{"id":163096,"title":"Authentic American Monkey Bread","modified":"2026-08-17T19:34:56+02:00","plain":"A pull-apart sweet bread made with tender pieces of dough rolled in cinnamon sugar and coated in buttery caramel.\n\n\n\nYou pull off one piece, then another, and the caramel clings to your fingers. Beneath the golden ring are soft, fluffy bites infused with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, pulling apart one by one. It’s the kind of treat you set in the middle of the table on a Sunday morning, and nobody reaches for a fork.\n\n\n\nAnother soft, fragrant breakfast treat : banana bread\n\n\n\nWhat is monkey bread?\n\n\n\nMonkey bread is a pull-apart sweet bread : small pieces of dough coated in cinnamon sugar, arranged in a ring mold, then topped with a mixture of butter and brown sugar before baking. In this version, the butter and brown sugar are heated together just until they begin to simmer, then poured over the dough right before baking, where they form a glossy, lightly caramelized coating.\n\n\n\nIt’s all about contrast : a golden crust, a caramelized layer, a soft center, and little pockets where the butter, sugar, and cinnamon collect. A savarin mold or Bundt pan ensures even baking and a clean, well-defined ring when unmolded. It captures the spirit of generous, shareable treats from American cuisine.\n\n\n\nA simplified version using refrigerated dough\n\n\n\nThis version takes a shortcut : refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough instead of homemade yeasted dough. Separate the biscuits, cut them into quarters, roll the pieces in cinnamon sugar, arrange them in a buttered pan, then pour over the butter and brown sugar. Bake until puffed, soft, and sticky. The result is a sweet bread best served warm and pulled apart by hand, with a short ingredient list and a straightforward method, much like other brunch classics such as American pancakes.\n\n\n\nThe key ingredients in monkey bread\n\n\n\nRefrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough makes a quick, tender base that is easy to divide into bite-size pieces. Granulated sugar mixed with cinnamon coats the dough and helps create a golden crust. Cinnamon gives monkey bread its signature warm aroma; to learn more about choosing it, discover Chinese cinnamon.\n\n\n\nUnsalted butter, melted with dark brown sugar, creates the topping that seeps between the pieces and turns glossy in the oven. Brown sugar adds deep caramel notes and helps bind the bites together. A thin coating of butter on the pan makes unmolding easier and helps preserve the caramelized ring.\n\n\n\nFor a more elegant dessert : New York cheesecake\n\n\n\nAdd-ins, texture, and serving\n\n\n\nThe base is easy to customize : pecans or walnuts for crunch, chocolate chips for pockets of melted chocolate, berries for a tart contrast. In the same spirit, you can also take inspiration from American brownies or American cookies, both built around chocolate and nuts. If you don’t have refrigerated biscuit dough, brioche dough cut into small pieces works just as well, with a softer texture closer to American cinnamon rolls.\n\n\n\nMonkey bread is best enjoyed warm. Let it cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack, then leave it for a few more minutes after unmolding, just long enough for the caramel to set. Place a tray under the pan to catch any topping that drips over. Serve it for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack, with the same cozy, shareable feel as American carrot cake.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tAuthentic American Monkey Bread\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tDough3 rolls of buttermilk biscuit dough (refrigerated (about 460 g each))Cinnamon-Sugar Coating200 g of sugar1 tablespoon of ground cinnamonBrown Sugar-Butter Caramel225 g of unsalted butter165 g of brown sugar (packed)\t\n\t\n\t\tMethodPreheat the oven to 180\u00b0C.Separate the biscuits and cut each one into quarters.Place the pieces in a large freezer bag. Add the sugar and cinnamon, seal, and shake until evenly coated. Work in batches if needed.Lightly butter a 25 cm Bundt pan and add the coated pieces.In a small saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar.Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and the butter is fully melted.Pour the hot mixture over the dough pieces.Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is deeply golden.Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.Let rest for a few minutes, then serve warm.\t\n\t\n\t\tIf you can\u2019t find American-style refrigerated biscuit dough, use brioche dough cut into pieces instead. Tip: place a baking sheet under the pan to catch any drips and make cleanup easier, or brown the butter first for extra flavor.\nVariations: add berries, chocolate chips, or nuts.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tDessertAm\u00e9ricaine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163096\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}