Enjoy the delicious mix of flavors with coconut caramel monkey bread, a decadent treat that will delight your taste buds and enhance your baking adventures.
This tempting pastry combines the soft texture of monkey bread with the tasty blend of coconut and caramel, making a perfect balance of sweetness and warmth.
Each bite offers a soft, tear-apart delight, swirled with the unique flavor of coconut and covered in smooth caramel.
Get ready to be charmed by its appeal and create lasting memories with this exquisite masterpiece.
Ingredients In Coconut Caramel Monkey Bread
Before we dive into making this delicious dessert, let’s first understand what makes coconut caramel monkey bread different from other sweet treats.
Coconut caramel monkey bread is a delightful pastry fusion that marries traditional monkey bread’s gooey, pull-apart texture with the rich flavors of coconut and caramel.
This indulgent creation features balls of sweet dough generously coated in coconut and caramel sauce, baked to golden perfection for a distinctly tempting treat.
Now, examine the main ingredients to make this tasty coconut caramel monkey bread.
1. Sugar: Sugar is used to sweeten the bread dough and the coconut caramel topping, adding a rich sweetness that complements the other flavors.
2. Cinnamon: Provides a warm, spiced flavor that pairs wonderfully with the caramel and coconut, infusing the bread with a comforting aroma.
3. Pillsbury Grands! Southern Homestyle Buttermilk Biscuits: Serve as the base of the monkey bread, offering a soft, fluffy texture that’s easy to pull apart. The buttermilk in the biscuits adds a tangy depth of flavor.
4. Smucker’s caramel sundae syrup: Acts as a critical ingredient in the caramel topping, giving the monkey bread a smooth, rich caramel flavor that’s irresistibly delicious.
5. Pure maple syrup: Enhances the sweetness of the caramel topping with its natural and distinct flavor, adding a layer of complexity to the taste profile.
6. Shredded coconut: Adds a tropical and nutty flavor to the monkey bread, creating a delightful contrast in textures and flavors against the soft dough and smooth caramel.
7. Warm water: It activates the yeast, providing the necessary warmth for the yeast to bloom and help the dough rise, adding lightness to the bread’s texture.
8. Soy milk: Enriches the dough, adding moisture and a slight sweetness and contributing to a tender crumb by interacting with the flour’s proteins.
9. All-purpose flour: Serves as the foundation of the dough, providing structure to the monkey bread through gluten development.
10. Salt: It enhances the overall flavor of the monkey bread, balancing the sweetness of the caramel and sugar.
11. Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the dough and is also used in the caramel topping for its creamy flavor and smooth texture.
12. Ground cardamom: Introduces a subtle, aromatic spice to the dough, adding depth and complementing the sweet flavors with its unique taste.
13. Active dried yeast: Critical for leavening the dough, allowing it to rise and become fluffy and soft, creating the perfect texture for monkey bread.
14. Egg: Adds structure and richness to the dough, helping to bind the ingredients together and contribute to the tender texture of the bread.
Step-by-step Instruction Of Coconut Caramel Monkey Bread
Now that we have all our ingredients ready let’s combine them to make our delicious coconut caramel monkey bread.
Step 1: Preparing The Yeast Mixture
To create the enchanting coconut caramel monkey bread, prepare the yeast mixture.
Warm the milk and water slightly above room temperature, and stir in white caster sugar and active dried yeast.
This warm mixture provides an ideal environment for the yeast to activate, essential for the dough to rise and develop a light, fluffy texture.
Step 2: Mixing The All-purpose Flour, Salt, and Ground Cardamom
Next, mix the all-purpose flour, salt, and ground cardamom in a large bowl, incorporating them lightly with a butter knife.
This combination of ingredients forms the dry base for your dough, with cardamom adding a subtly aromatic flavor that enhances the complexity of the bread’s taste.
Step 3: Preparing The Baking Pan
Prepare your baking pan, precisely a 10-inch bundt tin, by greasing it with butter.
This step ensures that your monkey bread does not stick to the tin and can be easily removed after baking.
In a small saucepan, melt unsalted butter over medium heat.
This melted butter will be used in the dough and the caramel topping, adding richness and moisture.
Step 4: Combine Brown Sugar, Coconut Sugar, Shredded Coconut, and Vanilla Bean Paste.
In a separate small bowl, combine brown sugar, coconut sugar, shredded coconut, vanilla bean paste, and ground cardamom.
This mixture creates a fragrant and flavorful coating for the dough pieces, infusing each bite of the monkey bread with the delightful tastes of coconut and caramel.
Step 5: Rolling Out The Dough
Roll out the dough into a square about 25cm x 25cm on a lightly floured surface.
Using a pizza wheel or dough scraper, cut the dough into 36 pieces.
These pieces will be dipped in the butter and then rolled in the sugar-coconut mixture before being placed in the bundt tin.
After arranging the dough pieces in the tin, cover it with greased plastic wrap and a tea towel.
