Monkey Bread - Saturday morning fun

Monkey bread came into our family in the 70's when my grandma found a recipe and began serving it with dinner on occasion. Edith's version was made like a dinner roll, completely savory (and buttery) and built in bites like the one in the picture. But ours today, the one in the picture, is a cinnamony-sweet breakfast treat - something we love to make, especially with friends or the cousins.

This particular version came from our fabulous friend, Bonnie, who introduced it as a breakfast treat for kids on mornings when she drove them to school. Her big boys (her trees!) love it - it was sure to be a hit. So, on those early, yummy, cozy mornings, when she wasn't delighting them with crepes or breakfast burritos, she made Monkey Bread. My kids wanted, desperately, for me to make it too.

This particular recipeis calls for frozen bread dough, butter, sugar, cinnamon and a knife. I learned in my first tries that you must let the dough not just thaw, but rise and that bigger pieces are better than smaller pieces.

Here's our super simple recipe:

1) Thaw a loaf of frozen bread dough. We like Bridgeford.

2) Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

3) Spray a bundt or angel food pan with Pam.

4) Melt a stick of butter, place it in a shallow dish or bowl.

5) Place about 1:4 ratio cinnamon:sugar in a shallow dish or bowl - you could use a whole cup

6) Cut the risen dough into bite sized pieces (we cut the loaf in width-wise strips and then  into thirds).

7) Assemble by dipping cut bread into first butter then sugar and build in the pan.

8) Save left over butter or c/s for next time!

8) Bake in 350 over for about 35 minutes. (The dough at the top of the pan will be lighter than that pictured.)

9) Cool a few minutes, then turn the ring of yumminess over on a pan and serve.

There are several recipes for monkey bread. Erin's has ice cream in the mix! And there's even a kit you can buy.

What I love the most about monkey bread is how it makes my monkeys jump for joy!