Breakfast / Donuts, danish & sticky buns
Caramel Monkey Bread from Scratch
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Snip the dough with kitchen scissors, dunk the pieces in butter and cinnamon sugar, and bake them over a pool of brown sugar caramel. Flip it out hot, set it in the middle of the table, and let everyone pull off their own.
The short version
Mix a soft yeast dough and let it rise until doubled. Snip into small pieces, dunk in butter and cinnamon sugar, and pile into a Bundt pan over brown sugar caramel. Rise again, bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes, and flip out while hot.
What makes ours better
what we fixed so you don’t have to
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Make the dough from scratch. A simple enriched dough with milk, egg and butter bakes up softer and more flavorful than canned biscuits. It's about 15 minutes of hands-on work and the oven does the rest.
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Put brown sugar caramel in the pan first. The caramel runs down through the dough as it bakes and ends up on top when you flip the pan. A splash of cream keeps it soft instead of hard as candy.
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Dunk the pieces in butter, then cinnamon sugar. Butter helps the sugar cling and makes each piece slightly crisp outside and soft in the middle.
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Cut the dough with kitchen scissors. Snipping is faster than rolling a few dozen balls, and the ragged edges catch more cinnamon sugar.
What you need
the usual suspects
- Whole milk1 cup
- Active dry or instant yeast2¼ teaspoons
- Granulated sugar¼ cup
- Egg1 large
- Unsalted butter4 tablespoons
- Vanilla extract1 teaspoon
- Packed light or dark brown sugar¾ cup
- Heavy cream¼ cup
Dough
Caramel
Coating
read it twice. buy it once.
Steps
deep breath. you’ve got this.
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Mix the dough
In a large bowl, stir the warm milk, yeast and a pinch of the sugar. Let it sit 5 minutes, until foamy. Stir in the rest of the sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Add the flour and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
If the milk is hotter than a warm bath it can kill the yeast. Aim for about 110°F.
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Knead
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 6 to 8 minutes, or for 5 minutes with a dough hook on medium-low, until smooth, elastic and only slightly tacky. Add flour a tablespoon at a time if it sticks to your hands.
About 8 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Let it rise
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave it in a warm spot until doubled, 1 to 1½ hours.
About 75 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Make the caramel
Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan well. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir in the brown sugar, cream and salt, and bring to a bubble. Cook 1 minute, stirring, then pour into the Bundt pan.
About 1 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Cut and coat the dough
Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl and put the melted butter in another. Press the dough into a rough rectangle, and snip it with scissors into about 48 pieces, each around 1 inch. Dip each piece in butter, roll it in cinnamon sugar and drop it into the pan, stacking loosely.
Don't pack the pieces down. They need space to rise.
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Rise again
Cover the pan and leave it at room temperature until the dough reaches about an inch below the rim, 45 to 60 minutes. Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the lower third while you wait.
About 50 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Bake
Set the pan on a baking sheet to catch drips. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until deep golden brown on top and the center reads 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. If the top browns too fast, cover it loosely with foil.
About 35 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Flip while hot
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, no longer, then set a large plate over the pan and flip it. Lift the pan off and spoon any caramel left inside over the top. Serve warm, pulling pieces apart by hand.
Wait much longer and the caramel hardens and glues the bread to the pan.
About 5 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
Good to know
read this before somebody asks for seconds
- To make it ahead, shape and pan the dough, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for 45 minutes, then bake, adding 5 to 10 minutes to the time.
- Add 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the bottom of the pan with the caramel.
- For a bakery-style finish, drizzle with a glaze of 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk, or use the frosting from cinnamon rolls with overnight option and cream cheese icing.
- Storage. Best the day it's baked. Cover leftovers and keep at room temperature for 2 days. Reheat pieces in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, or warm the whole thing at 300°F for 10 minutes. Freezes baked for 2 months.
Questions, answered
the questions my cousins text me
Can I use canned biscuit dough instead?
Yes, you can quarter two 16-ounce tubes of refrigerated biscuits and use them with the same coating and caramel. Bake at 350°F for about 35 minutes. The from-scratch version is richer and less doughy.
Do I need a Bundt pan?
No. A 9×13-inch pan works if you pile the pieces in loosely, but the Bundt pan helps the center bake through and gives you a nice shape.
Why is my monkey bread doughy in the middle?
The pieces were packed too tightly or the bread came out early. Bake until the center registers about 190°F, and cover the top with foil if it browns too fast.
Can I make monkey bread the night before?
Yes. Shape and pan it, then refrigerate it overnight, covered. Let it sit out for 45 minutes before baking and add a few minutes to the time.
Why did my monkey bread stick to the pan?
Either the pan wasn't buttered well or you waited too long to flip it. The caramel sets as it cools, so turn it out after 5 minutes.
From the table
Made it? Tell me how it went, and who went back for seconds when they thought nobody was looking.
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Published October 28, 2026.