Monkey bread is always a favorite with groups, however, in some settings it is not practical or easy for everyone to literally pull apart from the same loaf of bread. Earlier this year I made my monkey bread in muffin tins for individual servings that turned out perfectly for a party. These gooey cinnamon pull-apart breads in miniature make a comforting breakfast treat during these chilly fall and winter months and when baked as personal-sized monkey breads they are a great choice for a holiday brunch.
Monkey Bread Muffins
Author: Itsy Bitsy Foodies
Recipe type: Breakfast
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12+
These miniature cinnamon pull-apart breads are baked in muffin tins for individual servings of the popular monkey bread.
Ingredients
- 1 batch of Basic White Bread Dough (recipe below) or 2 loaves frozen white bread dough
- 1¼ cups sugar, divided
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1¾ tsp cinnamon, divided
Basic White Bread Dough
- 4 – 4½ cups flour
- 4½ tsp dry yeast
- 2 cups warm water
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix 2 cups flour and the yeast.
- Add the water, oil, sugar and salt.
- Beat on low for ½ minute and then on high for three minutes.
- Stir in the remaining flour until a moderately stiff dough forms.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl, greased side up.
- Cover the bowl and let it rise for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down and divide it into half, letting it rest for 10 minutes.
- To make the monkey bread, combine 1 cup sugar, brown sugar, milk, butter and 1¼ tsp cinnamon in a small saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and cook it for 1 minute.
- Remove it from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Combine ¼ cup sugar and ½ tsp cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
- Cut each loaf of bread dough into 24 equal portions.
- Roll each portion into the cinnamon sugar mixture and layer three balls of dough in each greased muffin tin.
- Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture over the "muffins".
- Then spoon the cooled sugar syrup over the dough in each muffin tin.
- Cover the pan and let it rise for 35 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
- Bake the bread at 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately loosen the edges of bread from the muffin tin using a knife.
- Carefully lift out the monkey bread from each muffin tin.
- TIP: If you are making the bread dough a day in advance, place the covered dough in the refrigerator after the first rising of 1½ hours. The following day, let the dough come to room temperature prior to forming it into the balls.
