Monkey bread: Perfect for breakfast, snack or side dish

When fall weather arrives, I think about comfort foods. This week, I remembered something I haven't made in a long time — monkey bread. It's so easy to make, I almost hate to admit I've neglected it.

What is monkey bread? It's a soft, sweet and sticky soft-baked dough that's usually sprinkled with cinnamon and a lot of butter. Yes, it does sound fattening and it is the way my family makes it.

When I'm visiting my numerous relatives throughout the year (and I have a lot of relatives — my mother was the 13th of 13 children), we almost always gather in the kitchen to make monkey bread, forgetting the word "diet" for one day.

While just smelling baked cinnamon makes me feel like I'm in food-heaven, there are lots of monkey bread variations that don't include spices. While the dough can be made from scratch, it's quicker to use cans of biscuit or frozen dough like Rhodes. Unless you're serving it to a bread connoisseur, no one will know you've used the easier method.

Monkey bread that includes apples and raisins or walnuts is a perfect fall treat. But I was surprised to find a quick dinner recipe that calls for hot dogs. Instead of normal monkey bread with caramel or butterscotch, try combining diced bacon, eggs and green onions for a good breakfast. And almost everyone I know, including me, thinks cheese makes everything good taste even better.

Even presidents like monkey bread

The 40th president, Ronald Reagan, and his family enjoyed monkey bread during their White House Christmas dinners. According to the New York Times, in 1982, Nancy Reagan asked the White House chef to bake extra she could give to visitors, "including a press contingent viewing the mansion's holiday decorations." Days later, she said she was deluged with questions about the bread since word got out that it was a favorite.

“I thought everyone knew what monkey bread was,'' she said, adding that the bread was popular at Christmas gatherings in Los Angeles, and that she and her husband used to buy it at Sandy's Bakery on their way to their ranch every Christmas season.

Why is it called monkey bread?

One theory is that the name came from a chef in the 1850s who said it looked like the hands of monkeys. But Nancy Reagan's explanation sounds just as good as any other theory.

“Because when you make it, you have to monkey around with it,'' she told her staff, according to the New York Times. “Just heat it up and have some jam with it.''

There's just something fun about food you can pull apart and eat with your fingers. Make one of the recipes below or create a combination all your own. Either way, monkey bread can be the beginning of some wonderful weekend traditions you and your family will welcome, maybe all year long.

Nancy Reagan's Monkey Bread

Makes two 9-inch rings that serve 10

1 3/5-ounce cake compressed yeast or 1 package dry yeast

1 1/4 cups milk, divided

3 eggs

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup butter at room temperature

Additional butter, melted

Mix yeast with part of milk in bowl until dissolved. Add two eggs and beat. Mix in dry ingredients. Add remaining milk, a little at a time, mixing thoroughly. Cut in butter until well blended. Knead dough. Let rise in warm, draft-free place for one to 1 1/2 hours, or until it doubles in bulk. Knead again and let rise a second time, 30 to 40 minutes. On floured surface, roll dough out into shape of log. Cut into 28 equal pieces. Prepare two 9-inch ring molds (or bundt pans) by brushing with melted butter and dusting with flour. Form each piece of dough into ball and roll in dish of melted butter. Place eight or nine balls in bottom of each ring mold, leaving space between. Place remaining balls on top, spacing evenly and dividing equally between the two molds. Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush tops of rings with remaining egg (beaten), and bake in preheated oven until golden, approximately 15 minutes.

Source: mrbreakfast.com

Monkey Bread with Butterscotch Pudding

Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 40 minutes

1 regular package butterscotch pudding mix

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup melted butter

2 large tubes refrigerated biscuits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease regular size bundt pan. Dump dry pudding mix, sugar, cinnamon and nuts into large ziplock plastic bag. Melt butter. Dip each biscuit in melted butter and place about three at a time into zip-lock bag. Shake until each biscuit is completely coated. Place biscuits into bundt pan, layering as you go. Sprinkle rest of dry mixture over biscuits, then pour remaining butter over top. Bake 30 to 40 minutes. Place tin foil over top near end of cooking time to avoid top getting overly brown. Serve warm.

Source: todayscreativelife.com

Cheesy Monkey Bread

Serves 16; Total prep: 15 minutes; Cook time: 30 minutes

2 hot dogs, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, quartered

2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1 can (16.3 oz.) refrigerated flaky buttermilk biscuits

1 package (8 oz.) shredded three cheese with Touch of Philadelphia

2 green onions, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine franks and bacon. Separate biscuits; cut each into quarters. Arrange half the dough pieces in single layer in 10-inch round on parchment-covered baking sheet; top with layers of half each of the cheese and meat mixture. Cover with remaining dough pieces and meat mixture. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Top with remaining cheese; bake three minutes or until melted. Sprinkle with onions.

Source: kraft .com

Apple Fritter Monkey Bread

Prep time: 5 minutes; Cook time: 2 hours

3 cups Bisquick mix

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup milk

1teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced small

Coating

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup butter, melted and cooled

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix Bisquick mix and granulated sugar. In another bowl, mix next four dough ingredients. Add to dry ingredients in large bowl and mix until just incorporated. Add apples; gently stir in. Shape dough into tablespoon-sized portions (about 30 balls of dough). In small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Dip balls of dough into the 1/2 cup melted butter; coat them in cinnamon sugar mixture and place in pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until monkey bread is puffed and golden brown. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn upside down onto heatproof serving plate; remove pan. In small bowl, beat glaze ingredients with whisk. Drizzle over warm monkey bread. Serve immediately.

Source: bettycrocker.com