Easy Homemade Loaf Pan Monkey Bread

Loaf Pan Monkey Bread with bubbles of monkey bread sticking up above the loaf pan covered in cinnamon and sugar.

5 from 3 votes

Easy Homemade Loaf Pan Monkey Bread

This Monkey Bread is made with an enriched dough covered in cinnamon sugar, drizzled with a brown sugar butter sauce, and baked in a loaf pan for a fun pull-apart sweet bread.

Prep Time25

Cook Time35

Resting Time2

Total Time3

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 303kcal

Author: Lauren Skardal

Ingredients

Enriched Dough

1½ cups warm water
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ oz Packet Instant Fast Acting Yeast 1 standard packet
½ tablespoon salt
2 large eggs, beaten
⅓ cup butter, softened
4¾ cups bread or all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tablespoon cinnamon

Brown Sugar Butter

½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter

Instructions

In a bowl of stand mixer combine the warm water and granulated sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Ensure that the water is warm, but not hot. Then add the yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until it starts to bubble.
Add the salt and beaten eggs and use the whisk attachment to combine.
Switch to a dough hook and add the flour. Set the mixer on low speed until there is no more dry flour. Pause the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Increase the speed by one and knead in the stand mixer for 6-8 minutes. The dough should come together and form a rough ball.
Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 1-2 minutes until the dough forms a smooth bowl. Place the dough in a large clean bowl. Coat the dough in a drizzle of olive oil, cover the bowl with a dry towel, and let rise in a warm place for roughly 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Butter a 9-inch loaf pan.
In a small bowl combine the ¼ cup granulated sugar and ½ tablespoon cinnamon.
Punch the dough down and turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into quarters, then divide each quarter into 8 to create 32 pieces of dough. Shape each piece of dough into a ball and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place each cinnamon sugar ball of dough into the loaf pan, creating two layers. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon sugar over the top of the loaf. Cover loosely and place in a warm place for 1 to 1 ½ hours to rise or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a small saucepan combine the butter and brown sugar on medium heat until it starts to bubble. Drizzle the brown sugar butter mixture over the dough in the loaf pan. Try to make sure it goes into the cracks between the balls of dough rather than off the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan on a baking sheet to catch any potential overflow and bake for 35 minutes.
Allow the monkey bread to cool slightly. Then invert the monkeybread onto a serving platter or cutting board and serve while still warm. Or leave it in the pan and serve it as is. It is quite impressive with its bubble top right side up too.

Notes

Yeast: I recommend using Instant Fast Acting Yeast. Combined with the sugar in the dough, this will help the dough rise very quickly.
Cinnamon: I recommend a high-quality cinnamon, such as Ceylon cinnamon. I use a brand called Simply Organic which can be found at Whole Foods and some specialty grocery stores. It is the one spice that I find makes the biggest difference when using a high-quality version.
Brown Sugar: You can use either light or dark brown sugar, whichever you have on hand.
Warm Water: Hot water will kill the yeast, so be sure that the water is not too warm before adding it. If the yeast does not bubble or show any sign of activation after 5-10 minutes the yeast is no longer alive. Toss it and look for a new packet of yeast. Be sure that it is not past the expiration date.
Rise Overnight: Follow the instructions until the second rise, after shaping the dough into balls and covering them in cinnamon sugar. Cover the loaf lightly covered in plastic wrap then place it in the fridge and let it rise overnight. Make sure it has risen enough so that bubbles of dough are popping up above the rim of the loaf pan. If needed, it can warm up and rise further the next day. Then proceed with the rest of the instructions.

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