When foodies in Arizona go for brunch, they go to Hash Kitchen. In fact, people will actually travel to Phoenix, Arizona, just to enjoy a leisurely breakfast at Chef Joey Maggiore’s legendary brunch spot. There’s something for everyone on the menu, including a DIY Bloody Mary Bar and Instagram-famous dishes like Billionaire Bacon and Blue Corn Bananas Foster Pancakes. There’s also That Funky Monkey Bread, one of the sweetest, and possibly the most impressive breakfast item, on the menu. You’ll be surprised to see how easy Maggiore’s version of Monkey Bread is to make.
Why is it called Monkey Bread?
The simple answer (other than the fact that it’s a catchy name) is because people pick the bread apart – just like it’s finger food – and eat it right away. No need to use dishes or cutlery, just a lot of napkins.
Is Monkey Bread easy to make?
Classic Monkey Bread recipe is made with pre-packaged buttermilk biscuits. (Pillsbury biscuit dough is often used to make Monkey Bread), so all you need to make is a cinnamon-sugar mix and sticky, sugary glazes. Of course, you can also make biscuit dough from scratch. We love this buttermilk biscuit recipe from Donna Dooher.
How do you make Monkey Bread?
Once you’ve cut the dough into bite size pieces, you add it to a large zip-top plastic bag, or reusable bag, with the cinnamon sugar and walnuts. Shake the bag until it’s covered, and voilà, you’re ready to place the coated pieces of dough into a pan, top with brown-sugar glaze, and then bake for 30 minutes. What kind of pan do I need for Monkey Bread?
You’ll always get the most impressive look by using a bundt pan. Don’t forget, you’ll be inverting the Monkey Bread onto a platter like an upside-down cake or Tarte Tatin, so the “volcano” effect of the bundt shape will be there.
Monkey Bread
Equipment
- 1 Bundt pan
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Brown-Sugar Glaze
- ½ cup Cinnamon Sugar recipe above
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup butter
Vanilla Glaze
- 1¾ cups icing sugar
- ½ cup butter
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
Monkey Bread
- ½ cup Cinnamon Sugar recipe above
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
- 32 oz 907 g store-bought Buttermilk Biscuit dough
- Brown-Sugar Glaze recipe above
- Vanilla Glaze recipe above
Instructions
Cinnamon Sugar
- Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Brown-Sugar Glaze
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Stir to dissolve sugar, then immediately remove from heat.
Vanilla Glaze
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Add ¼ cup water and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray an 8-inch cake or loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Place cinnamon sugar and walnuts in a zip-top bag. Cut dough into bite-size pieces and place in the bag. Shake until dough pieces are fully coated.
- Place coated pieces in the bundt pan and top with brown-sugar glaze. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Use kitchen tongs to invert the monkey bread onto a plate. Drizzle vanilla glaze over the bread and serve.
