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An irresistible monkey bread loaded with caramelized apples in a brown sugar cinnamon syrup and dripping with a light glaze.
Today’s recipe is one I developed for Red Star Yeast to share on their website. I love making yeast breads and sweet rolls this time of year. The smell of cinnamon bread baking is intoxicating.
For years my mom made Monkey Bread on Christmas morning. She put it together the night before, so it was ready to pop in the oven Christmas morning. The first year after I lost her I made my first Overnight Monkey. Last year, I changed it up and made Overnight Pumpkin Monkey Bread with Maple Cream Cheese Icing.
This year’s version, Overnight Apple Fritter Monkey Bread, may be my favorite yet. I added caramelized apples to the dough to create an apple fritter monkey bread. You caramelize the apples before adding them to the dough, so they’re sweet and tender.
It’s easy to turn yeast bread recipes in to overnight recipes. Red Star Yeast has a Postpone Baking section on their website to help you turn your favorite recipe in to an easy to make overnight recipe.
Monkey Bread is also known as Bubble Bread or Pull Apart Bread. It’s irresistible little bites of sweet, cinnamon bread kind of like getting the best part of a cinnamon roll, the ooey, gooey middle in every bite.
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Overnight Apple Fritter Monkey Bread
Ingredients
Caramelized Apples
- 3 Fuji or other apples peeled, cored, and cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Dough
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup unsweetened apple juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 –4 cups bread flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons 1 package active dry yeast
Brown Sugar Coating
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Caramelized apples: In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the apple mixture and sauté until apples are softened and all the liquid is evaporated. Spread in a thin layer on a baking sheet to cool to room temperature.
- In microwave safe bowl, heat milk, apple juice, sugar, salt and butter to 120° to 130°. Stir to dissolve sugar.
- Mix 2 cups flour and yeast in stand mixer fitted with a beater blade. Turn machine to low and slowly add the heated liquid mixture. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Switch to the dough hook, gradually add the remaining flour (add more or less as necessary) until dough clings to the hook and almost cleans the sides. Knead until the dough is smooth.
- Scrap the dough off the dough hook in to the bowl and add the cooled apples. With the dough hook, knead the apples in to the dough, adding more flour as necessary to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form a round ball. Coat a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 2 hours.
- Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan with non stick cooking spray.
- Make brown sugar coating: Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Place melted butter in second bowl. Set aside for the sugar coating.
- Punch down the dough and pat into an 8-inch square on a flour surface. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces. (I used a pizza cutter.) With floured hands, 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 the dough balls to build layers.
- Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.
- 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 begin to rise. (It will rise a little in the refrigerator overnight.)
- Preheat oven to 350°. 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 glaze: whisk powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the top and sides of the bread. Serve warm. (I like to put the glaze in a Ziploc and snip off the corner. To drizzle glaze on top.)
Notes
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Red Star Yeast, but all opinions expressed are always my own. You can also find Red Star Yeast on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
This looks DIVINE, Barbara. The photos are mouthwatering.
Ala
My family always thinks it’s insane when I make any super-indulgent foods around the house–I am definitely the sweet tooth around here–but I love the smiles they get on their face when I tell them that, lo and behold, sometimes I just want to make things that I love to eat. Me. Not just them. And Barbara, you have no idea how much I want this to be in my face right now! I will *definitely* make it as soon as I get back to my kitchen, since apple fritters are basically my biggest guilty pleasure ever. Bookmarked, and thank you!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
That looks amazing mum!!! I wish I had woken up this morning to one of these! 😀
Karen
Going to make this over the coming weekend!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
Irresistible is right. Wow. Leave me alone with this for a few minutes and it would disappear!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon
This sounds delicious and dangerous. I would have to have company to help eat this or I would eat every bit of this by my self.
Laura @ Lauras Baking Talent
What a fun idea for Christmas breakfast. I bet it tastes great with the caramelized apples.
Kim Beaulieu
This is one seriously scrumptious monkey bread. I love apple so this is right up my alley.
Emily
Total sucker for monkey bread. Yum!
Melissa B
This looks delicious! =)
Pinning to my Bread board,…I need to make this soon!
melissa
I’m terrible with dough, never turns out. Is there anyway to make this with ready made dough or biscuits?
Barbara Schieving
Hi Melissa – I do like using roll dough to make monkey bread sometimes as a shortcut. To make the apple fritter version, you could cut the rolls in thirds, flatten each third and wrap around a teaspoon of apple filling. Seal it up tightly like you would a dumpling. I’d try 24 rolls. Let me know if you try it.
melissa
Great idea Barbara! Thank you, I’ll let you know when I give it a try!
Carol
GASP! What a delicious treat perfect for Christmas morning.
Thank you Barbara!
Letty Flatt
LOVE monkey bead. So easy!
Annalise
Oh yum! Barbara, this recipe sounds perfect!
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen
Wow! I might have to make this Christmas morning! I love the addition of caramelized apples to the bread!
Rocky Mountain Woman
Perfect! This one’s going on the list for when the grandkids stay overnight…
Averie @ Averie Cooks
Pinned! The color, texture, amazing-ness of this- oh Barbara!
Rosa
Oh, what a gorgeous treat! This is something I have never made…
Cheers,
Rosa
Laura (Blogging Over Thyme)
This looks amazzzzing!! I am obsessed with apple fritters–so an apple fritter monkey bread?! Wowza. I have to make this over the holidays. Sounds so, so good.
steph@stephsbitebybite
This would make the perfect snack for opening presents!