Monkey Bread, also known as Bubble Bread or Pull Apart Bread, is not only a sinfully delicious breakfast, it’s also fun to eat. This version is dressed up for the holidays with pumpkin, holiday spices and a luscious maple cream cheese glaze.
Baking And Boys is my Secret Recipe Club blog this month. I couldn’t have been happier to receive Katrina’s blog to bake from this month. We have so much in common. We’re both bakers, both have a family of hungry boys, and we only live about 20 miles apart. (Although we’re blogging friends, we haven’t met yet face to face. Something we need to remedy!)
I headed to Katrina’s Blog Archive to see what she was baking up last November and fell in love with her Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Icing - such a delicious, fun and festive recipe.
My favorite part of a cinnamon roll is the ooey, gooey middle, so I decided to combine Katrina’s Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll recipe with my Overnight Monkey Bread recipe to create this Overnight Pumpkin Monkey Bread recipe that will be the perfect breakfast Thanksgiving morning.
I decided to photograph the monkey bread outside because it was a cold, rainy day and the light inside the house wasn’t good. I took the pan of monkey bread outside as soon I took it out of the oven. The dramatic change in temperature and leaving it in the pan too long while I was getting organized and snapping pictures, caused the sugar to set up too quickly. It didn’t unmold as pretty as I would have liked, so be sure and unmold it five minutes after it comes out of the oven.
I’m going to make the dough again this week and freeze it so it will be even easier to make Wednesday night and bake and serve Thanksgiving morning. I added more glaze after I took the pictures, because the glaze is fabulous and a great contrast to the beautiful orange color of the monkey bread.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons table salt
- 1 cup unsweetened canned pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 package rapid-rise yeast
- 1/2 cup water, warm (about 120 degrees)
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten, optional
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used bread flour)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
- 3 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon maple flavoring
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 or 2 tablespoons milk
Directions
- Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan generously with softened butter. Set aside.
- In small bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is frothy.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, salt, pumpkin and egg for the dough and set aside.
- Mix whole wheat pastry flour and wheat gluten in stand mixer fitted with a beater blade. Add the pumpkin and yeast mixtures and mix on low until the liquids are incorporated. Switch to the dough hook, increase the speed to medium and gradually add the remaining flour (add more or less as necessary) until dough clings to the hook and almost cleans the sides. Knead with dough hook on medium speed for five minutes.
- Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball. Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft free place until dough doubles in size, 60 to 90 minutes.
- While dough is rising, mix brown sugar and spices together in bowl. Place melted butter in second bowl. Set aside for the sugar coating.
- Remove dough from bowl, and pat into rough 8-inch square. Using bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces.
- Roll each dough piece into a ball. Working one at a time, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into bowl. Roll in brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in Bundt pan, staggering seams where dough balls meet as you build layers.
- Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. (If you want to bake it immediately, let rise for 30 - 45 minutes in a warm, draft-free place before baking.)
- Approximately one hour before you want to bake your Monkey Bread, remove it from the refrigerator and let the dough come to room temperature and the dough will begin to rise. (It will have risen some in the refrigerator overnight.)
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
- For the icing: While bread cools, in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add maple flavoring and salt and beat until incorporated. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add the milk slowly, a little at a time until the icing is the desired consistency.
- Drizzle icing over warm monkey bread, letting it run down the sides of the bread. Serve warm.
Notes
Substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves for 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
Overnight method: I made the overnight pumpkin bread for Thanksgiving morning. I made the dough about two weeks ahead of time. After the first rise, I shaped the dough in to balls and froze them spread out on a cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap. Once they were frozen, I put them in a Freezer Ziploc. Then the afternoon before Thanksgiving I let them thaw in the bag on the counter, it took about an hour, then dipped them in butter and the sugar mixture and put them in the greased bundt pan. I put it in the fridge overnight and in the morning proceeded with the recipe as written.
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Be sure and visit Baking And Boys and check out Katrina’s Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls and other fabulous baked goods. Visit Secret Recipe Club for information about how to join in the fun each month.
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I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies. I’ll post my adventures in the kitchen, my favorite new recipes, as well as our family favorites.
Monkey bread always makes me smile, I must get a tin like that to make a big one. xx
It looks heavenly! That is a speciality I have been meaning to try since a while…
Cheers,
Rosa
Like sarah said, monkey bread always makes me smile. It reminds me of growing up because we always got a treat for holidays of the best monkey bread on earth by my aunt rhonda. Seriously, she has a talent when it comes to monkey bread- although I must say yours is looking just as good as hers ever did and I am loving the idea of the maple cream cheese icing! Delish!
Have never made Monkey Bread but it is something my husband always says “we should”. This one seems like the perfect recipe for holiday breakfasts… Perfect way to add some pounds
I really need to get a bundt pan so that I can make Monkey Bread. I’ve wanted to try it for a long while. I love the idea of an added flavor twist of using pumpkin in the monkey bread. Probably makes the dough that much more moist having the pureed pumpkin in it. I’m sure this will be a hit on Thanksgiving!
Oh yum. That looks delicious. I love pumpkin and monkey bread so this is a match made in kitchen heaven.
Monkey bread is always so much fun! It looks delicious!
The Secret Recipe Club sounds so much fun too, I’ve read the rules but I’m not sure I qualify, gotta try that!
Love this!! I especially love the overnight aspect of it – definitely adding it to my “to make” list!
I’ve never made monkey bread. I think one of these days I really should. I’m positive the kids would love it!
This does look yummy! I had your blog this month and had a great time creeping about! This would be nice for all that company coming for Thanksgiving!
Looks incredible! Can’t wait to try this – I love that it’s overnight and you totally had me at Maple Cream Cheese Icing!
