Monkey Bread

The ice storm kept us inside this weekend, so we decided to try some new recipes. This is definitely a recipe I will be making again! (I found this recipe at https://iamahoneybee.com/2017/01/02/homemade-monkey-bread/ and altered it a little.) 

Ingredients: 

1 Tablespoon of yeast

1 1/2 cups warm milk

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

5 cups flour

Topping: 

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

Optional glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp milk

Start by measuring the milk in a glass measuring cup. Place the milk in the microwave for about 1 minute or until it is warm. Stir in the the yeast and 1/4 cup sugar. Let that sit for a couple of minutes to proof the yeast. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Add the proofed yeast mixture. Add two cups of flour. Stir with a wooden spoon. Add two more cups of flour and stir. Using the hook attachment of the mixer, add the remaining 1 cup of flour and let the mixer knead the dough for about 4-5 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm location for about an hour. (I turn my oven on to 170 degrees for about 30 seconds to create a warm location.)

Punch the dough down and place on a floured surface. Roll out the dough until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1x1 inch squares (mine weren't all quite that size; I did put some of the smaller pieces together.) 

Butter a bundt pan. 

Combine the 3/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon. Sprinkle some of it on top of the squares. Roll each square into a ball and place in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. David had the job of rolling each dough ball into the cinnamon/sugar. Place a layer of the dough balls in the bundt pan. Sprinkle the layer with brown sugar. Add another layer of dough balls and sprinkle that layer with brown sugar. After two layers, I added a little bit of the melted butter on the top. 

Then add layers of the remaining dough balls and brown sugar. When finished, pour the remaining melted butter over the top. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and the center circle to let the butter run down a little. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 33 minutes. 

Turn the bread onto a serving plate. I put about 1 cup of powdered sugar and a tablespoon of milk in a bowl and drizzled that glaze over the top. (That would be an optional step.) Serve the bread warm.