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This easy Grands monkey bread recipe can be totally customized with your family’s favorite chopped nuts and dried fruits! Or just leave it plain — it’s delicious either way…
Easy Grands Monkey Bread
Doesn’t this Grands monkey bread just scream special occasion?!? It looks like you slaved for hours making it, but since it starts with Pillsbury Grands biscuits, it’s so SUPER EASY to make. We’ll be making it again for Christmas morning tomorrow, alongside a big tray of oven baked bacon!
But how does it taste? Well, my almost 13-year-old is the breakfast connoisseur around here… His all-time favorite breakfast is my Hawaiian roll French toast bake recipe. I know this because, not only does he rave about it every time I make it, but he also posts a picture of it to his Instagram feed to brag about it (as he did on Thanksgiving morning).
So when I saw he shared a pic of his plate of monkeybread a few days ago, I knew this easy monkey bread recipe was a winner!
What Is Monkey Bread?
You might be wondering where monkey bread got its name from… I know my kids were all very curious! Monkey bread is a sweet or sometimes savory pull-apart bread that is eaten by pulling off little chunks, much like the way monkeys eat. So the most common theory is that it’s derived from the act of picking it apart, which is pretty fitting since I’m always telling my kids they’re little monkeys!
Monkey bread is most commonly made in a bundt pan, though you can use a loaf pan, as well. I always make it in this classic cast bundt pan, which has a nonstick finish that makes for easy release and cleanup. Plus the 12-cup capacity is perfect for this monkey bread recipe.
NOTE: you absolutely DO NOT want to use a tube pan that has a removable bottom! The hot sugar syrup can leak out of removable bottom pans, so be sure to use a one-piece pan.
Customizable Recipe For Monkey Bread
This monkey bread with biscuits can be easily customized to your family’s tastes. The original monkey bread recipe called for optional chopped walnuts and raisins, but I opted to use chopped pecans and dried cranberries because it seemed to fit the holiday season. I’m dying to try some shredded coconut and macadamia nuts, though!
Of course you can just skip the optional add-ins altogether. The classic buttery cinnamon-sugar flavor is quite tasty all on its own..
PRO TIP: don’t let the monkey bread cool all the way in the pan. Turn it over onto a serving plate roughly 10 minutes after you remove it from the oven.
This way it pops out easily and the still warm (but not scalding!) extra sugary syrup drizzles its way down through the bread. Enjoy!
Grands Monkey Bread
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cans ( 16.3-oz.) Pillsbury Grands Homestyle Buttermilk Biscuits
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a one-piece 12-cup or larger tube pan.
- In a large plastic food storage bag, mix together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Separate the biscuit dough into 16 biscuits, and cut each biscuit into 4 pieces.
- Shake the biscuit pieces up in the bag to coat with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and layer in the greased pan. If you're adding chopped nuts and/or dried fruit, sprinkle them among the pieces as you layer. Note that the pan will not be filled to the top, but the biscuits will expand while baking, almost doubling in size.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar and vanilla until the brown sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and then pour over top of the biscuit pieces in the tube pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 32-35 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn upside down on to serving plate, and serve warm.
Have you tried this recipe?
Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Tag it @unsophisticook and hashtag it #unsophisticook!
More Easy Brunch Recipes
If you like this bacon candy recipe, you might also enjoy these other delicious brunch recipes:
- Sweet Cinnamon-Sugar Popovers
- Cinnamon Roll Waffles
- German Apple PancakeRecipe
- Simple Cream Puffs Recipe
- Maple Pecan Candy Bacon Recipe
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @unsophisticook on Instagram and hashtag it #unsophisticook.
FAQs
Homemade monkey bread combines several tiny balls of dough coated in butter, cinnamon, and sugar. It's basically a giant Bundt pan of gooey cinnamon rolls! Finish this fun breakfast or dessert treat with vanilla icing and serve pull apart style. This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
What can I use instead of a bundt pan for monkey bread? ›
I bake mine in one of the best Bundt pans, but a tube pan works, too. You could even bake it in a muffin tin for individual monkey bread "muffins." Wouldn't that be cute?! Just be sure to adjust the baking time.
