
When it comes to breakfast, there’s nothing better than blueberry monkey bread, fresh out of the oven. Tiny warm bread bites, rolled in spiced sugar, layered with blueberry sauce, and drizzled with cream cheese glaze? Sign us up. Many recipes for monkey bread use canned biscuits, but trust us—it’s worth making your own dough from scratch. You can’t beat the smell and taste of freshly baked bread, and that yeasty flavor brings additional richness to balance all the sweetness from the brown sugar coating and the glaze. Is it bread? Is it a pastry? Whatever it is, it’s darn delicious.
What is monkey bread?
Monkey bread is made up of bread dough bites, rolled in butter and spiced sugar, then baked in a Bundt pan until caramelized and gooey on the outside. Many versions of monkey bread use canned biscuits, but we love the yeasty flavor and aroma of homemade bread, so we decided to make our own lightly sweetened dough for this recipe. We also added a simple blueberry jam filling, which we laced between the layers of bread dough balls. As the monkey bread bakes, the blueberry sauce bubbles up and around the bread, adding to the all-around gooey deliciousness. A stir-together cream cheese glaze drizzled over the finished bread makes it a true showstopper.
How can I tell if my yeast is working?
If you’re using active dry yeast (which is what this recipe calls for), you’ll be able to tell if it’s working by whether or not it begins to foam or bubble when you stir it into the warm milk/sugar/butter mixture. The foaming indicates that the yeast is feeding on the sugar (and releasing the byproduct carbon dioxide, which causes the bubbles), and this proves that the yeast is active. If there’s been no change within 10 minutes, the yeast isn’t active, which means you should throw out the liquid mixture and start over with a fresh packet of yeast. This isn’t common—it happens maybe once in a million times—but regardless, it’s helpful to have proof that your yeast is working before you mix it into the flour. That way, if it’s not, you’re only throwing out a little milk, butter, and sugar, not your whole dough!
Can I substitute instant yeast for active dry yeast?
We don’t recommend substituting instant for active dry yeast in this recipe. While both types of yeast may look the same, they require different methods for activating: Active dry yeast needs to be activated in warm liquids (preferably with sugar), while instant yeast gets tossed straight into the bowl with the flour and everything else. Instant yeast might seem easier to work with (and therefore preferable), but we chose active dry yeast for this recipe because that extra step also gives us a chance to make sure our yeast is working.
Active dry yeast can be bought in packs of 3 individual 7-g. (.25-oz.) pouches in most grocery stores (which is ideal for this recipe), but if you happen to buy it in a larger jar, no worries! Just store it in the refrigerator, and it’ll stay good for a long time.
Why is there cardamom in the brown sugar coating?
Though it’s not as widely used in the States, cardamom is a popular spice in Scandinavian sweet breads, most notably in the Swedish Kardamummabuller, or cardamom bun. While it can taste medicinal if used too heavily, a touch of cardamom adds a beautiful floral spice to sweet doughs and is particularly tasty when paired with blueberries. We’ve chosen to add it to our coating along with the more traditional cinnamon. If you don’t have it or can’t find it, feel free to leave it out.
Can I make this ahead of time?
This monkey bread is best fresh out of the oven, preferably when it’s still warm. If you want to work ahead, you can make the blueberry sauce in advance, let it cool, and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days before you make the monkey bread. You can make the cream cheese glaze in advance as well and store it in the refrigerator—just reheat it in 5-second intervals in the microwave until it’s a drizzling consistency.
Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below.
Ingredients
Dough
- 3/4 cup
(180 ml.) whole milk, heated to 110°
- 1/2 cup
(120 ml.) water, heated to 110°
- 1/4 cup
(49 g.) granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp.
(28 g.) butter, melted, plus more for bowl
- 2 1/4 tsp.
(7 g.) active dry yeast
- 3 1/4 cups
(390 g.) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp.
kosher salt
Blueberry Sauce
- 1 Tbsp.
granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp.
water
- 2 cups
(1 pt.) fresh or frozen blueberries, divided
- 1/2 tsp.
cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tsp. cold water
- 1 tsp.
fresh lemon juice
Pinch of kosher salt
Assembly
- 1/2 cup
(1 stick; 113 g.) unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tbsp. (28 g.) unsalted butter, softened, divided
- 1 cup
(198 g.) brown sugar
- 2 tsp.
ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp.
ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
All-purpose flour, for surface
- 1/4 cup
(57 g.) cream cheese
- 2/3
(80 g.) powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp.
(or more) whole milk
Directions
Dough
- Step 1In a small heatproof bowl, stir milk, water, granulated sugar, and butter until sugar is dissolved. Stir in yeast and let sit until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Step 2In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Switch to dough hook, increase speed to high, and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes (it will be sticky).
- Step 3Transfer dough to a bowl greased with butter. Cover and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Blueberry Sauce
- Step 1In a small pot over medium heat, heat granulated sugar, water, and 1 cup blueberries, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to burst and mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries have cooked down to a sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in dissolved cornstarch and simmer until combined, about 1 minute more.
- Step 2Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, salt, and remaining 1 cup blueberries. Let cool.
- Step 3Make Ahead: Blueberry sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container and chill.
Assembly
- Step 1Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Pour remaining 6 tablespoons melted butter into a small flat container. In another small flat container, stir brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.
- Step 2Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 36 equal pieces (about 20 g. each). Dip each piece in melted butter, then roll in spiced sugar. Arrange 12 pieces in bottom of prepared pan, then top with half of blueberry sauce. Repeat layers, then top with remaining 12 dough pieces.
- Step 3Cover and let rise until top dough balls nearly reach top of mold, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Step 4Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Uncover pan and bake bread until deeply browned on top and around the edges (an instant-read thermometer inserted into a ball should register at least 190°), 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then run a small knife around edges of pan to loosen. Invert onto a platter.
- Step 5In a medium bowl, stir cream cheese and 2 tablespoons softened butter until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar and milk, adding more milk if needed to reach a smooth, pourable glaze. Drizzle glaze over warm monkey bread.
- Step 6Make Ahead: Glaze can be made 3 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. When ready to use, microwave in 5-second intervals until glaze reaches drizzling consistency.