This step allows the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free environment, enhancing its texture.
Step 6: Baking The Bread
Before baking, preheat your oven to 170°C and position a rack in the lower half of the oven to ensure even cooking.
Bake the assembled monkey bread for approximately 30 minutes or until the top is dark and caramelized.
The combination of melted butter, caramel, and coconut sugars creates a gooey and irresistible topping that perfectly complements the soft, pillowy texture of the bread beneath.
With these detailed steps, you can create a sumptuously sweet coconut caramel monkey bread.
Each step, from activating the yeast to the final bake, contributes to the bread’s delightful texture and rich flavor, making it an irresistible treat for any occasion.
Tips To Get Coconut Caramel Monkey Bread
To further enhance your coconut caramel monkey bread experience, consider these additional tips:
1. Check The Yeast’s Freshness
Before beginning your baking adventure, ensure your yeast is not past its expiration date.
Fresh yeast is crucial for the dough to rise correctly.
If the yeast doesn’t foam up after mixing with warm water and sugar, it may not be active, and you should try with a new packet.
2. Temperature Control
Aim for an average temperature when warming the milk and water for the yeast mixture.
If the liquid is too hot, it can kill the yeast; if it’s too cold, the yeast will not activate.
Using a kitchen thermometer can help achieve the perfect temperature.
3. Gentle Handling Of Dough
After the dough has risen, handle it gently.
Overworking the dough can cause the gluten to develop too much, making the bread tough instead of soft and fluffy.
4. Bundt Pan Alternatives
You can use a deep cake pan or a round casserole dish if you don’t have a bundt pan.
However, the cooking time may vary slightly, so watching the bread as it bakes is best.
5. Cooling Time
Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 5 to 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven.
This resting period helps the caramel set slightly, making it easier to turn out the bread without falling apart.
6. Serving Warm
For the best taste experience, warm the monkey bread.
If you have leftovers, gently reheat them in the microwave before serving to restore the soft and gooey texture of the caramel.
Following these tips will make the baking process smoother and enhance the deliciousness of your coconut caramel monkey bread, making it a hit with everyone who tries it.
FAQs About Coconut Caramel Monkey Bread Recipe
1. Can I use regular bread dough instead of biscuit dough for this recipe?
While biscuit dough is recommended for its light, flaky texture that perfectly complements the sweet coconut and caramel flavors, you can use regular bread dough as a substitute.
Remember, the outcome will be slightly denser but just as delicious.
When using bread dough, ensure it’s left to rise correctly to achieve a softer texture.
2. What if I don’t have a bundt pan?
No bundt pan, no problem! You can use a standard round cake pan as an alternative.
Just be sure to evenly distribute the coconut caramel mixture at the bottom and layer your dough pieces on top.
Keep an eye on the baking time, as it might differ slightly from the original recipe due to pan size and material changes.
3. Is it possible to make this recipe dairy-free?
Absolutely!
To make coconut caramel monkey bread dairy-free, substitute the butter with a plant-based alternative, and ensure your biscuit dough contains no dairy products.
Many great vegan butter brands will work wonderfully in this recipe, allowing you to enjoy the same rich, gooey deliciousness without the dairy.
Conclusion
In summary, coconut caramel monkey bread is a testament to the happiness and imagination baking adds to our lives.
This recipe mixes the sweetness of caramel with the unique taste of coconut, making a truly memorable treat that delights all your senses.
Whether for parties, special occasions, or just a relaxing evening at home, coconut caramel monkey bread embodies the comfort of homemade food.
It encourages bakers of any skill level to enjoy its flavors, ensuring a satisfying experience from the first taste to the end.
Coconut Caramel Monkey Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup of lukewarm cream milk
- 1/3 cup of lukewarm water
- ¼ cup of white caster sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons of active dried yeast
- 2 cups of plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 ½ cups of white spelt flour
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 4 tablespoons (60g) of softened unsalted butter (divided in half)
For the coconut coating:
- 100g of unsalted butter
- ¾ cup of firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup of shredded coconut, plus extra for sprinkling on top
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
- ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom
Instructions
- Combine the active dry yeast in a small bowl with warm milk, water, and white caster sugar.
- Mix and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Mix all-purpose flour, salt, and ground cardamom in a large bowl.
- Incorporate the wet yeast mixture into the dry ingredients using a butter knife until a sticky dough forms.
- Add in two beaten eggs and mix until well combined.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a tea towel, and let it rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- In a separate small bowl, combine brown sugar, coconut sugar, shredded coconut, vanilla bean paste, and ground cardamom for the coating mixture.
- Roll the dough into a square on a floured surface and cut into 36 pieces.
- Dip each piece in melted butter and roll in the sugar-coconut mixture before placing it in a greased bundt tin.
- Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C and bake the bread for approximately 30 minutes or until dark and caramelized on top.
- Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a serving plate.
- Serve warm and enjoy!