Happy New Year! 2011 promises to be quite an exciting year. For one, the Gastroanthropologist has been dilligently working on a nine-month baking project that will be ready in less than three months! Quick apologies for the lack of posts, but planning for birthing a little baby boy abroad when all of our family and friends are in the States has taken a bit of planning and mental fortitude.
Gastroanthropology will not morph into a baby blog, but I will be launching a separate baby blog when the little peanut is starting to eat things other than milk.
So far, the pregnancy has been great with minimal morning sickness and no odd cravings. However, as I enter the third trimester the belly is definitely growing at a rapid pace, and the appetite grows more voracious. This morning I woke up and brioche with lots of cinnamon, some sweetness, a sprinkling of nuts, and banana was just the thing the belly was begging. Not sure if it's pratice for motherhood, but the usual annoyance I have for waiting for yeasted doughs to rise has melted into an abundance of patience. So today, I have no problem waiting a few hours for this recipe to come together.
This bread is called monkey bread, because the dough is divided and rolled in cinnamon-brown sugar, and once baked together can be pulled apart. When you pull apart to eat, you sort of mimic the way a monkey might eat bread. I added mashed banana and nuts to this, but it is totally optional, so feel free to leave out.
The Starter
- 1/4 c whipping cream (can use half & half or whole milk)
- 1/4 oz (7 grams) active dry yeast
- 2 oz (56 grams) all-purpose flour
The Dough
- 10 oz (280 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 oz (28 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 oz (7 grams) salt
- 4 eggs, room temp
- 8 oz (224 grams) unsalted butter, room temp
Cinnamon-Brown Sugar
- 1/4 oz (7 grams) or about 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3 oz (84 grams) brown sugar
- 1 oz (28 grams) chopped walnuts, optional
- 1 medium ripe banana, optional (leave in separate bowl)
METHOD
Heat cream to warm (not hot, about 100°F / 38°C). In a small mixing bowl, combine first measurement of flour and yeast. Add warm cream and mix to moisten flour mixture. Cover with plastic and place in a warm spot until doubled.
In the bowl of a mixer with the dough hook attachment, put the second measurement of flour, sugar and salt. Add doubled yeast mixture and eggs to the bowl and mix until a smooth dough forms. Add softened butter, a few ounces at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding more. Continue to beat on medium to high speed until dough becomes sticky and elastic, and slaps against the sides of the mixing bowl.
In a separate shallow bowl mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar, and nuts. Mash the ripe banana in a separate bowl.
Butter or use non-stick spray for the loaf pan of your choice (you could also use a bundt cake pan). I used three small 6-inch greaseproof paper loaf pans. Remember your dough needs room to double in height.
Spray a bit of non-stick spray on your hands and grab golf ball sized portions of dough. Roll around in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place in the loaf pan. Repeat until you have a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Add the mashed banana on top of the dough and continue to portion the dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar, covering the mashed banana, and using up all the remaining dough. Once finished sprinkle any remaining cinnamon-sugar on top.
The dough must be set aside in a warm spot to double.
If you use the paper loaf pans, place them on a sheet pan as sugar may melt a little and leak a bit of sticky syrup. Loosely cover with plastic and put into a warm spot to proof until doubled. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175 °C and bake until golden and tester comes out clean. Depending on if your baking a single loaf, or a few small loaves it should take anywhere from 30 - 45 minutes.
This monkey bread should be eaten warm out of the oven. As soon as it cools enough to touch, pull apart and enjoy. It's a lovely bread for brunch. It will keep for a day, but should be served warm (just pop in the microwave for a few seconds). It also makes a decadent french toast bread, but it should really be two to three days old (you want it dried out a bit and stale) before you attempt this (it will fall apart if it's too fresh). Instead of pulling apart, slice the bread, and continue as you would when making french toast.
