The Best Monkey Bread Recipe With Fresh Milled Flour

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This ooey, gooey pull-apart monkey bread is full of buttery cinnamon goodness. The from scratch dough made with fresh milled flour comes together in a flash and is super easy to work with!

If you have never had monkey bread, it is a delight that I believe everyone should experience. It is basically like a giant cinnamon roll and the pieces of soft dough pull apart easily and are covered in butter and cinnamon sugar.

Perfect for any time of day, you can even sneak this one in as a breakfast for special occasions!

What is Monkey Bread?

Monkey bread is a sweet, soft, gooey pastry served all over the United States for breakfast, or as a treat. Monkey
bread is also a common dessert served around Easter or Christmas morning, fairs and festivals too. It is a soft, dough-like bread, served pull-apart bread style dipped in cinnamon, sugar, and butter. Similar to a cinnamon roll wreath, where everyone can tear off a piece—just like how monkeys pick at their food with their hands. One of my favorite things about monkey bread is just how simple the recipe is. I think this recipe is perfect for those just starting with freshly milled flours, as chances are you’ve made classic monkey bread yourself and know just how easy it is!

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What Dough Is Best?

I love using my basic bread recipe because of its versatility. I think it’s the perfect base for so many recipes, and that includes this amazing, cinnamon-y sweet treat! There are countless health reasons to make the switch to using freshly milled flours over store-bought purpose flour, but making a recipe that prioritizes flavor and freshness is of the utmost importance to me.

How To Make The Best Monkey Bread Recipe With Freshly Milled Flour

Dough 

1 batch of my basic dough recipe

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Gooey Filling

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• splash of vanilla extract

1. Make a batch of my  basic dough recipe until after the first rise. 
2. In a small bowl, melt the better
3. In a second medium bowl combine sugar and ground cinnamon. Mix. 
4. You can use a bundt pan or two bread pans for this recipe. Whichever you choose to use, grease the pans well with avocado oil or similar before moving onto the next step. 
5. Using a bench knife or something similar, cut off small pieces of dough. About the size of 2-3 tablespoons. Roll them into tight balls. Use a little oil on your hands if they are sticking. 
6. Roll each dough ball into the melted butter until coated, then dip in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. 
7. Place the buttered and sugared dough balls into the loaf pans or bundt pan.
8. Place in a warm place to allow to rise for 30-45 minutes or until puffy.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
10. Prepare the gooey filling by combining all ingredients into a bowl and mixing well. 
11. Pour the gooey filling over the uncooked monkey bread. 
12. Bake for 20-25 minutes if using loaf pans and 35-40 minutes if using a bundt pan. Bake until golden brown and dough is cooked through. 
13. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes in the pan and then turn over onto a platter or plate. 

What Can I Use If I Don’t Have a Bundt Pan For Monkey Bread?

There are a few simple substitutions. If you do not have a bundt pan on hand, you may use 2 bread pans or a tube pan. Tube pans are similar to bundt pans, but typically hold more batter. Another alternative is a cake pan with a glass cup or ramekin placed in the center before putting the dough balls inside. This gives you that wreath look, the same as a bundt pan.

Why Do They Call Monkey Bread Monkey Bread?

There is no one true origin for this pastry’s name. Some think  Monkey Bread gets its name from how it is eaten: picking apart gooey, sweet, buttery pieces of homemade dough much like how a monkey would with its hands. Others suggest the name comes from the resemblance to the evergreen monkey puzzle tree called Araucaria araucana. The origin of the dessert itself has been traced back to Hungarian immigrants, referred to as aranygaluska, which translates to “golden dumpling.” Monkey Bread doughs also go by other names, such as Bubble Bread, Hungarian Coffee Cake, Pinch Me Cake, and Plucking Cake.

Can I Reheat Monkey Bread?

Even though I think monkey bread is best served right out of the oven, the next day can be just as good, provided you reheat it properly. The best way to reheat leftover monkey bread is to place it on a pan in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes. Aluminum foil loosely wrapped over your baking pan can prevent it from drying out.

Should You Refrigerate Monkey Bread?

Monkey bread is the best served on the same day it is baked, but if you find yourself with some leftovers, you can save them for later by storing in a tightly sealed airtight container, or covered tightly with plastic wrap wrapped around your serving plate after they have come to room temperature. To keep it fresh for 3-4 days, you may pop the dish in the fridge. You can even freeze it for up to 2 months!

What Does Monkey Bread Taste Like?

If you’re having Monkey Bread for the first time, the best way to describe how it tastes is the same flavor and texture you’ll find in the center of cinnamon rolls! Slightly doughy biscuit pieces coated in a cinnamon sugar mixture and dipped in a warm butter glaze. Because we are using whole grains for this homemade monkey bread recipe, the flavors are unmistakably richer than store-bought canned biscuit dough. The nutty flavor from our whole wheat flour mixed with cinnamon and butter smells heavenly while it’s baking.

How Do You Know When Monkey Bread is Done?

The top of the pan should look puffy, crispy, and golden brown. You should see the glaze that we poured on-top bubbling around the edges after 20-25 minutes (loaf pans) or 35-40 mins (bundt pan).  To ensure the dough has been cooked thoroughly, place a skewer into the thickest part of the Monkey Bread. If it comes out clean, it’s done baking.

