Homemade monkey bread

A delicious recipe for homemade monkey bread. Made from scratch, it’s a sweet pull apart bread made up of pieces of dough covered in cinnamon sugar and pecans.

Monkey bread is a delicious cinnamon tear and share loaf. Made with an easy homemade dough, it’s then bound together with a sticky cinnamon sugar, and topped with a glaze and pecans. It’s popular in America but not something we’d really come across here in the UK but I think it’s time we changed that!

A lot of recipes from America use ready made dough from the supermarket. Here in the UK i’ve never found that, but don’t worry it’s very simple to make from scratch.

What is monkey bread?

In short, monkey bread is a delicious sweet, pull apart bread made up of bite sized pieces of dough, then covered in cinnamon sugar and pecans.

I’m not sure if it’s true or not but it’s thought the name ‘monkey bread’ comes from the fact you pull it apart with your fingers the way a monkey would!

Monkey bread is popular in America and often served as a breakfast/brunch dish or treat. If you’re in the UK and haven’t heard of it before, basically think of it as a giant sharable cinnamon roll. We’ve never had it for breakfast, but have shared it with friends. It makes a great centrepiece for an afternoon tea and will keep your guests coming back for more.

How can kids help make monkey bread from scratch?

On paper to make a homemade monkey bread from scratch it looks like it takes a long time, especially if you’re doing it with little ones. You can break it down in to a few different steps though and all of them are easy.

The first step is to make the dough and like all breads this can be really fun for kids. They get to measure and mix everything together and knead it all with their hands. If you have a free-standing mixer, you can get a little head start with the mixing and kneading, but I always let my kids do a bit with their hands as they enjoy getting their hands messy and feeling the dough change texture.

Once the dough has proved you need to make all the dough balls. This is probably the most time consuming step so it’s great if you can get your little ones to help with it. The dough needs to be divided into approximately 64 pieces (quarter, quarter again and quarter again.) It’s a good maths lesson in fractions for kids! And once you have all the pieces, you’ll need to roll them into balls, dip them in melted butter and coat them in cinnamon sugar. None of these jobs are difficult so perfect for kids to help with.

Finally, you’ll need to get your kids to help arrange the dough balls in your tin and add any chopped pecans and sugar.

Can you make monkey bread ahead of time?

If you don’t have time to make the monkey bread on the day you want to eat it, you can make it the day before and let the dough prove in the fridge overnight. Just bring it out the fridge 45-60 minutes before you bake it to let it come back to room temperature before you bake it.

If you can find ready made dough (from the fridge section of your supermarket) you can also get a head start using that.

Do you have to use a bundt pan?

You tend to see monkey bread served in a lovely round shape and they are normally baked in a bundt pan to ahcieve that. If you don’t have a bundt pan you can make it in a sqaure/rectangular baking tin or loaf tin.

Make sure the dough balls are put in the tin carefully to ensure it bakes evenly. You may also need to adjust the cooking time up to ensure the middle is fully cooked if you don’t use a bundt tin.

How long does monkey bread last?

If you’re sharing it with friends it won’t last long! But if you want to store it, it will keep for a few days in an airtight container.

I love monkey bread when it’s still a little warm from the oven, so if you’re eating it the next day you can always warm it in a medium oven for 5 minutes before you serve it.

How can you tell when monkey bread is done?

It’s a little tricky to tell if its baked just by looking at it. The top should have browned nicely and puffed up but to check whether the inside has baked you can stick a skewer into the middle and it should come out clean.

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Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make this monkey bread

Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Bundt tin
Wire rack

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Difficulty: A wee bit harder

Time: 1 hour + 2 hours proving + 35 minutes baking

Serves: 12

Ingredients

For the dough
200ml milk
85g (3/8 cup) unsalted butter
2 large eggs
550g (4 1/3 cups) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
2.5 tsp fast action dried yeast
50g (1/4 cup) golden caster sugar
Oil, for greasing

To assemble
125g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
225g (1 cup) light muscovado sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
140g pecans

For the glaze
100g (1 cup)icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk
Pinch of cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

How to make homemade monkey bread from scratch

Make the dough

Melt the butter and milk in a pan

Get your child to measure the butter out and put it in a pot.

Pour the milk out into a jug (use the ml setting of your digital scales if you have them). Add that to the butter then heat over a low/medium heat until the butter has melted and the milk is at a simmer. Take off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, get your toddler to crack the eggs into a small dish (in case any shell goes in), and give them a quick whisk.

 Add the eggs to the milk/butter mixture and whisk it together.

Mix the dry ingredients together

Measure the flour and sugar out then add to a large mixing bowl or freestanding mixer. If they are able to, get your little one to help measure the yeast, and add a pinch of salt into the bowl.

Make the dough

Add the liquid to the flour mixture and stir with wooden spoons or the dough hook of your freestanding mixer until it is a sticky dough.

Leave for 5 minutes then tip out on to a lightly floured work surface. Get your children to help you knead it for 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and stringy. This is a good step to get everyone involved in, even really little chefs!

If you’re using a freestanding mixer, use the dough hook to give the dough a head start for a few minutes before doing it by hand. 10 minutes of kneading feels like a long time when you are a toddler so I like to cut it short if I can.

