Sat, 5 March 2022
Monkey Bread
Ingredients:
Dough
240ml warm milk
80ml warm water
50g granulated sugar
30g melted butter
10g dry yeast
480g self-raising flour
10g salt
Brown Sugar Coating
400g light muscovado sugar
10g cinnamon
200g melted butter
Glaze
115g powdered sugar
30ml milk
Method:
Grease a standard 12-cup Bundt pan with 30 g soft butter OR your favourite oil spray.
Start your dough in a medium bowl by combining the warm milk, warm water, sugar, melted butter, and yeast. Let sit five minutes to allow the yeast to activate. Meanwhile, combine flour and salt in a large bowl. After your yeast has activated for five minutes, make a well in the centre of your flour and pour the milk mixture into it. Mix until just combined. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is soft and satiny. Coat large bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and cover with a cling film. Place in a warm area until dough doubles in size, at least an hour.
While the dough is rising, prepare your sugar coating by mixing the light muscovado sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Place melted butter in second bowl. Set aside.
To form the bread, gently remove the dough from the bowl, and pat into a rough 8-inch square. No rolling or kneading are necessary at this stage. Use a knife or pizza slicer to cut dough into 64 pieces.
Roll each dough piece into a ball. They do not have to be perfect. Working one at a time, dip the balls into the melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into the bowl. Roll in the brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in the Bundt pan, staggering seams where dough balls meet as you build layers.
Cover the Bundt pan with cling film and place in warm area until dough balls are puffy and have risen to near top of pan – at least another hour.
Unwrap the pan and bake at 160 degrees Celsius until the top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a platter and allow to cool slightly. It will come out easily.
Do not allow the bread to cool in the pan for longer than 5 minutes; the sticky glaze will start to solidify and the bread may break when you try to turn it out.
While the bread cools, make your simple glaze. Whisk together the icing sugar and milk in a small bowl until the lumps are gone. Drizzle the glaze over the monkey bread, letting it run over top and down the sides of the bread. Serve warm.
