I can honestly say that I had never heard of Monkey Bread until I came across it on Ruth Clemens lovely Website, The Pink Whisk, so I did a little research and here is what I found out, courtesy of Wikipedia, here follows a short history lesson on Monkey Bread.

The origin of the term monkey bread is uncertain. Possible etymologies include that the bread resembles the monkey puzzle tree, or the act of several people pulling at the bread is reminiscent of monkey behaviour. The packaging of a stoneware “Monkey Pot” made by Boston Warehouse in 1981 claimed that “monkey bread was named by that unique and whimsical comedienne, ZaSu Pitts, who so referred to it because, as she said, “you have to monkey around with it.”

Recipes for the bread first appeared in American women’s magazines and community cookbooks in the 1950s, and the dish is still virtually unknown outside the United States. The bread is made with pieces of sweet yeast dough (often frozen) which are baked in a cake pan at high heat after first being individually covered in melted butter, cinnamon, sugar and chopped pecans. It is traditionally served hot so that the baked segments can be easily torn away with the fingers and eaten by hand.

History lesson over, what you really need to know is, that this is just the most scrummy thing ever, its addictive and comes under the heading of perfect comfort food.

So whether you are making this for yourself, to share or for your own little Monkey’s, I can guarantee you one thing, it will become a firm family favourite and I know I will be making it time and time again.

Buon appetito



Ingredients:
For the dough
500g Strong White Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Salt
55g Butter
2 Eggs beaten
2 tbsp Honey
15g Dried Yeast (3 tsp)
175ml Milk

For the sugar coating
150g Caster Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon

For the Sauce
200g Butter
100g Dark Brown Sugar

Begin by making the dough.

Warm the milk so it is tepid.

In a small bowl mix 2 tbsp of the milk with the yeast and cream together.

Into a large bowl sift the flour, salt and cinnamon and mix together.

Add the butter in small pieces and rub into the flour.

Make a well in the centre of your flour mix and add the eggs, honey, yeast and just enough milk to make a dough, it should be soft and not too sticky. How much of the remaining milk you will need will depend on how wet or dry your mix is. I used all of it. I used the Artisan with the dough hook on to do this bit and it brought the dough together nicely.

Then tip your dough out onto your work surface and knead for 10 minutes. I didn’t need any extra flour and it didn’t stick at all, but if it does stick to begin with just keep going and it will come together nicely. This is one of the hardest doughs I have ever had to knead, but it was well worth it as it came out beautifully.

Pop it into a bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside to rise in a warmish draught free spot.  This should take about 1 1/2hours but will depend on where you have put it.

Once doubled in size tip it out onto your work top, give it a quick knead to knock it back and shape into a long fat sausage.  Cut into approx 1cm thick slices.

Chop each slice into three random shaped pieces.

In a large bowl mix together your sugar topping, combining the caster sugar and cinnamon, now put all the dough pieces into the bowl and give it a good mix with your hands, making sure every pieces of dough gets a good coating. If any stick together, just separate them as you mix.

Once they are coated nicely, put them all into your tube pan.  You don’t need to grease the pan, but if you are worried that it may stick, just give it a light greasing.

Cover with the tea towel, place it in a nice warm place for an hour or until puffy and doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 200c/180c Fan/375F/Gas Mark 5.

Now its time to make the sauce.

In a pan melt down 200g Butter and 100g Dark Brown Sugar. The butter should be melted and the sugar dissolved.

Once the dough pieces have doubled in size pour over all the sauce. I placed my tube pan on a baking tray to catch any leaks, just as well I did as a little did sneak out and would of burnt to the bottom of my oven and we all know how bad burnt sugar smells!

Put your pan into the oven for 35-40 mins.  Halfway through cooking cover with a good layer of foil to stop the top catching.

When it has baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 mins.

Invert the monkey bread onto a serving dish, you should have no trouble getting it out but a couple of gentle taps may be required to help it on its way.

Allow this to cool for at least 15 mins before serving, the caramel sauce will be as hot as the centre of the Earth, so you really do not want to burnt yourself.

Serve as a cake with a nice cup of tea or coffee, but it would also make a lovely dessert, served warm with some vanilla ice cream.

If you want to add your own flare to your Monkey Bread, why not add some dried fruit or nuts. I’m feeling some chopped dates for my next batch.