Monkey Bread

How bout we all say a big thanks to Tall Mom for sharing yet another great morning treat with us!  Back when Small and Tall used to run college cross country together, all of our teammates would look forward to the days that Tall Mom came to spectate.  First, because Tall Mom is the best cheerer that you've ever met.  Seriously, she is amazing!  Second, because she would bring us Swedish Fish to snack on as soon as we finished.  (We're not sure how that tradition started, but we loved it!)  And finally, because she would always bake a batch (or 2) of Monkey Bread for the team to share on the bus ride home.  And let us tell you, a bunch of cross country runners can make a loaf of Monkey Bread disappear faster than an Olympic hopeful and run the mile!

INGREDIENTS:
-2 loaves of frozen bread dough
-1 stick of butter, melted
-1 cup white sugar
-1/2 cup brown
-2 tsp cinnamon

Remove the loaves of bread from the freezer.  Allow them to thaw for a couple of hours, but don't let them rise.

In a small bowl in the microwave, melt one stick of butter, and while it is melting use the wrapper to grease the inside of an angel food cake pan.  Mix the 2 sugars and the cinnamon together in a medium bowl.  We like to set up a bit of an assembly line on the counter, starting with the bread dough, followed by butter, the sugars, and finally the cake pan.

Pull off pieces of the bread dough and roll them into balls, slightly smaller than a ping pong ball.  Dip the dough into the butter, then into the cinnamon sugar, and finally drop it into the angel food cake pan.  Do this with all of the dough.  It should fill the cake pan about half way.  Cover the pan and allow it to rise for an hour or two.

Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the Monkey Bread for 30 minutes.  We suggest placing the cake pan on a baking sheet with shallow sides, because some of the topping tends to leak while baking.  The last thing you want while preparing for brunch is a smoky oven!  Once the bread has finished baking, remove it from the oven and immediately invert the pan onto a serving plate.  The monkey bread should slide right out.  Just be careful because the bread and the pan will still be super hot!

Hungry runners and party-goers alike will agree... Monkey Bread is the best!

XOXO,
Tall and Small