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+ servings

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

Fluffy balls of dough are stuffed with cinnamon apples, layered together in a Bundt pan, and then baked with a brown sugar goo to make a sticky, chewy loaf of monkey bread. 
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Resting time2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 1 loaf of monkey bread

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • 3 ½ - 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs

For the filling:

  • 4 medium granny smith apples diced
  • 14 tablespoons butter unsalted, divided
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon divided
  • teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt divided
  • cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  • First we will begin making the dough. Heat up milk in a small sauce pan until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and add sugar and salt and stir. Let it cool down to lukewarm to the touch. While milk is cooling, proof the yeast by adding the warm water and yeast in a small bowl and stirring together. Let it activate by setting it aside for 10 minutes.
  • Once milk is cool, add to a large bowl, along with 3 ½ cups of the flour, 2 tablespoons of oil, eggs, and yeast mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon until combined. The dough will be very thick but still pretty wet and sticky.
  • Place ¼ cup of flour on the surface of your counter. Place dough on top of it and begin kneading the dough with the flour until all the flour is mixed into the dough. Keep kneading for about 4-5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. If it starts to stick to the counter, add a little more flour. Once you finish kneading, shape into a ball. Lightly grease another large bowl and place the ball of dough into bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 ½ hours, where it will be double the size. I like to place mine in the microwave to keep it away from any cool draft from the A/C.
  • While the dough is rising, prepare the apples. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once butter has melted, add apples and cook until slightly softened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, ⅛ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon of nutmeg. Stir to combine. Set aside.
  • Once dough has risen, punch it down with your fist and remove from the bowl. Lightly dust your counter with flour and place the dough on top. Cut dough into 4 even slices. Cut each slice into 10 even pieces. You should have 40 even pieces. Flatten each piece of dough with your fingers. Add ½ teaspoon of cooked apples to the center and seal into a ball. Repeat with all the dough balls.
  • Melt 8 tablespoons of butter and place into a small bowl. Mix remaining granulated sugar and remaining cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll each ball in melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. Place coated ball into prepared Bundt pan. Repeat with remaining dough balls. Make sure the balls are arranged in even layers. Let the dough balls rise again for about 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Melt remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and mix with brown sugar, vanilla and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Pour mixture over risen dough balls.  Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until they have browned on top. Remove from oven and let the bread cool for 10 minutes.
  • Invert monkey bread onto a large plate. Serve warm. Leftover monkey bread can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.