Salted Caramel Monkey Bread Recipes

MONKEY BREAD

Steps:

• Beat 1 cup butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed until butter is smooth and pliable but still cold, about 1 minute. Scrape into a medium bowl; set aside. Save mixer bowl because you're going to use it again in a minute (no need to wash).
• Gently heat milk in a small saucepan over low until warm to the touch but not steaming hot. It should be 110°F-115°F. Whisk milk and yeast in a small bowl to dissolve yeast, then let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk flour, sugar, and salt in reserved mixer bowl to combine. Add yeast mixture and eggs, fit bowl back onto mixer, and beat on low speed with dough hook, gradually increasing mixer speed to medium as dry ingredients are incorporated, until dough comes together around hook. Continue to mix on medium speed until dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Add more flour by the tablespoonful as needed if dough isn't pulling away from bowl cleanly.
• With motor running, gradually add reserved butter about a tablespoonful at a time, waiting until it is absorbed before adding more. This process can take several minutes, so be patient. When you're done adding the butter, the dough will be extremely smooth, soft, and supple but not sticky. Place dough in a large buttered bowl and cover. Let sit in a warm, draft-free spot until nearly doubled in size, 55-65 minutes.
• Uncover dough and punch down several times to deflate. Line a 13x9" baking dish with plastic wrap, leaving generous overhang on all sides. Place dough in pan and press into an even layer, working all the way to the sides of the pan. Fold plastic up and over dough, eliminating air pockets between dough and plastic. Chill dough in freezer until firm to the touch, 20-30 minutes.
• Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl to combine. Lightly brush tube pan with butter. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, tapping out excess; set aside. Remove dough from freezer and peel back plastic. Brush entire surface with melted butter and sprinkle generously with some cinnamon sugar. Shake excess sugar back into bowl, then invert baking pan and turn out dough onto work surface sugar side down. Remove plastic; discard. Brush other side of dough with butter and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. Use a pizza cutter or a chef's knife to cut dough into a 12x6 grid.
• Working relatively quickly so dough doesn't become too soft, separate pieces and, working one at a time, roll lightly between your palms into balls, dusting with more cinnamon sugar as needed to prevent sticking. Place in prepared tube pan as you go. Cover pan with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm, draft-free spot until pieces have swelled to nearly doubled in size, 40-50 minutes. Preheat oven to 350° a little before monkey bread is ready to bake.
• Remove plastic from pan and bake monkey bread until golden brown, 25-35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then use a small offset spatula to loosen monkey bread from sides of pan. Pull bottom out from pan and use spatula to loosen bread from bottom. Slide bread back into pan; invert onto a plate and remove pan. Place a wire rack over bread and invert right side up onto rack. If using a Bundt pan, just invert directly onto wire rack. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
• Pour about 1/2 cup caramel sauce over monkey bread if desired. Serve with more sauce alongside for dipping.
• Do Ahead
• Dough can be made 1 day ahead. After punching down, pat into plastic-lined pan and chill in refrigerator instead of freezer.

SALTED CARAMEL MONKEY BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
• Generously grease a 10-cup Bundt pan with 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter; set aside. (NOTE: It's important to thoroughly grease all of the little cracks and crevices of the Bundt pan, especially at the bottom where all of the sticky caramel gathers as the cake bakes. The better you grease your pan, the easier it will be to extract the cake when you're ready to serve.).
• Remove biscuit dough from packaging and separate into individual biscuits. Tear each biscuit into 3 pieces and use your hands to roll them into balls.
• Working in batches of 3 or 4 at a time, drop dough balls in the bag of the cinnamon mixture; seal bag and shake until dough is coated. Arrange dough in greased Bundt pan and repeat process with remaining balls. (Alternatively, if the dough starts sticking to together in the bag, you can dip the dough balls int one at a time to ensure they're thoroughly coated with sugar and cinnamon.) Set aside while you make the sauce.
• In a medium saucepan, melt both sticks of butter over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar, heavy cream, and 1 tsp of sea salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continuously whisk ingredients for about 3-4 minutes, until mixture is well-combined and the brown sugar is completely dissolved. (NOTE: Salted Caramel Sauce can be made in advance and chilled for up to 2-3 days. When you're ready to use it, just microwave sauce for 30 seconds to restore it's syrup-like consistency).
• Remove saucepan from heat and carefully pour 2 cups of the warm caramel sauce over the dough balls in the Bundt pan; save the remaining sauce for serving.
• Transfer Bundt pan to oven and bake the monkey bread for about 30 minutes, or until the bread is puffy and golden brown.
• Remove Bundt pan from oven and allow to rest for no more than 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate or cake stand (with a plate underneath it to catch any sticky drippings).
• Drizzle the remaining caramel sauce over the monkey bread. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste just before serving (optional).

CARAMEL MONKEY BREAD

Steps:

• Make the brioche: Coat a large bowl with cooking spray and set aside. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low speed to combine. Add the milk and eggs and mix until combined, then increase the speed to medium high and mix until the dough begins to pull away from the sides, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce the speed to medium; start adding the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating until incorporated before adding more, about 5 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium high and continue to mix until the dough is glossy and slightly tacky but not sticky, about 7 minutes. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
• Make the caramel: Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to boil, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling the pan but not stirring, until dark amber, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Let cool to room temperature.
• Assemble the monkey bread: Coat a 15-cup bundt pan with cooking spray. Stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Put the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Slice the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each into a 9- to 10-inch-long log. Slice each log into roughly 10 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball, dusting the surface with more flour as needed. Pour about half of the caramel into the bundt pan.
• Working in batches, coat 20 dough balls in the butter, letting the excess drip off, then roll in the cinnamon sugar and arrange in a single layer in the pan. Drizzle the remaining caramel on top. Repeat with the remaining 20 dough balls, melted butter and cinnamon sugar, then arrange in the bundt pan. Set aside until the dough is slightly puffed, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Place the bundt pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the monkey bread is dark golden brown on top, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a platter.

CHAI SPICE MONKEY BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®).
• Combine 7 tablespoons brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and pepper in a large bowl. Add biscuits; coat liberally with sugar-spice mixture.
• Arrange coated biscuits evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon brown sugar throughout and on top of biscuits; pour melted butter all over.
• Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool for about 15 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate.