Monkey Bread

Source: William Sonoma Monkey Bread Mix Box

Ingredients

• 1 batch sweet bread dough (Oma’s)
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) butter, melted and divided
• 1 cup cinnamon and sugar mix, divided
• ⅔ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
• ¼ cup maple syrup or corn syrup
• 1 tbsp. water

Method

Follow recipe for a sweet bread dough.

Butter a 10 to 12 cup Bundt pan or monkey bread baking mold. Removable-bottom pan leaks. Mix 1 cup sugar (fine if possible) with cinnamon.

Turn some dough out onto a slightly greased surface and shape into a 8-inch square. Cut into 6 equal strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 8 pieces to form a total of 48 pieces. (Can soon judge how big to make balls of dough without cutting so precisely.)

Roll each dough bit into a ball. If the dough sticks, oil your hands.

Put 3 tbsp melted butter in a bowl. In another bowl put ⅓ cup sugar and the nuts. Dip each dough ball into the butter and roll in the sugar-nut mixture. Stack the dough balls on top of each other in the prepared pan.

To prepare the glaze, put the remaining 5 tbsp melted butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the remaining sugar mixture, maple syrup and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Pour the glaze over the dough, covering the surface completely.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until puffy, 30 to 45 minutes. Alternatively, refrigerate the dough overnight, let rise at room temperature for 1½ hours before baking.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap from the pan. Bake until the bread is golden brown and the top feels firm when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. After 20 minutes, cover the pan loosely with foil to prevent over-browning.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Place a plate that is at least 1 inch wider than the pan rim upside down on top of the pan. Using over mitts, gently invert the pan onto the plate. Let stand for 10 minutes, then lift off the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8 (or more!)

Notes

I tried this and it was ok. I baked for 30 minutes and should have for at least 5 minutes more. My pan leaked so lost some goo.

Oma’s dough tasted great. I think I could form balls right after making dough rather than doing a first rise as asked for on Williams Sonoma package. Maybe.

No removable-bottom pan!

I used more sugar mixture each time.