Samantha Seneviratne’s Sticky Banana Monkey Bread
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Photo by Johnny Miller
Ingredients
for the dough
½ cup (120 grams) whole milk, warmed to 110°F to 120°F
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one 7-gram package)
¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
3½ cups (476 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (220 grams) mashed overripe banana
1 large (50 grams) egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick; 85 grams) butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
for the coating
1½ cups (300 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon (4 grams) ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons (1 stick; 113 grams) butter, melted
for the glaze
4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon (8 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 grams) milk, warmed
1 tablespoon (15 grams) bourbon
method
Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir together the milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining sugar and the flour to the yeast mixture.
With the mixer on low speed, mix in the banana, egg, and salt, until the dough forms and it becomes elastic, about 5 minutes.
Add the butter a bit at a time, mixing until it is incorporated, and then knead the dough until it is smooth, another 5 minutes or so. The dough will be sticky, but resist the urge to add more flour.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, remove the bowl from the mixer stand, and shape the dough into a neat ball.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled, 1 to 2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. (After the dough has doubled, you can also punch it down, wrap it well, and refrigerate for up to 2 days before proceeding.)
Using a pastry brush, generously butter a 12-cup Bundt pan.
A tube pan would also be fine here, but make sure it doesn’t have a removable bottom, or it might leak.
Prepare the coating: In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Put the melted butter in another small bowl.
Pat the dough out into a large square.
Using a large knife or a pastry wheel, cut it into 36 equal pieces.
Roll one piece of dough into a ball, dip it in the butter, toss lightly in the sugar mixture, and place in the prepared pan.
Repeat with the remaining dough, stacking the balls on top of one another in the pan.
Cover the pan lightly with plastic wrap and set aside until the dough has puffed and jiggles when shaken gently, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Uncover the pan and bake the bread until it’s puffed and set, about 35 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 190°F.
Immediately and carefully flip the bread out onto a plate.
Let cool slightly.
Prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, milk, and bourbon.
Drizzle the glaze over the bread.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Monkey bread is best the day it’s made, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Wrap them in foil and warm them in a toaster oven before serving.
Recipe from Bake Smart: Sweets and Secrets from My Oven to Yours by Samantha Seneviratne. Copyright © 2023 by Samantha Seneviratne. Used with permission by Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins. All rights reserved.
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