Ingredients
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Equipment Needed
- Stand Mixer with Dough Hook
- 8 inch cake pan
- Dough Scraper (optional)
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring cups
- Mixing bowls (medium & large)
- Saucepan
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Ziplock Bags
Monkey Bread
- 1/2 cup warm milk (120 g)
- 2 tsp instant dry yeast (6 g)
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1/3 cup pumpkin purée (75 g)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled (57 g)
- 3 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar (45 g)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla paste or extract (5 g)
- 1/2 tsp salt (3 g)
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (0.25 g) (i like to use freshly grated!)
- 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups bread flour (305–340 g), as needed
Coating & Sauce
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted (75 g) — for dipping the dough balls
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- 2 tsp cinnamon (5 g)
- Pinch of salt
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113 g) + 1 tbsp
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (55 g)
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 3 oz cream cheese (85 g), softened
- 1 tbsp butter (14 g), softened
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup powdered sugar (60–90 g) (depending on sweetness preference)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (2 g)
- 1–3 tbsp milk (15-45 g)
What to do
1. For the bread, pour milk into a saucepan and stir over medium heat. Once milk reaches 115 degrees Fahrenheit, remove from heat and pour into a stand mixer. Sprinkle in yeast and sugar. Let the mix sit for about 2 minutes without stirring. (Note: you dont want your milk too warm, aim for 110-115)
2. Add the egg, pumpkin puree, salt, vanilla and butter. Mix everything gently with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add 2 cups of the bread flour to start and mix gently again. Let that mix sit for another minute or two. Then, using a hook attachment begin kneading on medium speed for about 6 minutes. As you knead, add another 1/4 cup flour (note: you can use your hands if you don’t have a stand mixer. The dough will be messy at first, but will become more elastic as you knead) The dough will stick to the sides of your mixer- that is expected.
3. As you knead, the dough should starting clicking against the sides of the bowl as it kneads. If the dough looks to be sticking too much, add another couple of tbsp slowly. You should add no more than 2 1/2 cups of bread flour. After 6-8 minutes, place dough in a greased bowl. The dough should be a little sticky, but if it is too wet, then add another tbsp of flour and knead again for another minute. Cover with a towel and let the dough double in size (*see note below). About 50 min.
4. Once the monkey bread dough has risen, punch down the dough. Using a knife or dough scraper divide into small balls (about 1.5 – 2 inches in size, 35-40 total, doesn’t have to be perfect!). Roll the balls up nicely and cover again for about 20-30 more minutes.
5. Now you can work on the brown butter sauce. Add butter to a small saucepan and cook over low/medium heat. Cook until butter foams and starts to emit a warm, nutty fragrance (this could take several minutes). Once butter is browned, immediately remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Add one more tbsp of softened butter. Add the brown sugar, mix well and let that rest.
6. Next, for the coating we will place our cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg (if using) and salt into a ziplock bag. Shake well until everything is combined.
7. Preheat oven to 375°F/ 190°C. Melt about 2 tbsp of butter and pour into the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan (this helps prevent sticking!). A bundt cake pan also works. Dip each dough ball into the 1/3 cup of melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Layer coated balls in the greased pan. Pour the brown sugar and brown butter mixture evenly onto the rolls. Make sure to get all of the brown sugar into the pan. Note: as the brown sugar and brown butter sit, they may begin to separate. This is normal and just give them a good mix with a fork before pouring over the balls.
8. Bake for 30–33 minutes until golden brown and set (internal temp ~190°F / 88°C). Cool in pan for 5–10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.
9. While the pan is inverted, work on the cream cheese glaze. To a medium bowl, add softened cream cheese and butter. Using a hand mixer, beat until light, fluffy and combined. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Mix well again. The mixture should be runny but not too thin. Adjust milk and powdered sugar as needed!
10. Remove pan from monkey bread, drizzle with the glaze and enjoy immediately.
FAQ’s
Helpful tips
Here are some important Pro tips by Maude
- When kneading your dough, if there is humidity in the air, you may find that your dough is quite sticky. If you find that the dough is too tacky and sticking to your mixer and fingers, add a little more flour. We want the dough to be tacky but not sticking to your fingers too much.
- When your dough is rising (proofing) for the first time, feel free to place the bowl in the oven (heat off). This creates a draft free, warm environment. On really cold mornings, I sometimes like to turn my oven on to 200 degrees. When the temperature is reached, I turn it off and place my dough inside to proof (aka rise).
- If the ingredient is listed as *room temp* really strive for room temperature. It’s critical because, you don’t want a lumpy filling or glaze. And you don’t want your whipping cream cold when you pour over your rolls before baking. Plan ahead of time and place your ingredients at room temp (about 1-2 hours, depending on kitchen temperature).
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