Apple Monkey Bread
Apple of Mon Eye
Monkey bread has a really special place in my heart. It was the first thing I ever baked for myself when I was a teenager. I remember it was definitely underbaked, but my brother and I ate it anyway because we loved the taste! Plus I was so proud of myself for making it on my own.
This Monkey Bread has been personalized for my adult life. It has the addition of my favorite fruit, honeycrisp apples, and the adult kick of a spike of bourbon. Baking monkey bread makes the whole house smell so great from the dough, cinnamon, and sugar and creates a cozy, autumnal feeling. Perfect for this time of year as the weather starts to cool in the Midwest!
Tips for Making Apple Monkey Bread
Planning on making this Monkey Bread? Here are a few tips to make sure you’re successful:
- Save your oven and place a pan on a separate rack in your oven underneath your bundt pan. It will catch any syrup that bubbles up over the top and not burn onto the bottom of your oven.
- If you make the dough from scratch, watch your time. Over-proofing the dough (letting it sit too long before baking it) will result in a monkey bread that can’t cook appropriately in the pan, and may expand up and over the top of your pan.
- This recipe is also just as good without the bourbon. If you’re not into the flavor of bourbon, but love apples, just omit that ingredient!
Recipe Details
In this recipe, I’ve provided two options for preparing the dough. Making an enriched dough yourself, or buying pre-made biscuit dough. Both are delicious, it’s mostly a choice of preference on how much time you have and how involved you’d like to be. Making something from scratch can be so rewarding, but if you’re strapped for time or have no interest in making the dough yourself, a good can of biscuits will take you far!
I won’t go into too much detail here, as the recipe is on the longer side, but in short, if you make the dough yourself the key is patience and a good timer. If you’ve never made your own dough before, this is a great introduction into making enriched dough. It’s easier than you’d think and leaves you with a sense of accomplishment once it’s complete!
Love Apples?
Here are a few of my other favorite apple recipes:
If you make this apple monkey bread, let me know! I’d love to hear how they turn out and see your photos!
An autumnal update on the classic, gooey classic. This apple monkey bread will make the perfect sweet addition to your next brunch, an autumnal after dinner treat, or mid-afternoon appley snack.
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 standard packet active dry yeast
- 2 eggs
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
- 2 16oz cans of refrigerated biscuits
- Oil spray to coat the pan
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup diced apples
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
- 4 teaspoons bourbon, divided, optional
- 3/4 cups unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cups brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple sauce
Add 1 ½ cups of whole milk to a small sauce pan. Place over low heat and warm through, stirring the milk occasionally to evenly distribute the heat. The milk should be warm, but not hot.
Add the warmed milk, ¼ cup of sugar, and 1 standard packet of active dry yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the hook attachment, stir the milk and yeast mixture for 5 minutes until it’s a bit frothy.
Turn off the mixer and add in the 2 eggs, 5 tablespoons melted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup of all purpose flour. Starting at a low speed, turn the mixer on, increasing to a medium speed once the flour begins to incorporate. After about a minute, turn off the mixture and add the remaining 4 cups of flour. Mix until combined and then let the mixer continue to run, kneading the dough, for about two minutes. If preferred, you can also take the dough out of the bowl once it’s come together and knead it by hand for about 5 minutes.
Grease a bowl with about 1 teaspoon oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Lightly grease the top of the dough and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
Let the dough prove for 1-2 hours until doubled in size. At typical room temperature, this usually takes closer to two hours.
Optional step: While the dough is proofing, soak the ½ cup of chopped apples in 3 teaspoons of bourbon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Punch back the dough once it’s finished proving. Tear off pieces of dough, about 1-1½ tablespoons in size and roll into balls.
Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture and arrange into the bundt pan. Once one layer of dough balls have covered the bottom of the pan, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the diced apples over the top, being sure to leave any remaining bourbon behind
Arrange the remaining dough balls over the top and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of diced apples over the top.
Set the bundt pan aside for a second proof. About twenty minutes, until the dough expands into the rest of the pan.
Optional step: Mix ½ cup of chopped apples in 3 teaspoons of bourbon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Open each can of biscuits and divide each individual biscuit into quarters.
Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture and arrange into the bundt pan. Once one layer of dough balls have covered the bottom of the pan, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the diced apples over the top, being sure to leave any remaining bourbon behind.
Arrange the remaining dough balls over the top and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of diced apples over the top.
Preheat the oven to 350°
Mix ¾ cups of melted butter, ⅔ cups of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of applesauce, and 1 teaspoon of bourbon.
Pour the butter mixture over the top of the dough, spreading evenly so it runs through the cracks in between each dough ball.
Bake the apple monkey bread for 35-45 minutes, placing a baking tray underneath to catch any potential pieces that bubble over.
Once the top of the monkey bread is browned, remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes.
Flip the bundt pan over onto a plate, encouraging any of the sauce to come out and drip over the cake.
Slice and serve or gather around the plate and tear pieces of the monkey bread off. Enjoy!
