Monkey Bread

No one really knows why it's called Monkey bread. According to some, the name comes from the bread's likeness to the prickly monkey-puzzle tree while others think it refers to the way it's normally eaten (i.e. using our hands to pull apart the sticky clumps of bread and stuffing them in our mouths). This recipe is from Cook's Country.

Ingredients

Dough

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp butter melted

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)

1/2 cup water (110 degrees F)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 package instant yeast

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp salt

Sugar Coating (the recipe called for brown sugar but I ran out of it so I used white sugar instead)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 stick unsalted butter melted

For the Dough:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the medium-low position and heat the oven to 200 degrees F (approx 100 deg celcius). When the oven reaches 200 degrees F, turn it off. Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray. Butter a Bundt pan with 2 tablespoons of softened butter. Set the bowl and pan aside.

2. Mix the milk, water, melted butter, granulated sugar and yeast together in a large measuring cup. Stir the flour and salt together in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. With the mixer on low, slowly add the milk mixture. After the dough comes together , increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is shiny and smooth, 6-7mins.

3. Turn the dough to a slightly floured surface and knead briefly to form a smooth round ball. Place the dough in the greased bowl and coat the surface of the dough with cooking spray. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and place in the warm turned-off oven until the dough is doubled in size, 50-60minutes.

For the Sugar Coating:

1. While the dough is rising, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Place the melted butter in a second bowl. Set aside.

To form bread:

1. Gently remove the dough from the bowl and flatten into a rough 8 inch square. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 64 pieces.

2. Roll each dough piece into a ball and, working one at a time, dip the balls in the melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into the bowl. Roll in the brown sugar mixture, then layer the balls in the greased Bundt pan, staggering the seams where the dough balls meet as you build the layers.

3. Cover the Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in the runed off oven until the dough balls are puffy and have risen 1-2 inches above the top rim of the pan 50-70 mins.

4. Remove the pan from the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 deg C). Remove plastic wrap from the pan and bake until the top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around the edges, 30-35 mins. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then tuen out on a platter and let cool slightly, about 10 mins. Serve warm.