How to improve Pillsbury biscuits? ›
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Open the can of biscuits and separate them. ...
- Brush the melted butter over the top of each biscuit.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and let the biscuits cool for a few minutes before serving.
The origin of the term "monkey bread" is unknown. Some food historians suggest that it comes from the pastry being a finger food, and that those eating it pick apart the bread with their hands as a monkey might. Others suggest that it comes from the pastry's resemblance to the monkey puzzle tree Araucaria araucana.
What is another name for monkey bread? ›
Also known as Hungarian Coffee Cake, Bubble Loaf, and, my favorite, Pinch Me Cake, the term Monkey Bread didn't start popping up until the 1950's in various women's magazines.
Does monkey bread need to be refrigerated? ›
If you somehow end up with leftovers, save them for later! This Grands!™ Monkey Bread can be stored, tightly covered, on the counter for 1–2 days. To keep it fresh for 3–4 days, pop it into the fridge. And if you want to put a treat aside for future you, you can freeze monkey bread for up to two months.
Why is it called monkey bread? ›
Monkey bread gets its name by the method in which it is eaten: picking off chunks of buttery, gooey dough with your fingers not unlike a monkey grooming his buddy (which is actually a weird thing to name a food after, if you really think about it.)
Can I use a tube pan instead of a bundt pan? ›
However, you can use a tube pan for recipes that call for a Bundt pan in many cases. Keep in mind that tube pans typically hold more batter than a bundt pan of the same size. Also, a two-piece tube pan with a removable inner core has the potential to leak.
How do you use Pillsbury grands? ›
HEAT oven to 375°F (or 350°F for nonstick cookie sheet). PLACE biscuits 1 to 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. BAKE 11 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
How do you push air out of dough? ›
Either make a fist with your hand or use your knuckles to press down gently into the centre of the dough to deflate the air pockets. Fold the edges of the dough in towards the centre, to turn the dough into a ball. Remove the ball of dough from the bowl and place it onto a lightly floured surface.
If the dough tears, you haven't developed enough gluten and it needs more kneading. If it stretches without breaking, making a windowpane of sorts, you're done and you can let the dough rest.
Can you bake Pillsbury biscuits on aluminum foil? ›
Placing tin foil over the biscuits traps water vapor rising from the dough as it cooks, effectively steaming the biscuits so their crumb is moist and tender. The drizzle of melted butter gives them a rich, savory, homemade taste that infiltrates the crumb as they steam.
What happens when you add more butter to biscuits? ›
Increasing the amount of butter definitely makes the biscuit "taste" softer, more crumbly, and more flaky.
How to cook Pillsbury biscuits without burning the bottom? ›
To prevent the bottom of your biscuits from burning, you can use a light-colored baking sheet, line it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and place the biscuits in the middle or upper rack of the oven.
What is monkey bread and why is it called that? ›
Monkey bread gets its name by the method in which it is eaten: picking off chunks of buttery, gooey dough with your fingers not unlike a monkey grooming his buddy (which is actually a weird thing to name a food after, if you really think about it.)
Is monkey bread made from bananas? ›
Bread Ingredients
Bananas: You will need 3 ripe bananas for the bread dough and 3 more bananas that will be diced and layered in between the balls of bread dough. Yeast: I used instant yeast in this recipe. It is also called quick rise or fast-rising yeast. Milk: I prefer whole milk in this recipe.
What are the benefits of monkey bread? ›
Studies have shown the benefits of monkey bread in the field of medicine. This fruit actually has anti-diarrheal, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, which can be beneficial for heart disease and diabetes.
What is monkey bread fruit? ›
The Baobab is one of the most majestic trees of Africa, very present in Senegal. Its fruit, which is called “monkey bread”, has multiple virtues. It is 2.5 times richer in vitamin C than an orange, contains 2.5 times more calcium than milk and six times more potassium than a banana.
