Monkey Bread!

Why is Monkey Bread called Monkey Bread anyway? Hmmm....I forgot to look that up. Well, I do know there are lots of different versions of this yummy concoction, but what they all seem to have in common is EASY and DELICIOUS! What's not to love? 

So here we go- For my version of Monkey Bread you will need a package of frozen dinner rolls. There's 36 in the Rhodes package, but I think I used about 18-20 for this. You could just make two pans with one package of rolls. One to eat, one to give? Just sayin'.
                                                                                                                                                                   

 

 You don't need to totally defrost them before you start, but it's good to let them soften a bit before you begin. 

 

You will need about a half  stick of melted butter. 
One cup of brown sugar (or white sugar, if you prefer) mixed with 1 or 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, depending on how cinnamon-y you'd like yours to be (I like alot of cinnamon). You really can't mess this up!

 

This is where the magic happens (haha)- in my beat-up tube pan! It's so bent and dented that I have to wrap foil around the bottom when I use it AND put it on a baking sheet just in case in leaks! But, it's still hanging in there. Butter the pan, don't forget the center tube!

So now you will take the dough balls and dip each one in the melted butter, then roll it in the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture and place them in the pan like so.

 Once they are covering the bottom of the pan (and you want them pretty snug) sprinkle a little more of the brown sugar over them. You'll probably have a bit left, but we'll use that up in a minute.

  
Set them in a warm place, cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise until they're about double (or a little more) in size. 




There I am, hanging around in my red flannel jammies, waiting for the dough to rise : )

  
Once they've risen, go ahead and sprinkle on the remaining brown sugar cinnamon mixture, if there is any left.
Set your oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, until they look something like this.

  
I let them cool about ten minutes. Then lift the center portion out of the pan and run a butter knife around the bottom to loosen the rolls from all the melted sugar and butter on the bottom. Run the knife around the center tube to make sure it's loosened enough to release when it's turned over onto a plate.

This is the result of tucking all the buttery sugary dough balls snugy together in the pan! When they rise, there's no place to go but "up", creating these tall, easy-to-pull-apart sections. 
 

Maybe this is where the "monkey" part comes in? When your family surrounds you and tries grabbing it apart before you're ready to serve it? 

Now, let me say that if you get to this stage and the whole thing separates and falls apart, don't worry about it! Your "presentation" will be slightly different, but still yummy just the same.

I set the center back into the pan, lay a plate over the top and invert the Monkey Bread onto a plate and then flip it over one more time onto my serving plate. I was all set to use my vintage mixer (for the first time in a looong time) to make the icing.

This was my mom's from the late 50's early 60's! But when I turned it on for a test run it smelled like it was burning. Oh dear. The cord was taped and repaired long ago, but I noticed it is cracked and decayed now to the point where it's just not safe :(  Boo!

  
I guess I'll have to be satisfied to let her sit around and look cute :)

Ok, let's get to that icing. Technically you don't have to ice the Monkey Bread, it's pretty yummy as is. But I'm not one to waste an opportunity to add cream cheese icing!

My cream cheese icing is super easy. I shared it way back here
in one of my first posts, and I'm sure you'll see me share it again plenty in the future : ) My kids and I love this for dipping pretzels...icing carrot cake or zucchini bread...but don't get me started on that!

Beat one package of softened cream cheese with one stick of softened butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Add in approximately one cup of powdered sugar-more if you like sweeter. 
 

That's it! Pretty simple, huh? There's two ways to approach the icing thing: You can pull the bread apart and serve the icing individually for dipping (or spreading) OR you can just cover the whole thing with the icing in a messy, delicious heap!

If you decide to ice the whole thing, there's no getting around all the brown sugar cinnamon bits getting into the icing, so don't fret about that. I actually think it looks even yummier this way.




My photos are looking a little weird because it's pretty much impossible (for me) to take nice photos in the glaring light of my kitchen at night. I meant to make this earlier in the day, but just couldn't get to it!

I love making homemade cinnamon rolls also, but this is so much quicker and easier!

Guess what the kids are eating for breakfast today? : )



Hey, I have a fun little thrift store find from today to show you!

I've been without a cake cover/dome for some time. Not a "necessity" but kind of a pain when you're trying to cover a cake without messing up the icing. It's not in my budget to shop for one right now either, but today was my day! I found this large stainless steel one at the thrift shop, and the wonderfully nice lady working there let me have it for 25 cents!



























It's a little scuffed on the top, but I don't care. I brought it home and changed out the black plastic handle for a white porcelain one I had. Cute, functional and CHEAP. I love it!



Go try some Monkey Bread now, and let me know how you like it, ok? 

Have a good day, and I'll see you soon!

Jeanette


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The Charm of Home-Home Sweet Home
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