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An untouched circular loaf of homemade monkey bread on a circular white plate next to a couple mugs of coffee.

Homemade Monkey Bread

Course: Breakfast / Brunch
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Proofing (Dough Rising): 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 604kcal
Author: Kris Longwell
Homemade Monkey Bread is always a huge hit when served to family and friends. Making the bread from scratch is not difficult, you just need to allow time. See NOTES for how to serve this fresh in the morning.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • 1 bundt cake pan or angel food cake pan

Ingredients

For the Dough

  • 1 cup whole milk warm, 115°F
  • ⅓ cup water warm 115°F
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
  • 2¼ teaspoon instant dry yeast or active dry yeast, 1 package
  • 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoon salt

For the Monkey Bread

  • 4 tablespoon unsalted butter melted, plus more (softened) for greasing the pan
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon ground

For the Caramel Sauce

  • 12 tablespoon unsalted butter 1½ sticks
  • ½ cup brown sugar dark

Instructions

Make the Dough

  • In a large measuring cup, add the milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Gently whisk. Set aside for about 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, add the flour and salt. Mix with the dough hook for about 1 minute to combine.
  • With the mixer on medium-low, slowly pour the butter/yeast mixture into the flour. Continue mixing until a loose ball of dough forms. You may need to stop and scrape down the edges with a spatula.
  • Turn the mixer to medium and mix for 7 minutes, until the dough is soft and elastic.
  • Use your hands to remove the dough from the hook and bowl. Place on a lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough for about 30 seconds. Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball, smooth the edges with your fingers.
  • Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place the dough into the bowl and turn it over a couple of times to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, non-drafty area for about 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough has nearly doubled in size.

Form the Monkey Bread

  • After the dough has risen, transfer it from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a rough 10"x 13" rectangle.
  • Grease the cake pan (bundt or angel food) liberally with softened butter and a paper towel. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the sugar with the cinnamon. Melt the butter in a medium-sized bowl.
  • Use your fingers to pinch off a piece of dough and form it into a ball. It should be somewhere between a marble and a golf ball in size. Roll the dough in the melted butter and then roll it around in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place in the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining dough, and fill the pan evenly (the pan will only be about half full at this point).
  • Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in a warm, non-drafty area for another 60 to 90 minutes.

Finish Off the Monkey Bread

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • About 15 minutes before baking the bread, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and whisk until fully combined and uniform in color, about 4 minutes.
  • Remove the plastic wrap and gently pour the butter/brown sugar sauce all over the top. Very gently tap the sides of the pan to help the sauce seep down throughout the pan and bread. This takes a couple of minutes, you should see air bubbles appear as the sauce fills in around the bread balls.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Place a flat plate on the top of the pan and very carefully invert the pan. Tap on the pan in a few places to help the bread release from the pan. Gently remove the pan from the bread. Serve at once.

Video

Notes

See the video near the top of the post for visual guidance.  If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Instead of making the bread from scratch, you can use 2 cans of non-flaky biscuits or frozen dinner rolls.  No need to allow any time for proofing.  Though the monkey bread will still be delicious, the homemade bread takes it to another level.
To serve this in the morning, prepare the recipe as is all the way up to the 2nd round of proofing, but instead of letting the monkey bread proof in a warm, non-drafty area, cover with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge.  The next morning, allow the dough to rest on the counter for about an hour while you prepare the caramel sauce.  Bake as indicated in the recipe.
Leftovers can be covered and kept on the counter for up to several days, or refrigerated and cover for up to 5 or 6 days.  The cooked monkey bread can be frozen for up to 2 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 604mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 838IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 3mg