I first made Easy Monkey Bread Recipe on a lazy Sunday morning when I wanted something special but didn't have the energy for complicated baking. The smell alone had my family gathered in the kitchen before it even came out of the oven. It's incredibly simple to put together, uses everyday ingredients, and delivers bakery-style results that'll make you look like a baking hero.
If you love easy breakfast treats, you might also enjoy my Easy Crème Brûlée French Toast
or Easy Breakfast Pizza, And for more pull-apart desserts, try my Easy French Toast Cinnamon Rolls Recipe .
Why You'll Love This Easy Monkey Bread Recipe
This homemade monkey Easy Monkey Bread Recipe is ridiculously easy. You don't need yeast, no rising time, and no complicated techniques. Just grab some canned biscuit dough, roll it in cinnamon sugar, and bake. The result is a gooey bread recipe that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen. Kids love pulling it apart, and adults love how buttery and warm it is. It works for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or anytime you need something cozy and sweet.
Jump to:
Easy Monkey Bread Recipe Ingredients
Here's what you need to make this easy dessert Easy Monkey Bread Recipe .
See Recipe Card Below This Post For ingredients Quantites
For the Monkey Bread:
- Biscuit dough: Two cans of refrigerated biscuit dough form the base and make this recipe incredibly quick and simple.
- Brown sugar: Adds deep caramel sweetness and creates that sticky, gooey texture when it melts with the butter.
- Ground cinnamon: Gives the Easy Monkey Bread Recipe its signature warm, spiced flavor.
- Sugar: Combines with the cinnamon to create the coating for each dough ball.
- Butter: Melts over the dough and creates the rich, buttery sauce that makes monkey Easy Monkey Bread Recipe so addictive. You can use ½ cup for a lighter version if you prefer.
For the Simple Glaze:
- Powdered sugar: Creates a sweet, smooth glaze that adds an extra layer of flavor.
- Milk: Thins the powdered sugar to a pourable consistency.
how to make Easy Monkey Bread Recipe
Prepare the dough: Break the biscuit dough into small balls, about 3 tablespoons each. Try to keep them roughly the same size so they bake evenly.
Grease the pan: Grease an entire deep-dish loaf pan with butter or use a bundt pan. Cooking spray works too, but butter adds extra flavor.
Cinnamon sugar mixture: In a medium bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Stir until well mixed.
Coat dough balls: Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated. Make sure every piece gets covered.
Layer the dough: Add a single layer of dough balls to the bottom of the greased pan. Sprinkle ⅛ cup of brown sugar over the dough.
Repeat layering: Add another layer of dough balls and sprinkle the remaining ⅛ cup of brown sugar over the top. Continue until the pan is filled. You might have extra dough, but don't worry about it.
Add butter: Melt the butter and pour it evenly over the dough balls. It should seep down between all the layers.
Sprinkle leftover cinnamon sugar: Sprinkle some of the leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of the dough for extra flavor and a prettier finish.
Bake the monkey bread: Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Check for doneness by ensuring it's fully cooked through and not doughy in the center.
Prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk. Stir until smooth and pourable.
Serve: Pour the glaze over the warm monkey Easy Monkey Bread Recipe before serving. Let it sit for a minute so the glaze sets slightly, then dig in.
Substitutions and Variations
You can customize this simple Easy Monkey Bread Recipe in lots of ways.
Make it lighter: Use ½ cup butter instead of ¾ cup for a less rich version.
Add mix-ins: Toss in chopped pecans, walnuts, or raisins between the layers for extra texture.
Change the flavor: Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the melted butter, or swap half the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice.
Use different dough: Crescent roll dough works too and gives a flakier texture.
Skip the glaze: If you prefer it less sweet, leave off the powdered sugar glaze. The buttery pull-apart dessert is plenty sweet on its own.
Make it savory: For a completely different take, skip the sugar and cinnamon, and use garlic butter, Parmesan, and herbs instead.
Equipment for Easy Monkey Bread Recipe
You don't need much to make this biscuit dough Easy Monkey Bread Recipe .
- Deep-dish loaf pan or bundt pan
- Medium bowl
- Small bowl for glaze
- Spoon or whisk for mixing
A bundt pan gives you that classic Easy Monkey Bread Recipe shape, but a loaf pan works perfectly fine and makes serving easier.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Store leftover cinnamon glaze Easy Monkey Bread Recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat, warm individual pieces in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, or reheat the whole thing covered in foil in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes. It won't be quite as gooey as fresh, but it'll still taste wonderful.
You can also freeze Easy Monkey Bread Recipe . Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat before serving.
expert tips
Don't skip greasing the pan: Grease it well, or your Easy Monkey Bread Recipe will stick. Butter works better than cooking spray for flavor.
Use room temperature butter for coating: If your butter is too hot, it'll just slide off the dough balls instead of coating them.
Layer evenly: Try to distribute the dough balls evenly in the pan so everything bakes at the same rate.
Check for doneness: The top should be golden brown and the center should be fully cooked, not doughy. If the top is browning too fast, cover it loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
Let it cool slightly: Give it 5 minutes to cool before flipping it out of the pan. This helps it hold together better.
Serve warm: Easy Monkey Bread Recipe is best when it's still warm and the butter is gooey. Reheat leftovers before serving.
FAQ
What are the ingredients for monkey bread?
The main ingredients are biscuit dough, cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, and butter. You coat the dough pieces in cinnamon sugar, layer them in a pan with brown sugar and melted butter, then bake. It's simple and uses pantry staples. Michael always reminds me we need "the cans with the dough" whenever we're at the store.
What are 7 basic ingredients for quick bread?
Quick Easy Monkey Bread Recipe typically use flour, leavening agent (like baking powder or baking soda), sugar, salt, fat (butter or oil), eggs, and liquid (milk or water). Monkey bread is a bit different because it uses premade biscuit dough, which already contains most of these ingredients, making it even faster to prepare.
What is 3 ingredient bread?
Three-ingredient Easy Monkey Bread Recipe usually refers to self-rising flour, Greek yogurt, and a pinch of salt. It's a super simple bread that doesn't require yeast or rising time. While monkey bread uses more ingredients for flavor, it's still incredibly easy since the biscuit dough does most of the work.
What makes monkey bread so unique?
Easy Monkey Bread Recipe is unique because of its pull-apart nature and the way the butter and sugar create a sticky, caramelized coating around each piece. You eat it with your hands, pulling off one gooey piece at a time. It's also special because it uses biscuit dough instead of traditional Easy Monkey Bread Recipe dough, which makes it much faster and easier than most breads.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Easy Monkey Bread Recipe
Easy Monkey Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Roll each dough piece into a small ball, about 3 tablespoons per ball. prep
- Grease a deep-dish loaf pan with butter, or use a bundt pan as an alternative. prep
- In a medium bowl, combine the cinnamon and granulated sugar, stirring to mix. mix
- Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, ensuring full coverage. prep
- Layer the dough balls in the prepared pan, sprinkling ⅛ cup of brown sugar over the first layer. assemble
- Continue layering the dough balls and sprinkling brown sugar on each layer until the pan is full. assemble
- Melt the butter and pour it evenly over the dough balls before baking. assemble
- Sprinkle some of the leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the dough. assemble
- Bake the monkey bread at 350°F for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. bake
- While the bread is baking, mix the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl to make the glaze. prep
- Once baked, pour the glaze over the warm monkey bread just before serving. finish
Leave a Reply