Sweet & Savory Monkey Breads

Ingredients

• 500 g Bread flour
• 7 g Instant yeast
• 50 g Sugar
• 10 g Kosher salt
• 100 g Whole milk (Tepid)
• 200 g Water (Tepid)
• 85 g Unsalted butter (Room temperature; add one small piece at a time)
• 4 oz Butter (Melted and cooled, for coating the individual dough balls)
• 4 oz Ham (Chopped)
• 4 oz Gruyère cheese (Shredded)
• Powdered sugar (For dusting)
• Raspberry jam (For topping; a generous dollop per muffin)
• 8 oz Butter (Melted and cooled, for the garlic-herb loaf)
• Chives (Finely chopped; use an amount to taste)
• Parsley (Finely chopped; use an amount to taste)
• Dill (Finely chopped; use an amount to taste)
• 3 cloves Fresh garlic (Crushed; 3 or 4 cloves)
• Nonstick spray (For the loaf pan and plastic wrap)
• Flaky finishing salt (For the savory loaf exterior)
• Sugar (For sprinkling the tube pan)
• 200 g Brown sugar (For the sweet cinnamon coating)
• 120 g White sugar (For the sweet cinnamon coating)
• 2 tbsp Ground cinnamon (For the sweet coating)

Steps

1. 1

   Combine the bread flour, instant yeast, sugar, and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk briefly until evenly combined.

2. 2

   Add the tepid whole milk and water. Fit the mixer with a dough hook and knead until the dough is combined and relatively smooth, about 2 minutes.

3. 3

   With the mixer running at medium speed, add the room-temperature unsalted butter one small piece at a time, allowing each piece to fully incorporate before adding the next.

4. 4

   Continue kneading for 6 to 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and supple. It should remain slightly sticky but be manageable.

5. 5

   Turn the dough onto an unfloured countertop and stretch it into a taut ball. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.

6. 6

   Lightly oil the countertop and your hands. Turn out the dough and punch it down, then roll and stretch it into a long, oblong shape for cutting.

7. 7

   Divide the dough into evenly sized balls. Roll each ball against the countertop so the top stretches taut, creating a consistent shape and helping produce the classic bubbly monkey-bread appearance.

8. 8

   For individual Monte Cristo monkey breads, portion the dough balls at about 30 g each. Chop the ham and shred the Gruyère, then mix them together.

9. 9

   Place 4 or 5 dough balls in each large muffin cup, tossing the balls in melted, cooled butter before arranging them. Do not overfill the cups.

10. 10

    Top each muffin with a generous pile of the ham-and-Gruyère mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for about 45 minutes, until puffy but not quite doubled.

11. 11

    Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Remove the plastic wrap and bake the individual breads for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden brown and the thickest point registers 200°F (93°C).

12. 12

    Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the tin. Dust with powdered sugar and top with a generous dollop of raspberry jam.

13. 13

    For the savory tear-and-share loaf, portion the dough into balls of about 50 g each, roughly the size of a golf ball.

14. 14

    Finely chop the chives, parsley, and dill. Mix them with the melted, cooled butter and the crushed garlic, whisking until combined.

15. 15

    Spray a nonstick loaf pan with nonstick spray. Toss the dough balls in the garlic-herb butter and arrange them in the pan, keeping the loaf approximately even in thickness so it rises and bakes evenly.

16. 16

    Grease plastic wrap with nonstick spray, cover the loaf loosely, and let it rise at room temperature for about 45 minutes, until it has grown by approximately 50 percent rather than doubled.

17. 17

    Bake the savory loaf at 350°F (175°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, until deeply golden brown and the thickest point registers 200°F (93°C).

18. 18

    Brush the warm loaf with some of the remaining garlic-herb butter, then sprinkle it with flaky finishing salt so the salt adheres to the buttery exterior.

19. 19

    Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, turn it out, and serve while still warm.

20. 20

    For the sweet monkey bread, portion the dough into 50 g balls. Grease a tube pan generously and sprinkle it with sugar.

21. 21

    Dip or roll the dough balls in melted, cooled butter, then coat them in a mixture of the brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon.

22. 22

    Arrange the coated balls in a relatively even layer around the bottom of the tube pan, repeating with the remaining dough balls.

23. 23

    Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for about 45 minutes, until it has increased in size by approximately 50 percent.

24. 24

    Bake at 350°F (175°C); because the sweet loaf is large, it may take somewhat longer than the smaller versions. Bake until deeply golden and cooked through.

25. 25

    Let the sweet monkey bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a serving plate and serve.

Notes

The source gives one base dough and three variations rather than a single combined yield. Dough-ball sizes are approximately 30 g for individual muffins and 50 g for the loaf versions. The sweet loaf's exact baking time is not stated beyond possibly taking longer than 25–30 minutes; bake until deeply golden and cooked through. The savory loaf is best served warm and is described as declining in quality after roughly an hour.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• side
• bread
• baked
• sweet
• savory
• tear-and-share
• vegetarian-option