Gone Bananas! Monkey Bread

Mmm...monkey bread.  This guilty pleasure is not only good with coffee in the morning, but is equally delectable at any time of day.  But why do they call it monkey bread? Seriously.  I've wondered about this every time I see that special monkey bread dish at Williams-Sonoma, or hear someone talking about how much they crave it on The Biggest Loser or some other tv show.  I guess I could look it up, but as far as I'm concerned, if the answer's not readily apparent, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense as a recipe name. 

I've decided to rectify this dilemma by making a version of this nummy treat that does pay homage to the cute little primate - at least in an obvious kind of way.  No big changes here, but I thought the addition of bananas was necessary.  True to form, this interpretation incorporates my favorite way to flavor bananas: with a healthy dose of cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, and rum. On TOP of all the brown sugar and cinnamon already in the monkey bread itself.  Oh yeah.

I've also elected to stray from the traditional monkey breads I've become accustomed to, which are typically prepared using Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk Biscuits.  Not that there's anything wrong with shortcuts - I just prefer things as homemade as possible.  This assures better quality control, with the added bonus of keeping out all the extra gunk that I can't pronounce.  Here, I've opted to make a cinnamon bun inspired dough with buttermilk rather than just milk in the dough.  Like I mentioned, there's nothing wrong with the shortcut (which I just gave you!), but trust me when I say making the entire confection from scratch is really the way to go.  Whichever you choose, get your taste buds ready because this is one treat where skipping on seconds is not an easy feat!


Ingredients:

For the dough

• 3/4 cup buttermilk, warmed to about 115  ̊ F
• 1/4 cup milk, warmed to about 115 ̊ F
• 1 packet (2 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tsp. reserved for proofing
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Canola oil, for greasing the bowl

For assembling the dough balls

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark is fine)
• 1 1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 3 tbsp. milk
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped and toasted

For the "cinnarum-glaze" and banana topping

• 2 tbsp. milk
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. spiced rum
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 1/2 bananas, sliced in to thin disks

1. To prepare your dough
• Pour the buttermilk and milk in a heatproof bowl and heat in the microwave until the mixture is just warm to touch.  (I don't recommend doing this on the stove top, since metal hinders how your yeast will proof.)  Sprinkle the yeast over the milk, add the 1 tsp. of sugar, and stir slightly with your finger.  Allow to proof for 2 minutes, until the yeast becomes soft and some foamy bubbles form.  Whisk the milk mixture until all the yeast dissolves - it should look a little more foamy but don't worry if it's not as foamy as proofing for other breads.  Whisk in the eggs, the rest of the granulated sugar, and the salt until all is dissolved.  Add 2 cups of the flour and the cinnamon, and stir with a wooden spoon until mostly moistened. 

• Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment.  Add the butter (cut in to chunks), and start kneading the dough on medium-low speed.  Begin adding the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, stopping the mixer after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl - this will keep your dough smooth and elastic, since the flour will be added evenly.  Continue kneading until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, reducing the speed to low.  **Be careful not to add too much flour to the dough, or it will become tough.**  The dough will be slightly sticky, but will become less so with more kneading.  Allow the mixer to run for 5-7 minutes, and if the dough is not ready yet, with floured hands, continue to knead for another 2-3 minutes. 
• Gather the dough in to an evenly rolled ball, and transfer to a large, lightly oiled bowl.  Rotate it in the bowl so it is coated entirely in the oil.  Cover with a slightly dampened kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

• Just before your dough is fully risen, begin preparing your ingredients for coating the dough balls and assembling the monkey bread. 
• To assemble the monkey bread - you'll need a bundt pan, coated generously with butter-flavored cooking spray
• Use a fork to mix the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.  Coarsely chop the pecans, and toast until lightly golden and aromatic, about 5 minutes.  Melt the butter in a small bowl, add the milk, and stir until well combined.
• On a lightly floured work surface, lay the dough and pat in to a flat rectangle.  With a sharp knife, cut the dough in half, cut each half in half, and so on until you have 8 strips.  Separate the strips, and one at a time, begin rolling out with your hands until long, thin ropes form.  They should be about 3/4" diameter.  Cut each rope in to 1" long segments.  Continue this until you have several dozen little dough cubes.

• One by one, take your dough cubes and lightly dip in the milky butter.  The dough should be moistened just well enough for the cinnamon sugar to stick, but NOT wet and soggy.  Eek.  Transfer your moistened dough cube to your bowl with the cinnamon sugar and roll until evenly coated. **I personally like these first several to get a slightly thicker coating of the cinnamon sugar because these are the pieces that will end up on the top of the finished product.**  As you complete each dough ball, place in the bottom of the prepared bundt pan.  Continue this process until you have assembled a single, even layer. Make sure you press the dough balls firmly but gently together. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the toasted pecans. 

• Begin the next layer of dough cubes just as before.  After this layer is complete, sprinkle with the remaining pecans.  Finish by adding one more layer of the coated dough balls.  As you complete this last layer, the bundt pan should be just over half-way full.  **Don't worry about squeezing in all the dough, if you have any remaining.  You can go ahead and bake these by themselves on a baking sheet at 350 ̊ F for 12 minutes.**

• Let the assembled monkey bread rise once again in a warm, draft-free spot for 30 minutes.  As the monkey bread rises, pre-heat your oven to 350 ̊ F and place a rack in the middle.  Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until well-risen and golden brown.  Allow the baked monkey bread to cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes.  

• Center a large plate or cake dish over the bundt pan, and carefully invert (using hot pads or oven mitts!).  The monkey bread may be a little stubborn, so gently jiggle the bundt pan until it drops on to the plate.

• To make the topping
• While the monkey bread is still cooling, thinly slice your bananas. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and butter on the stove over medium-low heat until all the butter is melted.  Add in the brown sugar and cinnamon, and whisk until the sugar melts.  Increase the stove to medium heat.  Add the vanilla and rum, and continue whisking slowly for 1 minute, until the alcohol cooks out.  Add half  of the confectioner's sugar, whisking until the sugars starts to dissolve and the mixture begins to thicken. Add the other half and whisk until fully dissolved.  Remove from heat immediately.

• Add the bananas in three rings around the top of the monkey bread, placing the slices so that they slightly overlap. It will take a few minutes to do this, which is fine as it will give the glaze a little time to set up.  Drizzle the glaze slowly and evenly over the entire monkey bread, focusing on coating the banana slices (this will act to preserve them, so that they do not brown).

• This dish need not be eaten right away, but is best served warm. So get your APE-atite ready, heat before serving, and go bananas!!! Har dee har har...sorry. :-)