Name: Monkey bread
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 200ml semi-skimmed milk; 85g unsalted butter; 2 large eggs; 550g strong white bread flour plus extra for kneading if doing it by hand; 2½ tsp fast-action dried yeast; 50g golden caster sugar; oil for greasing; 125g unsalted butter plus extra for greasing; 1 tbsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp ground nutmeg; 225g light muscovado sugar; 140g pecans toasted then roughly chopped; 100g icing sugar sifted; ½ tsp vanilla extract; 1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk; pinch of ground cinnamon; 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted

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Monkey bread

Monkey bread

Jane Hornby

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Serves 12

Easy

Prep: 1 hr and 15 mins

Cook: 35 mins

plus rising and proving

A star rating of 5 out of 5.35 ratingsRate

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This American, pull-apart sweet treat is sticky, spiced and stuffed with pecans - an indulgent breakfast, brunch or dessert to share

Freezable (raw, before final proving)

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

For the dough

200ml semi-skimmed milk
85g unsalted butter
2 large eggs
550g strong white bread flour

plus extra for kneading if doing it by hand
2½ tsp fast-action dried yeast
50g golden caster sugar
oil

for greasing

To assemble

125g unsalted butter

plus extra for greasing
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
225g light muscovado sugar
140g pecans

toasted then roughly chopped

For the glaze

100g icing sugar

sifted
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp semi-skimmed milk
pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter

melted

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal546
fat27g
saturates12g
carbs65g
sugars32g
fibre2g
protein9g
salt0.7g

Method

step 1

Start with the dough. Put the milk and butter into a medium pan and heat gently until the butter melts and the milk is at a simmer. Cool for a few mins, then beat in the eggs with a fork. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl with 1½ tsp fine salt, then add the liquid and stir to a sticky dough. Leave for 5 mins, then tip onto a floured worktop and knead for 5-10 mins until smooth and springy. Use a little oil to grease a large bowl, add the dough, turn it in the oil to coat, then cover the bowl with clingfilm. Leave in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size. Knead in a tabletop mixer with a dough hook if you prefer.
step 2

To assemble, grease a 25cm bundt pan with butter. Melt the rest of the butter in a pan. In a medium bowl mix the spices and sugar plus a pinch of salt. Spoon 2 tbsp melted butter, 3 tbsp spiced sugar and 4 tbsp pecans into the bottom of the tin.
step 3

Pull the dough into about 65 small pieces and roll into balls. Taking 4 or 5 at a time, dunk the dough balls into the melted butter, let the excess drain off, then tip them into the spiced sugar. Roll to coat, then put haphazardly into the tin. Repeat until there’s a full layer of dough in the tin. Scatter with the rest of the chopped nuts, then carry on filling the tin with the coated dough balls. Tip any leftover sugar and butter over the dough. Can be frozen now for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge then let prove.
step 4

Cover the pan with oiled clingfilm then leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr, or until risen and the dough no longer springs back when you poke it.
step 5

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the monkey bread for 35 mins, or until well risen and golden. Let the pan cool for 5 mins, then give it a sharp rap on the counter. Leave in the tin until just warm.
step 6

Whisk all of the ingredients together to make the glaze. It will thicken as the melted butter cools. Turn the monkey bread onto a serving plate, then drizzle with the glaze. Let it set, if you can bear the wait.

RECIPE TIPS

GET AHEAD

To make this for next morning, you can let the dough prove in the tin in the fridge overnight. Let it acclimatise at room temperature for 45 mins-1hr in the morning, to complete the proving, then bake.

TO TOAST NUTS

I always tend to toast nuts before using them in baking as it enhances their flavour and adds crunch. Scatter over a baking tray and cook for 5-8 mins at 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2015

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A star rating of 5 out of 5.35 ratings

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