Monkey bread is a pull-apart ring of soft biscuit pieces rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked in a buttery brown sugar syrup that turns into a sticky caramel glaze. It is a sweet for Christmas morning, a sleepover breakfast or a lazy weekend brunch, and everyone eats it with their fingers.
How to make monkey bread: Cut refrigerated biscuits into quarters and shake them in a bag with sugar and cinnamon. Spread them in a Bundt pan. Melt butter with brown sugar and pour it over the top. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until deep brown and no longer doughy in the center, then turn it out onto a plate.
Why You’ll Love It
- Five ingredients. Biscuits, sugar, cinnamon, butter and brown sugar.
- No dough to make. Refrigerated biscuits do the work.
- Kids can help. Shaking the bag is the fun part.
- Pull-apart. No knife and no slicing. Everyone pulls off a piece.
Ingredient Notes
Refrigerated buttermilk biscuits. Three cans of the non-flaky kind. The recipe does not say how many biscuits are in each can, so buy three standard cans of plain buttermilk biscuits.
Granulated sugar. One cup, for coating.
Cinnamon. Two to three teaspoons. Use 2 for a milder cinnamon flavor and 3 if you like it strong.
Butter. One cup.
Brown sugar. A 1/2 cup, light or dark.
Ingredients
- 3 cans buttermilk biscuits, refrigerated, non-flaky
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 to 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark
How to Make Monkey Bread
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Cut and coat the biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a 1-gallon zip-top bag. Add the biscuit pieces, seal the bag and shake until the pieces are separated and coated.
3. Fill the pan. Spread the coated biscuit pieces evenly in the Bundt pan.
4. Make the butter mixture. Melt the butter with the brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring for a few minutes until the mixture is one color. Pour it over the biscuits.
5. Bake and check the center. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is deep dark brown. Before removing it, gently pull apart a piece near the center with a fork. It should separate easily and no longer be doughy.
6. Turn out. If you want to wait before turning it out, let the bread cool for about 15 to 30 minutes, then turn it over onto a plate. The wait is optional.
How to Tell Monkey Bread Is Baked Through
The top browns long before the middle is done. A Bundt pan is deep, and the pieces packed in the center are the last to cook. So do not go by color alone. Use two checks.
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| The top | Deep, dark brown |
| The center | Pull a piece near the middle apart with a fork. It separates easily and is not doughy. |
| The time | About 35 to 40 minutes at 350°F |
If the fork test shows raw, gummy dough, put the pan back and test again in a few minutes. Do not trust the color of the top by itself.
Then comes the flip. Set a plate upside down over the pan, hold the two together with oven mitts and turn them over in one move. The caramel is very hot, so keep your hands and arms covered.
Tips for Success
When should I turn it out of the pan?
You can turn it out right away, or wait about 15 to 30 minutes first. The recipe treats the wait as optional.
How do I coat the biscuit pieces evenly?
Shake them in the sealed bag until the pieces have come apart from each other and every one is coated in cinnamon sugar.
How do I know the butter mixture is ready?
Stir it over medium-high heat for a few minutes until the butter and brown sugar are one even color.
Which biscuits should I buy?
Refrigerated buttermilk biscuits that are not the flaky kind.
Is monkey bread hard to make?
No. You cut, shake, pour and bake. The only step that needs care is checking the center before it comes out of the oven, and that takes one fork and a few seconds.
How Long Does It Take?
About 60 minutes if you skip the wait: 20 minutes to cut and coat the biscuits and about 40 minutes in the oven. If you take the optional wait before turning it out, add 15 to 30 minutes, which brings it to about 75 minutes.
Can You Make Monkey Bread Without Cinnamon?
This recipe is built on cinnamon sugar, and I have no version without it to give you. You can turn the cinnamon down to 2 teaspoons for a milder flavor.
Storage & Reheating
Monkey bread is best warm, the day it is baked. USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in covered, shallow containers. Refrigerated leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days, and frozen leftovers for 3 to 4 months. If you reheat it, heat it to 165°F. I will not promise that it comes back as soft as it was fresh.
What to Serve With It
For a sweet breakfast table, add the easy cinnamon roll coffee cake or a loaf of Amish apple fritter bread. For other sweet breads, there is cranberry orange bread with simple glaze, salted caramel banana bread, chocolate banana bread and banana bread brownies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you store monkey bread?
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in a covered container. They keep for 3 to 4 days.
Is monkey bread hard?
It is easy to make, and it should be soft to eat. If the center is doughy, it needed more time.
Why does monkey bread have its name?
I do not have a reliable source for the name, so I will not guess at it.
How many does it serve?
Eight.
Final Notes
I pull one piece apart near the middle with a fork before the pan comes out, because the top always looks done first. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Monkey Bread
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Ingredients
- 3 cans buttermilk biscuits refrigerated, non-flaky
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 to 3 teaspoons cinnamon use 2 teaspoons for a milder cinnamon flavor
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar light or dark
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut each biscuit into quarters. Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a 1-gallon zip-top bag. Add the biscuit pieces, seal the bag and shake until the pieces are separated and coated.
- Spread the coated biscuit pieces evenly in the Bundt pan.
- Melt the butter with the brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring for a few minutes until the mixture is one color. Pour it over the biscuits.
- Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is deep dark brown. Before removing it, gently pull apart a piece near the center with a fork. It should separate easily and no longer be doughy.
- If you want to wait before turning it out, let the bread cool for about 15 to 30 minutes, then turn it over onto a plate. The wait is optional.
