Monkey Bread
This crave-able delight delivers tiers of cinnamon-sugar coated biscuits in a sea of buttery brown sugar. There’s also a hint of vanilla, so it’s like having a big pan of warm cinnamon rolls. Pulling warm, gooey pieces from a mound of sticky bread brings cozy joy to everyone. And thanks to store-bought biscuit dough, this family favorite is a breeze to prepare.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
What is monkey bread? Also called puzzle bread and pull-apart bread, monkey bread features small pieces of dough that are coated with cinnamon and sugar and baked in a buttery, brown sugar sauce. There are also savory versions of monkey bread, including iterations where the dough is dipped in garlic butter and baked with loads of cheese. This sweet version takes just minutes to assemble and requires very few ingredients, making it an excellent option for breakfast, brunch (and even dessert) for family, friends, and houseguests.
Ingredients for this monkey bread
- Biscuits. You’ll need two 16.3-ounce cans of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits for this recipe. I chose Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle biscuits and they baked into soft, fluffy mounds. Canned biscuit dough has a different texture than homemade dough, so it’s the preferred choice for this recipe. Why? Homemade dough often has small bits of unincorporated butter because, when the butter melts, it creates air pockets and ultimately layers in the biscuits. The same is true of canned flaky-style biscuits because they have added fat between the layers; this ensures flaky, layered biscuits. That’s great for biscuits but not monkey bread because the pieces will cook unevenly. For that reason, homemade and flaky-style biscuits will not work in this recipe.
- Sugar. We use granulated sugar to coat the biscuit pieces and light brown sugar in the butter sauce. For a deeper molasses flavor, you may use dark brown sugar.
- Butter. Butter is used as the base of the brown sugar sauce. I prefer unsalted butter because it controls the salt level, but for a more salted caramel flavor, you may use salted butter.
- Cinnamon. Two teaspoons of cinnamon are married with the granulated sugar to create a scented coating for the biscuit pieces. If desired, you may substitute pumpkin pie spice, or add a pinch of nutmeg, cloves, and/or allspice.
- Vanilla. A smidge of vanilla extract adds depth and warmth to the butter-brown sugar sauce.
Tips for this monkey bread
- Use cold biscuits. Keep the biscuits refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the monkey bread. Cold biscuits are firm which makes them easy to separate, slice, and toss in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Warm biscuit dough will smash when sliced and the pieces are likely to stick together when tossed in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Make sure all biscuit pieces are coated. Ensure each biscuit piece is coated with cinnamon-sugar. This guarantees that the cinnamon flavor carries throughout the loaf.
- Grease all inside surfaces of the pan. To prevent sticking, coat the interior of the pan, including the tube in the middle, with nonstick cooking spray or a thin layer of butter.
- Place the pan on a foil-lined baking sheet before baking. My monkey bread didn’t rise enough to spill over the pan, but pans and ovens vary, so it’s best to place your pan on a foil-lined baking sheet. If the sugary sauce spills over, it will stick to your oven floor, smoke, and burn. This is a mess you don’t want to deal with.
- Know when your monkey bread is finished cooking. It can be hard to tell when monkey bread is finished because the top may appear cooked, while the bottom is stilly doughy. I recommend using an instant-read thermometer, especially because pans and ovens vary widely. Monkey bread is finished when the center reaches 190 to 200 degrees F. If the top of your monkey bread is getting overly browned while the center is still undercooked, tent the top loosely with a piece of aluminum foil. This will prevent the top from burning while the center finishes baking.
- Let the monkey bread rest after baking. The butter-brown sugar sauce needs time to settle into the bread, so let your baked monkey bread rest for 10 minutes before flipping onto a serving plate. But don’t wait longer than 15 minutes; if you wait too long, the sauce will harden and the pieces may stick to the pan. If any pieces do happen to stick, simply press them into the bread once flipped.
What type of pan should you use?
This recipe calls for a 9.5- to 10-inch fluted tube or Bundt pan, which is has a 10 to 12 cup capacity. We use a pan with a tube in the center because it allows heat to circulate in the middle of the bread, which ensures that the biscuit pieces cook through (and evenly). That said, there are important things to note.
- Don’t choose a pan that’s overly decorative because the sugary biscuit pieces may stick to the nooks and crannies.
- Don’t use a 2-piece tube pan (one with a removeable bottom) because the sauce will leak from the bottom.
- Don’t use a pan that’s smaller than 9.5 inches because the biscuits will rise over the top and the sauce will spill over the sides.
- If you don’t have a tube pan, use two 9-inch loaf pans and start checking for doneness at 25 minutes.
How to prep this monkey bread in advance
This monkey bread is great for holiday mornings, and other days when having something prepped is desirable. Here’s how to assemble this recipe in advance.
- Coat the biscuit pieces in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and arrange them in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Make the butter-brown sugar sauce when you’re ready to bake. Since the biscuits will be cold, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
- Note: The biscuits will absorb the cinnamon-sugar mixture while refrigerated, which may yield slightly gooey-er monkey bread (still yummy, just softer).
Feel free to add nuts and dried fruit
I think this monkey bread is perfect as is, but if you like nuts and fruit in your breads and cinnamon rolls, you can also add them here.
- To add nuts and dried fruit, sprinkle spoonfuls between layers of biscuit dough as you arrange the pieces in the pan. A total of 1 cup will suffice (meaning 1 cup of nuts, 1 cup of dried fruit, or ½ cup nuts plus ½ cup dried fruit). Great choices include chopped pecans, walnuts, and almonds, and raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, and dried blueberries.
How to store and reheat monkey bread
Monkey bread is best served right away, while still warm. While typically gobbled up in one sitting, the good news is, leftover monkey bread stores quite well. Once cool, transfer leftovers to an airtight container (or cover tightly with plastic wrap) and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To freeze, wrap cooled leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw frozen monkey bread at room temperature for a few hours.
To reheat leftover monkey bread, transfer it to a baking pan, cover with aluminum foil, and heat a 325-degree F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the bread is warmed through and the sauce loosens. I don’t advise using the microwave, but if you must, I suggest warming individual servings for 15 to 20 seconds at a time, until warmed through.
Monkey Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 16.3-ounce cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, regular, butter flavor, or a combination, just not the flaky variety
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, 12 tablespoons
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coat a 9.5- to 10-inch fluted tube or Bundt pan (10 to 12 cup capacity) with nonstick cooking spray or a thin coating of butter.
- In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon and mix to combine.
- Separate the biscuit dough and cut each biscuit into four equal pieces.
- Working in batches, add the biscuit pieces to the cinnamon-sugar mixture and toss to coat.
- Arrange the biscuits in the prepared pan. Set aside.
- Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook until the mixture is bubbly and the brown sugar has dissolved.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the butter mixture over the biscuits in the pan.
- Place the pan on a foiled-lined baking sheet (this will catch any drips during baking).
- Bake for 28 to 33 minutes, until the biscuits are puffed up and cooked through (the center should reach 190 to 200 degrees F).
- Cool the monkey bread in the pan, on a wire rack, for 10 minutes (and no longer than 15 minutes).
- Place a large serving plate on top of the pan and carefully flip the pan over.
- Remove the pan and let the bread cool for a few more minutes before serving.