Let the dough prove

Oil a large bowl then add your dough and leave to prove somewhere warm for around an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Assemble the monkey bread

Grease a 25cm bundt tin with butter.

Get your kids to scatter the pecans out on a baking tray and then pop them in the oven for 5-8 minutes at 180C/160C Fan. Once they are toasted, chop them up.

While the pecans are toasting, get your child to measure out the butter and put it in a pan to melt.

Measure the sugar into a medium bowl. Add the spices. Give it a mix.

Get your child to spoon 2 tbsp of the melted butter, 3 tbsp of the spiced sugar, and 4 tsbp of pecans into the bottom of the bundt tin.

Pull the dough into approx 65 small pieces (we didn’t count this, we just did it roughly).

Get your child to help you roll them into balls.

Take a few balls at a time, dip them into the melted butter, let the excess drain off, and then tip them into the spiced sugar. Roll them around to coat, then put them in the tin. Keep going until you have a full layer of balls in the tin.

Scatter over the remaining pecans, then carry on filling the tin with the remaining balls.

Tip any leftover sugar and butter over the dough.

Leave the monkey bread to prove

Cover the tin with oiled cling film then leave to rise in a warm place for an hour or so or until it has risen and the dough doesn’t spring back if you poke it.

At this point you can also pop the dough in the freezer for up to a month or in the fridge overnight, just let it come up to room temperature before you bake it.

Bake the monkey bread

Heat your oven to 180C / 160C Fan / 350F.

Bake the monkey bread for 35 minutes. It’s ready when it has risen and turned golden. You can check the middle is fully cooked by inserting a skewer in. If it comes out clean it’s ready.

Remove from the oven and let it cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then give it a sharp knock on the counter to loosen it from the tin. Leave to cool in the tin until it is just warm, then turn it out onto a serving plate.

Make the glaze

Mix all the glaze ingredients together (100g icing sugar, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp milk, pinch of cinnamon, 2 tbsp melted butter). It will thicken a bit as it cools.

Turn the monkey bread out onto a plate and get your child to drizzle over the glaze and allow to set.

Serve and enjoy.

Easy monkey bread

A delicious cinnamon tear and share kids will love getting involved in baking, monkey bread is a delicious sticky, sweet breakfast roll or treat.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Proving time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course Afternoon tea

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 602 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the dough

• 200 ml milk
• 85 g unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 550 g strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting
• 2.5 tsp fast action dried yeast
• 50 g golden caster sugar
• Oil for greasing

To assemble

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

For the glaze

• 100 g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted

Instructions

 

Start with the dough

Melt the butter and milk in a pan

• Measure the butter and put it in a pan. Pour the milk into a jug (use the ml setting of your digital scales if you have them). Add that to the butter then heat over a low/medium heat until the butter has melted and the milk is at a simmer. Take off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
• Crack the eggs into a small dish and give them a quick whisk. Add the eggs to the milk/butter mixture and give it another whisk.
• Measure the flour, sugar, salt and yeast out then add to a large bowl.
  

Make the dough

• Add the liquid to the flour mixture and stir until it is a sticky dough. Leave for 5 minutes then tip out on to a lightly floured work surface. Knead it for 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and stringy.
  
• Leave the dough prove - Oil a large bowl then add your dough and leave to prove somewhere warm for around an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Assemble the bread

• Grease a 25cm bundt tin with butter.
• Scatter the pecans out on a baking tray and then pop them in the oven for 5-8 minutes at 180C/160C Fan. Once they are toasted, chop them up.
• While the pecans are toasting, measure out the butter and pop it in a pan to melt.
• Measure the sugar into a medium bowl. Add the spices and give it a mix.
• Spoon 2 tbsp of the melted butter, 3 tbsp of the spiced sugar, and 4 tsbp of pecans into the bottom of the tin.
• Pull the dough into approx 65 small pieces (we didn’t count this, we just did it roughly). Roll them into balls.
• Take a few balls at a time, dip them into the melted butter, let the excess drain off, and then tip them into the spiced sugar. Roll them around to coat, then put them in the tin. Keep going until you have a full layer of balls in the tin.
• Scatter over the remaining pecans, then carry on filling the tin with the remaining balls.
• Tip any leftover sugar and butter over the dough.

Leave to prove

• Cover the tin with oiled cling film then leave to rise in a warm place for an hour or so or until it has risen and the dough doesn’t spring back if you poke it.
• At this point you can also pop the dough in the freezer for up to a month or in the fridge overnight, just let it come up to room temperature before you bake it.

Bake the monkey bread

• Heat your oven to 180C/160C Fan.
• Bake the monkey bread for 35 minutes. It’s ready when it has risen and turned golden.
• Remove from the oven and let it cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then give it a sharp knock on the counter to loosen it from the tin. Leave to cool in the tin until it is just warm.

Make the glaze

• Mix all the glaze ingredients together. It will thicken a bit as it cools.
• Turn the monkey bread out onto a plate and drizzle over the glaze and allow to set.

Keyword bread

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This recipe for monkey bread was first published in March 2017, and republished with new pictures in May 2024.