Many moons ago, I was introduced to Monkey Bread, and I just couldn’t get enough. Warm, pillowy soft dough covered with cinnamon caramel-like goo… For a carbo-holic like me, it was pure heaven. Yes, it’s so 1960’s, but it’s so darn good.
I think of monkey bread as a lazy version of cinnamon rolls or sticky buns, and many people serve it as a breakfast treat. In our home, monkey bread is a dessert and shall remain so until the kids go off to college. I’ve tried over the years to make healthier versions by severely reducing the butter and sugar, but the quest has been unsuccessful. In fact, my friends used to beg me to make monkey bread for any brunch gathering. But the last time I brought my famous monkey bread, I had altered the recipe so much that it had hardly any butter or sugar left, resulting in fairly dry, tasteless bread that hardly anyone touched. No one has asked me to make monkey bread since that disastrous day. So I’ve given up on trying to make this classic “healthy,” and accept it for what it is — a yummy gooey pastry that doesn’t make any pretense about being a diet food. Moderation, people! Moderation is the answer! Please don’t eat the entire pan in one sitting.
The original recipe I had used bread dough, which is available ready-made in the freezer case at most grocers. But that version required letting the dough rise to double its size before baking. This recipe uses canned buttermilk biscuits instead, which you can bake immediately without waiting for it to rise. Trader Joe’s buttermilk biscuits are larger than other brands, so note the size difference and if using other brands, you may need 3 cans instead of 2. If you don’t have a Bundt pan, you can use a 9″x13″ pan, or halve the recipe and bake it in a 8″ or 9″ round pan, reducing cooking time to ~25 minutes.
I couldn’t resist the urge to reduce the sugar and butter — but I didn’t go too far this time, so hopefully I can win my friends back with this version.
Monkey Bread Recipe
2 (16 oz) cans refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Cut biscuits into fourths and toss biscuit pieces in cinnamon sugar mixture until each piece is coated. Alternatively, you can shake biscuit pieces in a Ziploc bag to coat, but I find it’s just as easy to toss in a bowl.
3. If using nuts and raisins, sprinkle several spoonfuls into the bottom of a Bundt pan. Arrange biscuit pieces into the pan, sprinkling in remaining nuts and raisins as you go along. Pour any remaining cinnamon sugar into pan.
4. Melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup. Pour this mixture evenly over biscuits.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until browned. Invert immediately onto a serving plate, letting the sticky syrup seep through (otherwise syrup will harden on bottom of pan). Serve warm if possible.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Hands-off cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Serves 10