Does Freshly Milled Flour Make Monkey Bread Taste Different?

Using freshly ground wheat berries in any recipe will alter the taste in all of the best ways. When using fresh milled wheat, you will get a creamier texture, better flavor, and a more pure and quality taste. Although using canned biscuit dough might seem convenient, it brings along with it all of those harmful additives and is completely devoid of the vitamins and minerals found in our whole wheat bread recipes. In store-bought cans of biscuits, there is barely any fiber, and only a small amount of protein. The amount of saturated fat in a typically-sized biscuit usually composes 30-50% of the recommended daily values of saturated fat.

What To Top Monkey Bread With?

Honestly, I love this dessert as is! But, if you’re used to adding a drizzle on top, you could make a glaze
or a frosting with powdered sugar and milk. Just thin out to your desired consistency. Drizzle over your bread once it has reached room temperature to prevent the frosting from soaking into your bread.
Or, to those used to an even sweeter stickier treat, a caramel sauce made from heavy cream, butter, and brown sugar.

Do I Need a Bread Machine?

No, you will be taking my bread dough recipe and stopping before the second rise. For that recipe, you will be mixing your flour mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer, you can use your dough hook for this or knead by hand. You can use a bread machine if you have one, but pull the dough out before it bakes.

Using Freshly Milled Flour Vs. All Purpose Flour: What’s the Difference?

When we talk about the difference between freshly milled flour and store bought all purpose flour, we must consider the differences in flavor, cost, and nutrition. When comparing the differences in freshness, wheat berries that have been freshly ground will have store bought flours beat every time. Why? Because when you grind your own wheat berries at home, this puts you in total control of the fresh flavor and quality of your flour, even the nutritional profile, as using freshly milled flour yields a flour that is at its peak nutrition. Store bought flours sit around for a long time. This is because their milling process, which strips and bleaches the flour of all its nutrition in its exchange for a longer shelf life.

Flavor: Freshly milled flour simply tastes fresh in a way that store bought flours cannot duplicate. It is often described as having a nuttier flavor, and I’d agree. The bran and germ add flavor, and even a bit of a sweet taste that complements desserts, but not enough to clash with savory recipes.

Cost: When compared ounce to ounce, home milled flours are known to be cheaper, sometimes even at a fraction of the cost, than their store-bought counterparts. With the extra cost of nutrients lost in the commercial milling process, using a mill to make your own fresh flour is an easy and a cost effective choice.

Nutrition: Freshly milled flours are packed with nutrients compared to store-bought white flour. This is because using the whole grain allows you to reap the full benefits of its name. Bran, responsible for fiber, B vitamins, iron, and packed with digestive enzymes. Endosperm, responsible for its complex carbs, protein, and small amounts of B vitamins and minerals. And finally the germ, which contains essential fatty acids, vitamin E, B vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and phytonutrients.

In conclusion, using freshly milled flours is more cost effective, has a better and fresher flavor, and is a great way to aid in hitting your recommended daily values through their nutrient density.

5 Common Mistakes When Making Monkey Bread

1. Not Kneading the Dough Enough
Kneading is a crucial step when making any type of bread that needs rise time, and monkey bread is no exception. Under-kneading will cause your bread to not rise and the overall texture and appearence will be lifeless and dense. The proper knead time promises a softer, fluffier, and taller bread. 7-10 minutes is my personal recommendation.


2. You Didn’t Use Quality Spices
There are big differences in quality among spices and any dried herb. That includes cinnamon. Spices generally lose their taste over a period of years, so adding old cinnamon to this recipe could leave much to be desired. Keeping an eye on the expiration date on your spices will make a huge difference. It is a good practice to replace your spices every 3 years.

3.Under-proofing Your Dough
Under-proofed dough is simply dough that has not had enough fermentation time. Make sure you give the dough the full rise time it needs for the ultimate soft and fluffy monkey bread pull apart bread. If the dough springs back quickly, it is under-proofed. If it springs back very slowly, it’s been properly proofed for the correct amount of time and is ready to bake. Finally, if it never springs back, the dough is simply over-proofed.


4. Not Melting Your Butter

One of the keys to making delicious, gooey monkey bread isn’t all about the spices you use, it’s also about the butter!
When you are preparing the monkey bread, skimping out on melting the butter first is a crucial mistake. What you want is butter that leaks out of the sweet dough as it bakes, blending in with our sweet sugar mixture. Butter that is too hard, even softened butter, will leave little pockets of dough after it melts, in an inconsistent texture that simply doesn’t match the consistency of classic monkey bread.


5. Killing The Yeast

Yeast plays a vital role in freshly milled whole wheat recipes. It’s important to consider just how much thirstier freshly milled flours are. They absorb considerably more flour than conventional flours. Fermentation occurs faster because of this fact. Now, the reason fermentation occurs faster is because of the additional nutrients which
provides more food for the yeast to thrive on. This is a good thing! So be mindful of how your flour is absorbing the liquid, and the temperature of the warm water in the yeast process. If you end up killing off your yeast, the end result will leave you with flat, heavy bread, and there is no coming back from it without starting over from scratch.

Helpful Links & Products

Grain Mills

Freshly Milled Bread Course

Bread Knife

Apron

Sourdough Starter Kit

Sourdough Starter

Bread Pans

Wheat Berries

Yeast