Bread Machine Monkey Bread Inspired by Helen Corbitt

A few days ago, one of my favorite bloggers, Pioneer Woman, mentioned Helen Corbitt while posting about Welsh Rarebit. I was immediately transported back 30 years ago when I worked at the Greenhouse, a luxury health spa where women still go to relax and lose weight. Ms. Corbitt had planned all of our menus using her recipes.  That’s where I learned about her recipe for this beautiful, brioche-like bread.

As you can see, this is not the usual biscuits out of a can rolled in a ball, then coated with cinnamon and sugar kind of monkey bread. It’s so much better and easy too–if you use a bread machine.  You don’t have to roll little balls.  This version is not cinnamon-sugary sweet but you could easily modify it.  The original recipe was found in Helen Corbitt Cooks for Company but I have made so many revisions, she would barely recognize it. It is now a family favorite both of my daughters-in-law like to bake. We ALL love to eat it.

Ingredients:

1 c. warm milk
1 1/4 t. salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour + 1-2 tablespoons if needed
2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine or instant yeast

Directions:

Dump all ingredients into bread machine in order listed. Select dough cycle and start.

IMPORTANT TIPS if you have not used a bread machine very much:

After the machine has been on about 8-10 minutes, open the lid and check progress.  Several things might be going on you will want to remedy immediately.  As seen in the top left picture below, the dough may be too thin.  You could have forgotten part of the flour…as in counted the cups wrong.  I’ve never done that. Much. Perhaps you substituted a different flour, i.e. whole wheat, bleached, or bread flour for the unbleached flour.  It makes a difference!  Add flour one tablespoon at a time until it looks like the bottom picture.

If your dough looks like the upper right picture, it is too dry.  It may beat against the side of the pan rather loudly. You have added too much flour or not enough liquid.  Maybe you used a smaller egg than specified or perhaps you mismeasured the flour.  Add 1 tablespoon of liquid at a time until the dough looks like the bottom picture.

The perfect dough will usually clean the sides but stick slightly, then pull away. Of course, there can be slight variations among recipes.

One more good reason to check your bread is to ensure you have pushed the pan down tightly so the kneading blade is engaged.  Otherwise, absolutely nothing will be happening in your pan even though you hear the bread machine running. Same thing happens if you forgot to put the blade in the pan.

Back to the Monkey Bread. At the end of the dough cycle, remove bread to floured surface.  Roll or press till about 3/4 inch thick. No need to get the ruler.  Preciseness is unimportant at this point.

Slice dough into approximately 1-inch diamonds or squares. I do not roll in balls. It’s part of the tradition. In fact, I use a pizza cutter.

Melt 1/4 cup butter.  Dip each piece in butter and layer rather haphazardly into nonstick bundt pan.  Cover and let rise until double. (Please ignore the condition of this pan.  It’s seen a lot of monkey bread in its time)

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cover with foil in last 15 minutes to keep top from overbrowning.

Turn out onto serving plate. Serve uncut and let people pull off what they want.

One last warning:  If you serve this on a buffet to people who don’t know about it, they often won’t touch it, thinking it is a dessert or some kind of cake.  But once somebody pulls off the first piece, it’s “Katie, bar the door!” because it will be disappearing in a flash.

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