Drunken Monkey Bread Recipe (2024)

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Drunken Monkey Bread Recipe (1)There’s nothing quite like sticky gooey Monkey BreadRecipe to give you that early morning sugar rush and sense of satisfaction.

Christmas morning: the true story of Christmas has been read, presents are unwrapped, the kids have stars in their eyes as they flutter around trying to decide what to play with first. Dad is tenaciously assembling toys with a million pieces each, and you…

You, in your robe and new Christmas jammies, have picked up the wrapping paper and are now working on a brilliant holiday breakfast to keep the Christmas magic alive.

In planning for meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I like to incorporate dishes that can be made ahead.

That way, during all the excitement, I’m not tucked away in the kitchen, missing out on memory-making moments.

Drunken Monkey Bread Recipe (4)

My Drunken Monkey Bread Recipeis a dish I make only on very special occasions.

It’s rich, loaded with flavor, and ultra sweet. So much so, I’d feel bad serving it to my kids on regular mornings, then sending them off for teachers to manage.

Drunken Monkey Bread Recipe (5)

Christmas morning is different, though.

The little nippers are so hyped-up on Christmas magic, a bit of sugar isn’t going to make much of a difference.

Drunken Monkey Bread Recipe (6)

I first remember eating Monkey Bread at my Aunt Millie’s house, as a little girl.

Aunt Millie had a strong personality, an infectious laugh, and whole lot of spunk. I could count on her to have sticky-sweet Monkey Bread, hot and ready for the holidays, and a big smile and joke for her nieces and nephews.

This Drunken Monkey Bread Recipeis in honor of Aunt Millie, who I’m certain did not liquor-up her version, but would have loved it all the same.

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Adding a little booze to your monkey bread recipe, is strictly about flavor.

Along with the butter, sugar, and orange zest, a nip of your favorite liquor will saturate the dough, and leave a rich undertone that makes monkey bread just as exciting for the grownups as the kids.

Most of the alcohol evaporates while the bread is baking, so I’m comfortable serving it to the entire family.

This particular monkey bread recipe is a quickie version, incorporating frozen bread dough, to decrease your time in the kitchen.

You can make it “ahead” in two different ways.

1. One day ahead, let the dough rise according to package instructions. Then cut and sugar the dough, place it in a bundt pan, and pop it in the fridge. On Christmas morning simply whisk together the syrup, pour over the top, and bake.

2. Christmas Eve night, place the dough out to thaw and rise over night, covered in plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Christmas morning, cut and sugar the dough, place it in a bundt pan, immediately pour the syrup over the the top, and bake.

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The differences in the two methods:

Method 1 needs to bake a little longer (approximately 1 hour) and creates a tender uniform loaf that you slice, but takes less of your time on Christmas morning.

Method 2 takes a little more time to put together in the morning, yet bakes faster (approximately 40 minutes) and comes out of the pan as more of a segmented pull-apart bread.

Both methods bake up a ridiculously moist and flavorful breakfast bread with a crusty exterior, that will be a hit Christmas morning.

I plan to serve Drunken Monkey Bread Recipe with spinach artichoke breakfast bake and fresh berries, a meal my family will certainly remember.

Other Christmas Morning Breakfast Ideas:

Corned Beef Hash with Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheee Frittata
Boston Cream Pie Pancakes ~ Country Clever
Egg Nog French Toast Bake ~ Domestic Fits

Drunken Monkey Bread Recipe (11)

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Our easy Drunken Monkey Bread Recipe is a show-stopper for the holidays. This monkey bread recipe offers sticky goodness and a unique boozy sweetness!

Servings: 12

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

  • 3 pounds frozen bread dough or rolls, not the partially baked varieties (Rhodes)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice spice
  • 2 1/2 sticks melted butter (1 1/4 cups)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup bourbon, amaretto, cognac, or brandy
  • Zest of 1 orange

Instructions

  • Place the frozen dough on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Spray a large sheet of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and cover the dough. Allow the dough to thaw and rise for 3-5 hours, according to package instructions.

