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Grands!™ Monkey Bread

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  • Prep 25 min
  • Total 1 hr 5 min
  • Ingredients 7
  • Servings 12
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If you’re looking for a classic, comforting and ultra-craveable monkey bread recipe, this is it. Pillsbury™ Grands!™ Flaky Layers Original Biscuits are tossed with cinnamon sugar, covered in a brown sugar-butter mixture and baked to golden-brown perfection, in a bundt pan along with tasty walnuts and raisins. The result? A warm and gooey pull-apart dessert to serve up any time of day. Here's how to make monkey bread!
Updated Sep 29, 2023
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What Is Monkey Bread?

Monkey bread has been around for decades, and for good reason—it’s a delightful dessert and beloved breakfast pastry in one! The magic is in the bite-sized pieces of dough that make the dessert oh-so-easy to pull apart and enjoy piece by delicious piece. This recipe for Grands!™ Monkey Bread uses quartered biscuit dough to make things even easier.

How to Store Monkey Bread

If you somehow end up with leftovers, save them for later! This Grands!™ 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. To reheat, place an individual potion on a microwave safe plate and microwave on 50% power for 20-30 seconds adding additional time as needed. Microwave ovens vary so times and temperatures may vary.

Can You Make Monkey Bread Ahead of Time?

If you’re getting ready for company, you may wish to avoid last minute prep in the kitchen. Grands!™ Monkey Bread can be prepped and refrigerated for up to 1 hour before baking. Shake biscuits in cinnamon-sugar mixture as directed. Arrange biscuits in pan without adding any walnuts or raisins. Tightly cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 1 hour. To bake, remove foil and sprinkle with walnuts and raisins. Prepare butter and brown sugar mixture; pour evenly over biscuits and bake as directed in recipe.

Ingredients

Steps

  • 1
    Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 12-cup fluted tube pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large 1-gallon plastic food storage bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.
  • 2
    Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces. Sprinkle any remaining sugar over biscuits.
  • 3
    In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.
  • 4
    Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Loosen edges of pan with metal spatula. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; replacing any biscuit pieces and caramel from pan. Pull apart to serve. Serve warm.

Tips from the Pillsbury Kitchens

  • tip 1
    Also called pull-apart breads, monkey-style breads are great for using up your refrigerated flaky biscuits.
  • tip 2
    To make sure your fluted tube pan will have enough room for the spiced dough to rise up without overflowing, check its volume by pouring 12 measured cups of water into the pan. You should also make sure to grease the inside of the pan well, reaching all the nooks and crannies to ensure the sticky bread unmolds easily.
  • tip 3
    The cinnamon sugar coating is a favorite, but if desired, you can substitute a pumpkin spice blend (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves) or a blend of ground cardamom and freshly grated nutmeg. You can also switch up the dried fruit and nuts in your monkey bread—golden raisins, dried cherries, chopped pecans or cashews would taste just as delicious. The brown sugar-butter mixture will meld the rich dough together and create the essential ooey, gooey factor.
  • tip 4
    Work quickly with the refrigerated dough, which will rise better if it’s still cool when the pan goes into the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Is It Called Monkey Bread?

Ever wonder how monkey bread was named? There are several theories, including one that says the loaf resembles the monkey puzzle tree, a relative of the Norfolk Island pine. Another theory is simply that the pastry is eaten by picking apart the bread as a monkey would. In 1982, former First Lady Nancy Reagan commented to White House Staff that monkey bread was named as such, “because when you make it, you have to monkey around with it.” Whatever the real story, we couldn’t be happier that this gooey treat exists—and that we get to enjoy it!

What Pan Is Best for Monkey Bread?

You can use a variety of pans to make monkey bread. Our Grands!™ Monkey Bread recipe calls for a 12-cup fluted tube pan, for example. This style of pan comes in many designs, the most classic being the Bundt® pan (our personal favorite). The rounded sides of this pan make it the ideal choice for monkey bread. The resulting pastry looks just as great as it tastes and pulls apart perfectly.

Nutrition Information

440 Calories, 20g Total Fat, 5g Protein, 61g Total Carbohydrate, 33g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
440
Calories from Fat
180
Total Fat
20g
30%
Saturated Fat
11g
53%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
30mg
10%
Sodium
700mg
29%
Potassium
30mg
1%
Total Carbohydrate
61g
20%
Dietary Fiber
0g
0%
Sugars
33g
Protein
5g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
8%
8%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
2%
2%
Iron
8%
8%
Exchanges:
1 1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 2 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 4 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
4
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

  • To make it even better, we’ve cut the monkey business down by using just a few simple ingredients and completing the recipe in four easy-to-follow steps. Combining the comfort food taste of Pillsbury™ biscuits with the sweet taste of warm caramel and cinnamon, this no-fail monkey bread recipe makes 12 servings. Add a glass of milk or serve with coffee and chances of any leftovers are significantly low. Once you’ve mastered this monkey bread, we’ve got more flavors for you to try out, from sweet s’mores to savory buffalo chicken.
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