Monkey Bread from Scratch!

For the first time yesterday I tried a new recipe called MONKEY BREAD. I made a goal that I would make this treat during the weekend. Time kept slipping by, so after church I called my mother in law to get a recipe for bread dough and she gave me a family recipe from Jeff's Grandma Smith. He was so excited when I told him that I had his Grandma's roll recipe. I guess she used to make huge batches of home-made rolls every Sunday. I am glad I was able to get this recipe because as it turns out it is also the perfect dough mixture for Monkey Bread. This is a recipe you have to try...it is gooey, and very, very yummy. We love it! You just pull off the sections and eat them and just pass them around. You eat them warm with a tall glass of cold milk. It really is addicting. It puts Cinnabon to shame. It is easy to make as well...Ashlyn is going to enter this recipe in our upcoming City Fair.

The Secret Family Dough Recipe aka Grandma Smiths roll recipe :)

3 yeast packets
1 Tbsp salt
1 Cup Sugar
1. Mix these together.

4 Cups of Milk
1 Cup Vegetable Oil

2. Heat milk up over the stove until it is room temperature, and pour over the dry ingredients and stir.
3. Add the Oil to the mixture and stir.
4. If you are using an industrial mixture, attach your bread hook and gradually stir in approximately 7 1/2 cups of flour. The dough should be slightly sticky. You can add more flour later as you knead your dough.
5. Set dough aside and cover with a cloth and let it raise until it has doubled its size.

If you are just making rolls then make balls roughly the size of golf balls in your hands, and put them in the oven to cook for 15-18 minutes @ 350 degrees.

If you are cooking monkey bread then keep going you aren't done yet!

6. Make the coating mixture.

Coating
1 Stick of butter, melted
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar

7. Make small balls out of the dough (roughly the size of a golf ball in your hands) and coat them with the mixture of butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. Make sure they are liberally coated. The more the better. If you run out, just make some more.

8. In a bundt pan, coat with shortening or spray liberally. Place the coated dough ball in the pan and stack them tightly against each other until you fill the entire pan.

9. Make the Glaze mixture.

Glaze
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp Heavy Cream

10. Pour the Glaze mixture over the uncooked dough and coat as evenly as possible.

Cook for 30-35 minutes @ 350 degrees. Watch carefully so that the top doesn't burn.

Let stand for 20 minutes to cool and then flip bundt pan over onto a nice tray. The crispy top will now be on the bottom.

11. Make the Icing.
2 cups of confectioners sugar
1/4 cup milk.

12. Pour Icing over the Monkey Bread and serve Warm. Enjoy!!

If you want to amp up your icing try adding some cream cheese to your icing mixture. It is up to you how sweet you want your icing. The monkey bread will be able to satisfy any sweet tooth.