That looks amazing and sounds so tasty!
Holy cow this looks amazing! My mouth is seriously watering right now.
I still have yet to make your first monkey bread recipe! I need to catch up. This looks amazing and perfect for the holidays!
I didn’t think it was possible to make Monkey Bread any better…but I think you just did.
This looks yummy. I like how you decorated it. Made something like this before, but it’s called Hungarian coffee cake.
http://cheah2009.blogspot.com/2010/02/hungarian-coffee-cake.html
The Maple mixed with the cream cheese is darned interesting. Going to definitely give that a try.
I recently saw a version of the Monkey Bread where they stuffed each dough ball with cream cheese. Now that’s not exactly no fuss baking LOL. I think it was pumpkin too.
Good golly they’re playing xmas commercials already — too soon. You have a great day! I’m going back o yet another experimental rye bread
Oh my gosh, not just a monkey bread but a PUMPKIN version of it. That’s the way to my heart.
Great job combining recipes, looks totally delish!
If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my SRC recipe this month: Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens.
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
Never made a monkey bread but it sure looks like a fun treat to eat!
Oh my! This is beyond amazing looking! Plus the addition of pumpkin is really up my alley. Especially since I have been eating pumpkin like crazy!
Oh wow, wowie wowie WOWZA. I just had a vision of making this Christmas morning. Thanksgiving is a bust this year, Ill be outta town relying on others to cook, boooooo! But Christmas, it’s ON!!!!
Yum! These looks perfect for fall…fantastic flavors!
No kidding…yours is one of those sites that when that first picture pops up, I hear myself say, “Ohhhh!”
Agree. Oooey, gooey middle, the best part
Hi! How fun for you to make a delicious looking pumpkin monkey bread from the pumpkin cinnamon rolls I posted last year! After scanning all the link photos and recipe titles, I didn’t see one I’d have thought was mine, so I actually emailed Amanda and asked her! Sneaky!
We need to plan a Utah bloggers thing or something, because it IS silly that we haven’t met and I haven’t met Holly (Phemom) yet and we need to all get Maria in on it so we can all see her and that baby! (I met her very briefly at BlogHer Food ’09). I know there are others, too.
Thanks for doing a fun recipe from my blog!
I have never actually seen monkey bread but have read about it, this looks so good and really something the kid would love to help make, cannot wait!
monkey bread is a favorite around here and this version sounds delicious!
AMAZING! I am definitely going to try this for Thanksgiving morning!! It looks and sounds absolutely delicious!
I have to struggle to imagine a more delicious treat than this – pumpkin and maple? Sounds heavenly!
good golly miss molly! WOW, this looks just divine. i’d hop out of bed first thing if i knew this was waiting for me
That looks amazing mum and I like how you combined the two recipes to make a super recipe! xxx
I’ve always wanted to make Monkey bread but haven’t done it yet. With pumpkin and maple cream cheese icing??? That’s enough to motivate me to get into the kitchen tonight!
Thanks for sharing this scrumptious recipe.
Yum! I’ve only made Monkey bread once but I’d love to give it another go. When you say you froze the dough, do you freeze it in one big ball or in the little balls (probably a silly question!)?
Hi Claire – Not a silly question at all. I’ll freeze the dough after the first rise and after it’s formed in to balls. I’ll thaw the balls, then dip it the butter and sugar. Stack it in the bundt pan and put it in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning bring it to room temperature and then bake it. You could freeze it as one big ball, but it will thaw quicker in little balls. Thanks!
These look fantastic! I’ll have to try this!
Oh Barbara. I can’t keep up with all this goodness. I want to make everything you post!
Great photo. What a fabulous looking breakfast. Would love some right about now.
I love anything pumkin, so your monkey bread looks delicious to me! Can’t wait to try this.
Even if it didn’t turn out as great as you had expected, the monkey bread rolls still look gorgeous, so cute with the drizzled icing.
Foodblogging is pretty tough, eh?
Une autre façon de présenter cette belle gourmandise
Je te souhaite un bon mardi
Valérie.
I last made Monkey Bread when I was in my early 20′s, from a Good Housekeeping cookbook,and it was incredible! NO idea why I haven’t made it since, but your gorgeous Pumpkin Monkey Bread with Maple Cream Cheese Icing (OMG) is just..just..wow, and has renewed my interest and brought back memories of how much I loved it. If I’m going to make it again, I’m making this one! What an amazing SRC pick! I would have gone there too
I’ve always wanted to make Monkey Bread. this only looks particularly yummy!
I wish I’d seen this recipe in time for my Garden Club meeting. They would have adored it. Copying now so I have it in my “fall” file for next year!
Katrina does have some great recipes on her blog. I use her ice creams all the time.
I haven’t made this bread in YEARS. With your changes I will have to make it again real soon.
This look absolutely delicious!! gloria
I never made monkey bread…yours look awesome with pumpkin and maple icing, absolutely perfect for next morning after Thanksgiving or any morning to be honest with you
Hope you are having a nice week Barbara, and thanks for this great recipe!
Barbara I’m starting to worry about coming to your site. I’m gaining weight just looking, glazing, staring at your yummy food This is a month’s worth of calories for me, but come Christmas morning, it might be waiting for me.
Baking and boys is a great blog and you picked a winner of a recipe! So yummy.
This looks amazing! I love monkey bread and your pumpkin version looks so good!
Pumpkin, cinnamon rolls and Monkey bread are three of my favorite morning treats….this sounds delish! I love the drizzle as well – the cream cheese is perfect for the pumpkin bread. This is definitely a keeper.
Looks amazing!!!! Wow….