Bubble Bread

Bubble bread, or monkey bread as most folks call it, is the ultimate pull-apart treat. Walnut-sized balls of homemade yeast dough get dunked in melted butter, rolled in a cinnamon-brown sugar coating, and piled into a tube pan.

This version starts from scratch with a soft, enriched dough made from scalded milk, shortening, eggs, and flour. The dough needs a solid 8 to 10 minutes of kneading to develop enough gluten for a tender, pillowy texture. It should feel smooth and just slightly tacky when it’s ready.

After the first rise, you break the dough into small pieces, roll each one through melted margarine, then through the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Pack them into the tube pan with chopped nuts scattered between the layers. The second rise puffs them up so they bake into one cohesive mass that still pulls apart into sticky, sweet pieces.

Kitchen Tips

• Make sure the milk cools to lukewarm before adding the yeast. Hot milk kills the yeast and the dough won’t rise.
• Pack the balls snugly in the pan but don’t smash them. They need a little room to expand during the second rise.
• Invert the baked bread onto a plate immediately after removing from the oven. The caramelized sugar sets fast and will glue the bread to the pan if you wait.

Variations

• Cream cheese glaze: Drizzle with a simple cream cheese and powdered sugar icing while warm for a bakery-style finish.
• Orange bubble bread: Add orange zest to the dough and replace the cinnamon coating with an orange sugar mixture.