Easy Homemade Monkey Bread

This Easy Homemade Monkey Bread has a homemade dough, sticky sweet caramel, and rich gooey treat is the perfect Christmas morning breakfast!

Guys! I am really excited about this easy homemade monkey bread! I am really excited about this weekend! I am really excited about Christmas!

Every Christmas morning growing up we would have breakfast casserole that mom had made the night before and a big pot of Weisenberger Mill grits (drooling as I type thinking of this meal). It is the best, it is tradition, it is what I look forward to every year.

Cozied up in PJs with bed head face deep in cheesy egg goodness and my belly so warm and full of the grits. Guys I am telling you I get really excited about Christmas and all the sweet sweet memories that surround it--Christmas morning breakfast being an obvious one.

When Justin and I were dating and started sharing holidays together I seriously needed to know what they ate that morning. It is very important and he didn't disappoint when the answer was Monkey Bread.

We have now combined the best of both worlds on Christmas morning now and it couldn't be more perfect. Easy Homemade Monkey Bread is simple to make, not fussy and feeds a crowd.

The classic recipe uses 3 cans of biscuits but I wanted to see if I could give this an upgraded version that wasn't time-consuming and I did!

This version has homemade dough instead of biscuits. Don't let it scare you off! It doesn't require that much more time at all and is done the night before. It is so easy! I got the base of the dough from Pinch of Yum's version of monkey bread (PS if you don't follow this blog GO DO SO NOW! I have a mild obsession with POY and have been a fan and follower for years). I saw how Lindsay made this with minimal effort and knew I could translate over to Justin's childhood version.

How Do You Make Monkey Bread From Scratch?

Prep the Dough:

1. Combine warm water and yeast and let sit aside for 10 minutes.
2. Melt butter in a bowl, add in eggs and honey, and mix until combined.
3. In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Pour in yeast mixture and butter mixture and mix thoroughly with a spatula. Mix until combined and the dough will be very sticky and lumpy.
4. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for a least 2 hours or until doubled in size.

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Assemble

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and sprinkle flour on the counter. Grease a bundt pan with non-stick baking spray.
2. In a small saucepan combine 1 cup brown sugar and 1 stick of butter over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and remove immediately from the heat once it is at a boil. 
3. Take the dough and place it on top of the flour. Divide in half and knead into 2 small smooth balls (about 2-4 minutes until not sticky and smooth).
4. Take each ball of dough and cut it into 8 pie slices. Then cut each slice into 3-4 smaller pieces giving you 48-64 total tiny pieces.
5. In a gallon ziplock bag combine 1 cup white sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.
6. Place small dough balls in the cinnamon sugar ziplock bag, seal and shake until everything is combined.
7. Layer ½ of the dough pieces from the cinnamon-sugar mixture in a greased bundt pan. Pour ½ of the caramel sauce mixture over. Then add the remaining dough pieces followed by the remaining caramel on top.
8. Place in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
10. Flip the bundt pan over onto a platter. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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Can I Make This Ahead of Time?

Yes! And it is the best! If you are planning on making this for Christmas morning, get the prep work done the night before to make Christmas morning a little easier.

1. Make the dough completely and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap.
2. Place in the fridge overnight.
3. Once ready to use, place on the counter for 2-4 hours to let come to room temp and double in size.
4. Proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Does Monkey Bread Have To Be In a Bundt Pan?

No, not necessarily.

While using a bundt pan is traditional, if you don't have one a loaf pan (or 2) would work just fine. You just need something tall and deep.

This bundt pan is similar to the one that has worked perfectly for this recipe (affiliate link).

Is Monkey Bread Good The Next Day?

Yes! You can keep monkey bread leftovers for up to 3 days after making. Just make sure to store it in an airtight container at room temp (not in the fridge - it will make it very hard because of the caramel).

How Long Does Monkey Bread Last?

For up to 3 days after making.

Easy homemade monkey bread is best eaten fresh out of the oven as you unwrap stockings and gifts. The homemade dough is pillowy soft with an egg-y base and it holds up beautifully to the sticky, sweet, buttery caramel oozing through the whole pan. Take a big chunk of it and a cup of coffee and snuggle up while everyone opens gifts.

It is simply the best. 🙂

Merry Christmas!

Need some more breakfast ideas? These will not disappoint!

• Vanilla Bean Biscotti
• Cranberry and White Chocolate Scones
• Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal
• Soft Pumpkin Scones with a Maple Drizzle
• Grown-Up Cherry Toaster Strudel 
• Kitchen Sink Breakfast Casserole
• Sausage and Apple Cheesy Pull Apart

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Disclosure. Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, I may receive compensation. This compensation comes at no additional cost to you, and as always I only recommend products I trust! Heather Bilyeu is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.