About This Recipe
I firmly believe that monkey bread could be the greatest, most delicious bake of all time! Bold statement I know, but it literally has everything! Pillowy balls of sweet yeasted- dough, a cinnamon sugar coating and a silky brown sugar butter bath. When the bread is warm out of the oven, we pour a vanilla cream cheese glaze on top- WOW. It really can’t get much better for me! I personally love those crispy, caramelized edges of the bread. But if you are a lover of the gooey middle, there is plenty of that too!
In this version, we’re taking my love for bananas and coating them in a brown sugar and maple caramel sauce before baking them in the bottom of the pan. They become the gooey, glossy topping for the bread once it’s inverted. This delicious addition adds an extra layer of sweetness, along with a cozy, caramelized banana flavor.
And trust me when I say, making the dough from scratch really isn’t very hard. This recipe will walk you through it step by step, and there are plenty of tips and FAQs to help you along the way. This is one of those bakes that’s perfect for a dreary fall weekend at home, but it’s also delicious any time of year.
Key Ingredients
Bread Flour – Essential for creating the soft, fluffy texture of this bread. Its higher protein content helps develop gluten, giving the dough strength and chew while still keeping each ball tender and pillowy.
Sugars – I like using a brown sugar along with granulated sugar in the dough. Granulated sugar along with cinnamon in the coating and brown sugar for the maple caramel sauce. Both are needed for this recipe.
Yeast – Gives this bread its signature soft and fluffy texture by helping the dough rise and creating those light, tender balls of bread. Taking the time to properly proof the dough is what gives this pull monkey bread its fluffy and irresistible texture. Both active and instant work great here.
Cinnamon – Essentially ingredient! Adds warmth and depth to the filling, complementing the sweetness of the peaches and enhancing the caramel notes from the brown sugar and butter.
Butter – Unsalted butter is necessary for all components of this bread (dough, coating and sauce- it holds all the flavor!
Maple Syrup – A little maple syrup along with the butter and brown sugar make for the ultimate sauce on this monkey bread!
Bananas – Perfectly ripe but not overly ripe of spotty bananas work great here! The bananas along with the maple caramel sauce are the star of this monkey bread.
Salt – Key for balancing the sweetness and bringing out the buttery, caramelized flavors throughout the bread. It helps every ingredient shine, from the cinnamon sugar coating to the banana topping
FAQ’s
Helpful Tips
- Grease your Bundt pan really well: Don’t skimp on the butter! Make sure the bottom, sides, and center tube of your Bundt pan are well coated. This helps the caramelized bananas and monkey bread release easily when you invert it.
- Use room-temperature ingredients: Room-temperature eggs and softened butter incorporate more easily into the dough and help create a smooth, cohesive mixture. Take your eggs out of the refrigerator ahead of time so they aren’t ice cold when you start.
- Measure your flour carefully: For the most consistent results, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your flour. If you don’t have one, use the spoon-and-level method rather than scooping/packing the flour directly from the bag, which can pack in too much flour and result in a denser dough.
- Don’t add too much flour: The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. It can be tempting to keep adding flour when the dough sticks to the bowl, but resist the urge! Add flour slowly and only as needed.
- Pay attention to your milk temperature: Your milk should be warm, but not hot—around 105–110°F is ideal. Milk that is too hot can damage the yeast.
- Don’t rush the rises: The rise times are estimates because they depend on the temperature of your kitchen. Rather than watching the clock, look for the dough to roughly double in size during the first rise.
- Keep the dough balls relatively similar in size: They don’t need to be perfect, but making them roughly the same size helps the monkey bread bake evenly.
- Don’t skip the resting period after shaping: That second 20–30 minute rest gives the dough balls a chance to puff up before they go into the oven, helping create a softer, fluffier monkey bread.
- Let it cool briefly before inverting: Give the monkey bread about 5–10 minutes in the pan after baking. This allows the caramel sauce to settle while the bread is still warm enough to release easily. Waiting too long can make the caramel stick to the pan.
- Serve it warm: Monkey bread is at its best when it’s warm, gooey, and freshly glazed. If you’re making it ahead, gently warm individual pieces before serving.
More Recipes!
Here are some more recipes you might enjoy!
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Upside Down Toasted Coconut Banana Bread
Tropical Banana Bread with Coconut Frosting
Nutella Swirl Espresso Banana Bread
If you try this recipe, I would love your feedback! Please leave a star rating, a comment below or on the reel in Instagram! Also please share what you made and tag @eatatmaudes !! Thank you so much for stopping by and making yumminess with me!
Caramelized Banana Monkey Bread
Servings
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Equipment
Ingredients
Monkey Bread
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 package instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, room temp
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp light or dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla paste or extract (5 g)
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (0.25 g) (optional! i like to use freshly grated!)
- 1 tsp salt (6 g)
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups (430 – 480 g) bread flour (I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the flour!)
Coating
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted — for dipping the dough balls
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted — for greasing the Bundt pan
Sauce
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113 g)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 + 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1-2 bananas, sliced (use as much or as little as you like)
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)
Instructions
Enable Step-by-Step Mode- 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. Let the mix sit for about 2 minutes – you can stir a bit if you would like. (Note: you dont want your milk too warm, aim for 110-115)
- Add the egg, egg yolk, sugars, nutmeg, vanilla and butter. Mix everything gently with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add 3 1/2 cups of the bread flour and salt 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 6-8 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.
- As you knead, the dough should start clicking against the sides of the bowl as it kneads. If the dough looks to be sticking too much, add another couple of tbsp of flour slowly. You should add no more than 4 cups of bread flour. After 6-8 minutes, place dough in a lightly 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. About 50 min.
- While the dough rises, you can work on the cinnamon sugar coating. In a small bowl mix cinnamon, sugar, pinch of salt nutmeg (if using)- mix well and set to the side.
- Once the monkey bread dough has risen, turn the dough onto a flat, lightly floured surface. Using a knife or dough scraper divide into small balls (about 1.5 – 2 inches in size, 55-60 total, doesn't have to be perfect!). Roll the balls up nicely and cover again for about 20-30 more minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F/ 190°C. Melt about 2 tbsp of butter and pour into the bottom of the bundt pan. Using your hands or a pastry brush, coat the bottom and the sides of the pan (this will prevent the monkey bread from sticking!)
- Arrange the sliced bananas on the bottom (a little up the sides) of the pan.
- For the sauce, over low medium heat, in a small saucepan, place butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. Stir until melted and combined. It's okay if the mixture comes to a light simmer but do not boil. Pour the caramel sauce over the bananas evenly- then set the pan to the side.
- Back to the balls and coating! Dip each dough ball into the 1/2 cup of melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Evenly layer coated balls in the greased pan.
- Bake for 33-35 minutes or until golden brown and set (internal temp ~190°F / 88°C). Please note: ovens do vary so check for temperature and visual cues. Cool in pan for 5–10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.
- 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!
- Remove pan from monkey bread, drizzle with the glaze and enjoy immediately.