The Estate Bakery

Monkeying Around Bread

Name: Monkeying Around Bread
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cup milk, room temperature; ¼ cup orange juice, room temperature; ¼ cup honey; 4 tablespoons butter, melted, ½ stick, divided; 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 1 cup pastry flour; 1 teaspoon table salt; 2 ½ teaspoons dry active yeast; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup light brown sugar; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; ½ cup heavy cream

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The Strategy:

This classic, pull-apart sweet bread is made from scratch using a light yeast dough flavored with orange juice and honey. Roll the bite-sized dough balls in heavy cream and cinnamon sugar before baking them in a Bundt pan until golden and bubbly. Invert the bread onto a platter and serve warm, encouraging everyone to dig in with their fingers.

Serves: 4 | Total Time: 25 minutes till it's ready, plus 25 minutes to bake

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients

1 cup milk, room temperature
¼ cup orange juice, room temperature
¼ cup honey
4 tablespoons butter, melted, ½ stick, divided
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup pastry flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 ½ teaspoons dry active yeast

Coating Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ cup heavy cream

Raw cooking ingredients for Monkeying Around Bread arranged beautifully on a clean kitchen counter.

Instructions

Make dough

Place the milk, orange juice, honey and 2 tablespoons melted butter into the pan of a bread machine.
Add the all-purpose and pastry flours and salt.
Place the yeast into the yeast compartment or make a well in the flour depending on your machine.
Set the machine on the dough cycle and follow the instructions for your machine.

Make coating and shape dough

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Coat a Bundt® pan with vegetable oil spray.
Whisk together the sugars and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Stir the heavy cream and remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter together in another bowl.
Turn out the dough onto your work surface. Use a pastry scraper to divide the dough into 8 pieces.
Roll each piece into a log.
Cut each log into 1-inch balls.
Roll each ball into the cream and then into the sugar.

Assemble, bake, and serve

Layer the balls into the bottom of the Bundt® pan.
Pour any leftover cream and sugar over the top of the balls.
Bake until the loaf is golden, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
Invert a platter on top of the Bundt® pan. Carefully turn both upside down, remove the pan and dive in!

Home cook prepared steps for assembling and cooking Monkeying Around Bread.

The full recipe lives in the Vault

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Gotta Have Gadgets

A pull out pantry drawer or pop-up shelf in an island cabinet, is the perfect place to store your bread machine. The easier it is to grab, the more you will use it; and nothing, but nothing is better than home baked goodies. The best bread machines are large capacity, or a 2-pound breadmaker. If you are on a budget, take a look at one of the smaller machines. Another Gotta Have Gadget for baking days a good Bundt® pan. I use mine to shape coffee cakes and pound cakes into a distinctive ring shape.

My favorite is the traditional, nonstick Bundt® cake pan. Go for a lighter weight pan, if you are on a budget.

World's Best Cooking Tools To cut dough into even pieces, I use a pastry scraper. It cuts cleanly and is also great for scraping up scraps from your work surface. My favorite is the stainless steel version. An alternative is a scraper with a ruler for precise cuts. If you don't have a scraper, use a knife for cutting and a metal spatula for scraping.

The Heart of the Table

This warm, gooey bread is the ultimate symbol of sharing and family fun, drawing everyone close to pull off sweet, sticky pieces. The rich scent of caramelized cinnamon sugar fills the kitchen, creating a lively atmosphere of joy and connection.

An appetizing, fresh serving of cooked Monkeying Around Bread displayed beautifully on a styled dining table.

The Art of the Host

a footed heirloom silver cake pedestal to elevate the caramelized Bundt ring above the tabletop
a hand-blown glass cloche (dome cover) to capture the hot cinnamon-sugar steam
vintage sterling silver sugar tongs for a refined, elegant tableside touch
oatmeal-toned washed linen napkins
a heavy, hand-thrown ceramic pitcher finished with a matte cream glaze
individual hand-hammered copper bread plates that catch crumbs in rustic style

Neighborly Grace

THE PRESENTATION: Serve the ring of pull-apart bread on a footed glass platter, letting the sticky caramel pool around the base, and placing wet hand towels nearby for guests.
THE POUR: Pair with a cup of hot black coffee to balance the sweetness, or a glass of cold milk.
THE VIBE: Cozy Family Den. The room is filled with laughter, game-board pieces, and the irresistible scent of fresh cinnamon bread.

Chef’s Recommendations

A Cinnamon Bread Match: Cinnamon-Nut Bread with Strawberry-Thyme Schmear
The Same Cinnamon Sugar: Spanish Churros & Chocolate Sauce
The Savory Counterweight: Roasted Chicken (or Turkey) with Herb Butter
Something That Is Not Sugar: Inside Out Egg White Omelet

The Estate Table

Build tonight’s menu around this dish.

✦ Set the Table

Monkeying Around Bread

Monkeying Around Bread

The full recipe lives in the Vault

The Heart of the Table

The Art of the Host

Neighborly Grace

✨ The Gilded Swaps