  • Once the dough has doubled or tripled in size, butter (or spray with cooking spray) a large 12-15 cup capacity bundt pan. Mix the granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. Then use kitchen shears to snip the dough into 1- to 1 1/2-inch chunks. Dust the dough chunks with the sugar mixture and place in the bundt pan. *At this point, you can cover the top and refrigerate overnight.

  • Move the oven rack to the bottom position and take out the other racks to give the monkey bread room to rise. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, liquor, and orange zest together in a large microwave safe bowl. Bring the mixture to a boil in the microwave, about 2 minutes. Then pour over the monkey bread dough and place in the oven.

  • Bake for 40-60 minutes, until the top is brown, crusty, and rising over the top of the pan. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then flip out onto a platter and serve warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 6ounces, Calories: 299kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 0g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 173mg, Potassium: 27mg, Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 30g, Vitamin A: 590IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Author: Sommer Collier

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Drunken Monkey Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to know when monkey bread is done? ›

Bake the Monkey Bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unwrap the pan and bake until the top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes.

What culture is monkey bread from? ›

Hungary

What does monkey bread taste like? ›

Each bite tastes like the sticky delicious center of cinnamon rolls. Monkey bread is served pull apart style, similar to my cinnamon roll wreath, where everyone tears off a piece—just like how monkeys pick at their food. You can have monkey bread for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.

Is monkey bread a southern thing? ›

to get right. Chef Thomas nailed it on the first try for.

What is a fun fact about monkey bread? ›

Dating back to the 1880s in Hungarian literature, Hungarian immigrants brought this dish with them when they immigrated to America and began introducing it into the country's food landscape when Hungarian and Hungarian Jewish bakeries began selling it in the mid-twentieth century.

Why is my monkey bread doughy? ›

If the bottom of the pieces that haven't been exposed is still doughy, the bread needs to bake longer. If it's fully baked and no stretchy dough appears, it's ready.

What is the best way to reheat monkey bread? ›

REHEATING: The best way to reheat the monkey bread is by placing it into an oven on a baking sheet. Heat oven to 350 degrees. When it has reached that temperature add the bread, covered with foil.

How do you store fresh monkey bread? ›

™ Monkey Bread can be stored, tightly covered, on the counter for 1–2 days. To keep it fresh for 3–4 days, pop it into the fridge. And if you want to put a treat aside for future you, you can freeze monkey bread for up to two months.

Who eats monkey bread? ›

Eating Jewish: Aranygaluska, or "Hungarian monkey bread"

What fruit is called monkey bread? ›

Baobab is a fruit grown in Africa. Pronounced as “bau-bab,” this fruit grows on trees that can be over 1,000 years old. A baobab tree may also be called a monkey bread tree, Ethiopian sour gourd, cream of tartar tree and even upside-down tree.

Which tree is monkey bread? ›

The African Monkey Bread Tree (Adansonia digitata) is the typical tree of tropical South Africa. The local name Baobab originates from the Arabic word bu-hubub. In Senegal the Baobab is very important and characteristic for the country, hence it is even displayed in the coat of arms.

Why is monkey bread called monkey? ›

What is this? Monkey bread gets its name by the method in which it is eaten: picking off chunks of buttery, gooey dough with your fingers not unlike a monkey grooming his buddy (which is actually a weird thing to name a food after, if you really think about it.)

Is monkey bread made from bananas? ›

Bread Ingredients

Bananas: You will need 3 ripe bananas for the bread dough and 3 more bananas that will be diced and layered in between the balls of bread dough. Yeast: I used instant yeast in this recipe. It is also called quick rise or fast-rising yeast. Milk: I prefer whole milk in this recipe.

What is the importance of monkey bread? ›

Studies have shown the benefits of monkey bread in the field of medicine. This fruit actually has anti-diarrheal, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, which can be beneficial for heart disease and diabetes.

Why is it called monkey bread tree? ›

The name also could indicate that the baobab fruit has the same signifi- cance to monkeys as bread does to humans-it is their "staff of life." In the final analysis, it might well be that the name monkey bread does derive from primate consumption of the fruit, and that it is unrelated to the use of monkey as a generic ...

Why do they call money bread? ›

Where bread was the traditional everyday necessity of life in the 19th Century, to earn one's living was to earn one's bread, therefore bread became synonymous with money.

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