Name: Cinnamon Sugar Monkey Bread
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 110°F; 2¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet); 5 tbsp granulated sugar; 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan; 1 large egg; 1 tsp fine salt; 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the counter; ¾ cup granulated sugar, for coating; 2 tbsp ground cinnamon, for coating; 1 cup packed brown sugar; ¾ cup unsalted butter (1½ sticks); Pinch fine salt, for the caramel

Cinnamon Sugar Monkey Bread

Torn pieces of yeasted dough rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked in a bundt pan under a butterscotch pool, meant to be pulled apart by hand.

Serves

Prep

30 min (plus 1 hour rise)

Cook

35 min

Written

August 2, 2026

Method

Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and a pinch of the granulated sugar together and let stand until foamy on top, about 5 minutes.

Whisk in the remaining granulated sugar, melted butter, egg, and salt.

Add the flour and knead by hand or with a dough hook until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.

Butter a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan thoroughly, including the center tube.

Stir the ¾ cup granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.

Punch down the dough and tear off pieces about the size of a golf ball, rolling each into a rough ball.

Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar to coat and drop it into the bundt pan, scattering the layers so the pieces settle unevenly.

Melt the brown sugar, butter, and a pinch of salt together in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until smooth and just beginning to bubble at the edges, about 3 minutes.

Pour the caramel evenly over the dough balls in the pan.

Cover loosely and let rise again until the dough has puffed up to fill the pan, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350°F until deep golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the dough (not just the caramel) comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.

Let the pan rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate, letting the caramel run down over the top.

Notes

Ten minutes of resting matters more than it looks like it should — invert too soon and the caramel is thin enough to run straight off the plate; wait too long and it sets in the pan and won’t release cleanly. Ten minutes is the window where it’s still fluid but has thickened enough to cling.

There’s no knife at the table — the whole point is tearing pieces off with your fingers while it’s still warm enough that the caramel stretches. Serve it straight out of the pan on the same plate you inverted it onto.