Caramel no-knead monkey bread is a cinnamon-sugar, caramel-coated, sweet and gooey, pull-apart bread with a powdered sugar glaze.
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Did you ever wonder why this bread is called monkey bread? This bread is a favorite of my grandkids. I tell them it is named after them – my little monkey’s. However, Mr. Google says that monkey bread is so named because the consumer picks apart the bread as a monkey would. I like the term pull-apart bread. I think I like my definition better.Â
How Can This Caramel Monkey Bread be no-Knead? Â
This Caramel no-knead monkey bread uses my envelope fold technique to develop the gluten and give it a light, airy, soft texture. All you need is a bowl and a spoon to make the bread dough. Seriously it doesn’t get easier than that! No stand mixer required. If kneading bread dough intimidates you, this recipe is for you. Watch the video to learn this easy technique for making bread dough. If you are still intimidated, no worries, buy some bread dough and use the ready-made dough.
Make the Dough for the Caramel No-knead Monkey Bread.Â
The dough is a rich dough with eggs and butter. The fat in the dough coats the flour making it more difficult to hydrate the flour with the liquid. My envelope fold technique eliminates this problem by giving the dough a total of 60 minutes to hydrate before the first rise. However, to help it along even more, use gold instant yeast instead of red instant yeast. Â
Make the caramel sauce while the dough is rising. Purchased caramel sauce is also an option. You will need 1 cup.  Click here to jump to my blog on how to make a caramel sauce. Â
Assemble the No-Knead Monkey Bread.Â
Divide the dough into 48 pieces. (24 for each layer). Treat the dough gently, so you don’t deflate the pieces.  Roll each piece in butter and then the cinnamon sugar mixture. Layer 24 pieces in the bottom of the fluted baking pan. Add 1/3 of the caramel sauce to the bottom layer.  Coat the rest of the dough pieces and add any leftover butter and cinnamon sugar to the bottom layer. Add the rest of the coated dough pieces on top of the bottom layer. Add second 1/3 of the caramel to the top layer.  Cover and let rise for 30 minutes to an hour. Keep the plastic wrap from sticking to the dough by spraying it first with non-stick spray. The dough should be slightly over the top of the baking pan.Â
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes before unmolding by inverting the baking pan onto a serving plate. Pour the final 1/3 of the caramel sauce over the Caramel no-knead monkey bread.  Cool for 1 hour and glaze with the powdered sugar glaze.Â
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Caramel No-Knead Monkey Bread
Equipment
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- Fluted Pan with hole in the middle
Ingredients
Bread
- 4½ cups flour
- ¼ cup potato flour may substitute ⅓ cup instant potatoes
- â…“ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 4 tsp yeast SAF Instant Gold Yeast
- 12 ounces milk 110 degrees
- 2 eggs whisked together
- 4 tbsp butter melted
Caramel Sauce
- 4 tbsp butter melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp light corn syrup
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Sugar and Cinnamon Coating
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 Tsp cinnamon Add the cinnamon to the sugar.
- ½ cup butter melted
Instructions
Homemade Caramel Sauce
- Make the caramel sauce while the bread dough is rising. Add the brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup to a saucepan. Stir continuously and cook on medium heat until the mixture boils.
- Boil for about 2 1/2 minutes or until the mixture is a deep caramel color. (If you have an instant read thermometer the temperature should be 250 degrees).
- Remove saucepan from the heat and stir in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla. The mixture foams and becomes puffy and light colored. This is ok. Add the cream and stir in. The cream will thin the sauce. The sauce will be very thin. Let the sauce cool and it will thicken as it cools.
Monkey Bread
- Use the sprinkle and level method for measuring the flour.
- Add the potato flour, yeast, salt, and brown sugar to the flour and mix in.
- Add the warm milk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir together until the flour is all moistened.
- Let the mixture rest 5 minutes and then stir again.
- Do a series of 3 envelope folds (see video) at 20 minute intervals. Then cover the bread dough and let it rise for one hour.
- Don't deflate the dough. Cut the dough into 48 pieces.
- Gently form each piece into a rough shaped ball and roll first in the melted butter and then the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Coat all 48 pieces taking care to not deflate or press the air out of the dough. Place 24 of the coated pieces in the bottom of the fluted baking pan and sprinkle with any leftover butter and cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Spoon 1/3 of the caramel sauce over this layer.
- Add the rest of the coated bread pieces on top and spoon 1/3 more of the caramel sauce over the top layer. Save the final 1/3 to spoon on top of the bread when it is finished baking.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.Spray a piece of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and cover the pan. Let the dough rise about 30 minutes or until the bread is even with the top of the baking pan. This may take up to an hour. Be patient and don't rush this final step. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Bake for 30 minutes. If the top is getting overbrowned, cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Remove from the oven and let cook for 5 minutes before inverting on a cooling rack to remove the baking pan.
- Spoon the final 1/3 of the caramel over the hot monkey bread. Cool for 1 hour. Make the powdered sugar glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Then drizzle the powdered sugar glaze over the bread.
