BACK TO ALL RECIPES

Monkey Bread

Getty Images

BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED December 18, 2023

Monkey bread (aka sticky bread or bubble loaf) is undeniably fun to eat. It consists of lots of tiny balls of dough rolled in sugar, piled into a Bundt pan, drowned in butter and brown sugar, and baked until sticky and golden. You turn the whole thing out onto a platter and have at it, pulling off pieces of the dough as you go. If you like, drizzle with vanilla glaze or any other glaze before serving.

 

The following may contain affiliate links for which we earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting us in this way!
Print

Monkey Bread

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 8 servings 1x

Time about 3 1/2 hours

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter, plus more for greasing
  • 1 recipe Rich Golden Bread dough, prepared through Step 3
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Grease a bundt pan with a little butter. Once the dough has completed its first rise, turn it out onto the counter and cut or tear it into small pieces roughly 1 inch in diameter. Put the granulated sugar in a large shallow bowl or baking dish. Roll the dough pieces into round balls and toss them to coat in the sugar. Put them in the prepared pan, stacking them on top of one another, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until the dough roughly doubles in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  2. Heat the oven to 350°F. When the dough balls have risen, put the butter and brown sugar in a small sauce- pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts and combines with the butter, 3 or 4 minutes. Pour this mixture evenly over the dough.
  3. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the dough is deeply browned on top. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then invert it onto a platter and serve warm or cool completely.

— Recipe from How to Bake Everything

Recipe variations

Spiced Monkey Bread
Add any combination you like of cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, or ginger to the granulated sugar in Step 1.

Nutty Monkey Bread
Chop 1 cup pecans or walnuts and scatter them into the pan as you’re adding the dough balls. For an especially decadent version, you could do the same with some chopped chocolate.

Log in, or become a member today.

Join in: enjoy 7 days free, plus 40% off your first year with access to 1,000+ highly vetted recipes from the How To Cook Everything series and beyond, essays from Mark, and original pieces from our contributors.

Join annually and save 40%
Log in to your account

GetBetterFasterHealthierSmarterTastier

in the Kitchen

Through our (more than a thousand, and growing) highly vetted recipes from the How to Cook Everything series, original food essays and reporting, thoughtful podcast conversations and introductions to new and responsible food products, we aim to showcase what’s possible, from farm to fork, and power a growing movement that encourages people to think about food not as a commodity, but as central to our health and happiness.

Start your free trial

We hope you join us on this journey. We’d love to have you as a part of the Bittman community. As a member, you'll have access to:

  • New recipes every week
  • 1000s of recipes from How to Cook Everything and beyond
  • First access to in-person events with Mark and Kate
  • Exclusive discounts from our favorite brands
  • Q&As with Mark and the team

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter

Join over 105,000 passionate individuals who receive our weekly emails. It’s 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime. Plus, we’ll email you a sampling of what premium members receive on a weekly basis.