Pull-Apart Monkey Bread

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10-inch bundt pan
• •Stand mixer with dough hook
• •Small saucepan
• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Activate the yeast

   Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer. The temperature matters here: too hot kills the yeast, too cool leaves it sluggish. Around 110°F feels pleasantly warm on your wrist. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface and add a pinch of the measured sugar. Let it sit undisturbed for ten minutes. You'll know it's alive when the surface turns foamy and smells faintly of bread.

   If your yeast doesn't foam after ten minutes, it's dead. Start over with a fresh packet rather than waste the rest of your ingredients.
2. 2

   Build the dough

   Add the remaining sugar, salt, and eggs to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and mix on low speed until combined. Add the flour one cup at a time, letting each addition incorporate before adding the next. Once all the flour is in, increase speed to medium and knead for six to eight minutes. The dough will slap against the sides of the bowl, then gradually pull away and gather around the hook.

3. 3

   Add the butter

   With the mixer running on medium-low, add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time. Each piece will seem to disappear into the dough before you add the next. After all the butter is incorporated, continue kneading for another three minutes. The finished dough should be smooth, slightly tacky, and spring back when you press it with a finger.

   The dough will look shaggy and broken when you first add butter. Keep mixing. It comes together beautifully.
4. 4

   First rise

   Transfer the dough to a large buttered bowl, turning once to coat all sides. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about one and a half to two hours. A turned-off oven with just the light on creates ideal conditions. The dough is ready when an impression from your finger springs back slowly and doesn't fill in completely.

5. 5

   Prepare the pan and coatings

   Generously butter a 10-inch bundt pan, working the butter into every crevice of the decorative mold. In a wide shallow bowl, whisk together the coating sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until no streaks remain. The fragrance alone justifies making this from scratch. Melt the half cup of dipping butter in another shallow bowl.

6. 6

   Make the caramel base

   Combine the brown sugar, the remaining half cup of butter, and the quarter teaspoon of salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the butter melts and the mixture bubbles and becomes smooth, about three minutes. Pour half of this caramel into the bottom of your prepared bundt pan, tilting to coat evenly. Reserve the rest.

7. 7

   Shape the dough balls

   Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into four equal portions, then divide each portion into ten pieces. You should have roughly forty pieces of dough. Roll each piece between your palms into a smooth ball. Work quickly but don't obsess over perfection. Irregularity is part of the charm.

8. 8

   Coat and layer

   Working with a few balls at a time, dip each one into melted butter, letting excess drip back into the bowl. Roll immediately in the cinnamon sugar, coating all sides generously. Arrange the first layer of coated balls in the bottom of the bundt pan, spacing them slightly apart. They don't need to be precise. Continue layering, staggering the balls over the gaps below. Drizzle the reserved caramel over the top layer.

9. 9

   Second rise

   Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough balls have puffed noticeably and nearly reach the top of the pan, forty-five minutes to an hour. They'll press against each other, fusing into a unified mass that will still pull apart after baking.

   For Christmas morning, stop here and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for one hour before baking.
10. 10

    Bake until deeply golden

    Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place the bundt pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any caramel that bubbles over. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is deeply bronzed and the caramel bubbles vigorously around the edges. The internal temperature should reach 190°F if you want to check. A darker crust means a better caramel.

11. 11

    Unmold and serve

    Let the bread cool in the pan for exactly five minutes. No longer. The caramel needs to remain fluid enough to release cleanly. Place a serving plate over the pan, take a breath, and flip decisively. Lift the pan away slowly, letting gravity pull the caramel down over the bread in thick rivulets. Serve immediately while still warm, letting guests pull apart pieces with their fingers.

Chef Tips

• •The bundt pan must be generously buttered in every crevice, or you'll leave half your bread behind when you unmold. I've seen grown adults weep over this mistake.
• •Dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown, creating deeper flavor and stickier caramel. Don't substitute.
• •Fresh nutmeg makes a real difference here. The pre-ground version has lost most of its aromatic oils. A microplane and whole nutmeg take thirty seconds and transform the coating.
• •If caramel sticks to the pan after unmolding, scrape it out and drape it over the bread. No one will know, and the flavor is too good to waste.
• •Leftovers, should any exist, reheat beautifully in a 300°F oven for ten minutes, loosely covered with foil.

Advance Preparation

• •The shaped, unbaked monkey bread can be refrigerated overnight, covered tightly with plastic wrap. Remove from refrigerator one hour before baking to allow the dough to come to room temperature and finish rising.
• •The dough alone can be made up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated after the first rise. Punch down, shape, and proceed with the recipe.
• •Fully baked monkey bread is best served within two hours but keeps covered at room temperature for one day. Reheat before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 72g)