Monkey Bread Recipe
Pulling apart the warm, gooey pieces of this easy Monkey Bread on Christmas morning is the tastiest tradition of all! While this recipe uses a couple of shortcut ingredients like Rhodes frozen rolls and a box of butterscotch pudding, it takes a few tips and tricks to get the rich sauce and soft texture just right. We figured it all out for you, so with just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of hands-on time you can prep this the night before and serve it up any day of the year.
Servings: 8
Calories: 576kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- baking spray
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 box cook & serve butterscotch pudding 3.5 ounce
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped optional
- 24 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls 38 gram size
Instructions
- Spray 10-inch bundt cake pan with non-stick baking spray containing flour. Combine cream, brown sugar, pudding mix, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Whisk for 30 seconds.½ cup heavy cream, ¾ cup brown sugar, 1 box cook & serve butterscotch pudding, 1 tsp cinnamon, baking spray
- If using, sprinkle nuts evenly around bottom of the bundt pan. Place 11 frozen rolls touching in a single layer on bottom of pan. Add 1 teaspoon of sauce mixture onto the top of each of the rolls.½ cup walnuts, chopped, 24 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls
- Then add 6 more dough balls to the inside edge of the pan and 7 to the outside edge. Top with the remaining sauce.
- Cover with a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Allow to sit on the counter, or other warm place, for three hours. Just long enough to allow the rolls to start thawing. Then place in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours or until the rolls have almost doubled in size. (For other options see the notes below.)
- The next morning, remove monkey bread from refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°. Pro tip: Place a cookie sheet on the bottom rack to catch any drips from the bundt pan.
- Bake the monkey bread for 27-30 minutes, or until baked through. *SEE NOTE BELOW. It is done when the rolls are golden brown and when gently pulled apart rolls are cooked through and no doughiness remains. They may rise pretty high - this is normal. If the rolls are getting too golden before it is finished cooking through, you can tent it loosely with foil near the end of the baking time.
- Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan then invert onto a serving platter. Scrape any excess sauce from the bottom of the pan onto the baked bread. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, then serve warm.
Notes
Tips & Tricks
- Don’t leave the frozen bread dough out at room temperature for too long or it will rise too much. Dough balls that rise too long aren't quite as fluffy and tender.
- It will probably rise over the edge of the pan during the baking process. It might even be a little uneven. Don’t worry. This is the bottom and once it is flipped over the monkey bread looks even and beautiful!
- It’s done when the frozen roll dough is golden brown and is cooked through.
- Overnight: Once assembled, allow the rolls to sit on the counter (or other warm place) at room temperature for 3 hours. Then place in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours.
- 24 Hours: Once assembled, place rolls in the fridge right away and allow the rolls to rise in the refrigerator for 20-24 hours. Proceed as step 6 instructs.
- Same Day: If you want to make this the day of instead of overnight, you need a really early start. Once assembled, allow rolls to rise in a warm place at room temperature for 5-6 hours (our kitchen was about 78 degrees when we tested this). Then bake as instructed. Since this is best served warm, I highly recommend the overnight method to avoid getting up at the crack of dawn.
Nutrition
Calories: 576kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 764mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 221IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 264mg | Iron: 5mg
