Monkey Bread

I can provide you with the recipe for Monkey Bread, an American dessert also known as “monkey puzzle,” which is a type of leavened sweet made from many small balls of sugary and spicy dough that are then all baked together in a mold. Here is a variant that might remind you of Italian flavors:

Ingredients

• 500 g of strong flour
• 10 g of fresh baker’s yeast (or 3 g of dry baker’s yeast)
• 250 ml of warm milk
• 50 g of granulated sugar
• 50 g of melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch of salt
• Brown sugar as needed
• Ground cinnamon as needed
• 100 g of melted butter (for dipping the dough)
• Icing sugar (for garnish, optional)

Preparation

1. In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with a teaspoon of granulated sugar. Let it rest for about 10 minutes until it activates and starts bubbling.
2. In another large bowl, combine the flour, the remaining sugar, salt, egg, and melted butter. Start to knead by adding the dissolved yeast in the milk little by little.
3. Work the dough until it is smooth and even; then let it rise in a warm place covered with a kitchen towel until it has doubled in volume, about 1-2 hours.
4. Once risen, deflate the dough and form small nut-sized balls.
5. In a bowl, mix the brown sugar with the cinnamon.
6. Dip each ball in the melted butter, then roll it in the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture to coat it.
7. Place the balls in a bundt pan, next to each other, and let them rise again until they puff up and fill the pan, about 30-45 minutes.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 30-35 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and cooked inside.
9. After removing from the oven, allow them to cool for a few minutes before unmolding the Monkey Bread onto a serving plate. Dust with icing sugar if you wish for an extra touch of sweetness.

Curiosity

The name “Monkey Bread” seems to derive from the way this sweet is eaten; it is traditionally served during casual gatherings where everyone can pull apart their own piece with their hands, just as a monkey would.