OK, class, today we're going to make cinnamon monkey bread.

Never baked with yeast before?

Read on...

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Yeast baking is child's play, really.

In fact, it's the subject of one of the kids' classes we teach at our Baking Education Center here in Norwich, Vermont.

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Robyn Sargent, one of our crew of seasoned instructors and a mom herself, teaches a lot of the kids' classes.

Jess Meyers — who used to man our Bakers' Hotline, and now teaches at the school — often pitches in as an assistant when she's not teaching. She's a mom, too. Moms are REALLY good at figuring out what needs to be done, and doing it.

The fun part...

Icing!

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The kids took time to decorate their take-home boxes while the bread finished cooling.

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...and proudly showed off their loaves, before adding their own wildly colored icings.

Ready to jump in? Know a kid who'd like to help? Monkeying Around Bread is a fun, easy, TASTY introduction to yeast baking.

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Let's start with the topping/filling. Mix 1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon till thoroughly combined. Best way?

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Shake it up, baby. Here we've used a covered yogurt container.

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It does a good job, eh? A few shakes is all it takes; much faster than a fork or whisk and bowl.

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Next, we'll make the dough. Combine 1/2 cup (113g) lukewarm water, 2 teaspoons instant yeast, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

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Whisk till well combined.

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You're going to add 2 cups (241g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, but not all at once. Add 1 cup to start.

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Stir to combine...

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Then add the other cup.

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Stir to make a cohesive dough.

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Next, you're going to knead the dough. You can do this by hand, but in the test kitchen we're always in a hurry and have about three things going at once, so we used a stand mixer or bread machine to knead dough.

First, mix the dough for 1 minute, using the beater attachment.

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Scrape the sticky dough from the sides of the bowl. Let it rest for 5 minutes; this gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, which will make kneading easier and smooth the dough out more quickly.

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Knead for 7 minutes, using the dough hook. Notice how it still sticks a little bit to the sides of the bowl; that's OK. Up to a point, the stickier your dough, the higher-rising and moister your bread.

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Now we're going to let the dough rise. I'm spraying an 8-cup measure with non-stick vegetable oil spray, so the dough doesn't stick. Everbake is our test-kitchen favorite. We use it for everything; it's especially good for pans, as it doesn't make your pans all tacky and dark, like some sprays do.

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Put the dough into the container, patting it down gently. Be sure to put a cover on the container, so it doesn't dry out. A (non-soapy!) shower cap works well here.

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Let the dough rise for 30 to 60 minutes, till it's grown to about twice its size.

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Next step: spray an 8” cake pan with non-stick vegetable oil spray. Here's the Everbake at work again.

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Spray your clean work surface, too. I'm using a silicone mat here, which keeps your counter from getting all full of flour and cinnamon and stuff. When I'm done, I just take it to the sink and rinse it off – certainly makes cleanup a snap.

Have a bowl of water, and your bowl of cinnamon-sugar ready.

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Take your dough, and put it onto your lightly greased work surface. No need to consciously deflate it; it'll deflate itself a bit as you move it around. Pinch off pieces about 1 1/2” in diameter.

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Don't worry too much here; the pieces can actually be whatever size you want. But 1 1/2” is a good, medium-range size.

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Dip the piece of dough in the water...

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...then roll it around in the cinnamon-sugar. Place it in the pan.

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You can make all the balls first, if you like, then dip them.

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Here they are in the pan.

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If you have cinnamon-sugar left over, sprinkle it over the dough balls.

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Like this.

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Cover the pan. There's that shower cap again!

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Let the dough balls rise, again for about 30 to 60 minutes, till they're noticeably puffy. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350°F.

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Bake the buns (uncovered) for 25 to 30 minutes, till they feel set. When you poke one, it shouldn't feel soggy. Toward the end of the baking time, get out a cooling rack, and set it on the counter.

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Remove the monkey bread from the oven. Working quickly...

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Turn the pan over, onto the rack. Lift the pan off. If there's any sticky syrup in the bottom of the pan, use a spatula to scrape it onto the buns.

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As soon as the bread is cool enough not to burn your fingers, pull it apart.

Or, Plan B: Do like the kids at our Baking Education Center do. Let it cool completely,  turn right side up, and drizzle with confectioners' sugar icing — wild colors optional.

Read, rate, and review (please!) our recipe for Monkeying Around Bread.

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About PJ Hamel

PJ Hamel grew up in New England, graduated from Brown University, and was an award-winning Maine journalist (favorite topics: sports and food) before joining King Arthur Flour in 1990. Hired to write the newly launched Baker’s Catalogue, PJ became the small but growing company’s sixth employee.PJ wa...
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