Caramel and macadamia monkey bread

Monkey bread is a sweet and sticky American pastry comprised of small dough balls tossed in cinnamon and baked together in a bundt cake tin. The name is said to have come from the playful act of pulling apart the baked bread balls to eat, much like a monkey would do.

• serves

  8

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Stream free On Demand

Chocolate or Caramel

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

Ingredients

• 7 g instant yeast
• 1 cup (250 ml) milk, lukewarm
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 75 ml vegetable oil
• 525 g plain flour
• ¼ cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra to serve
• 1 cup salted roasted macadamia nuts
• vanilla ice cream, to serve

For the caramel sauce

• 150 ml thickened cream
• 100 g unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar

For the cinnamon mixture 

• ½ cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 75 g unsalted butter, melted

Resting time: 45 + 15 minutes

Instructions

1. Combine the yeast and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, oil, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to a smooth dough. Knead for 5 minutes, then transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and allow to proof for 45 minutes.
   
2. While the dough is proofing, make the caramel sauce by combing in the ingredients in a small saucepan and bringing to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Make the cinnamon mixture by combining the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.
   
3. Grease a large bundt tin. Pour a third of the caramel into the base and add a few macadamia nuts. Pinch off golf ball-sized pieces of the dough and dip in melted butter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and layer into the bundt tin, occasionally adding macadamia nuts, until all the dough and nuts have been used. Cover the bundt tin with a tea towel and proof for a further 15 minutes.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 180˚C (standard). Bake the monkey bread for 45 minutes, cover with foil if browning too quickly. Remove from the oven, allow to stand for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with extra sea salt flakes and serve with the remaining caramel and the ice cream.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Chocolate or Caramel

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G