combine.
Pour brown sugar glaze over the monkey bread.
Place the bundt pan over a baking sheet, so if the monkey bread overflows at all the pan will catch the pieces. Bake monkey bread for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center pieces are baked through.
Take out of the oven and let cool for about 5-7 minutes and then invert onto serving platter of choice.