Monkey see, monkey do… monkey bread? Don’t mind if we do! This delicious style of pull-apart, shareable bread is a great easy-to-make appetizer that can be catered to any palate. The basic idea of monkey bread is to stuff small balls of dough with delicious fillings, layer them up, bake them together, and serve them with the perfect dipping sauce. Monkey bread tastes great sweet or savory, so we came up with 3 different recipes for you to try out: cheesy pulled chicken & bacon, pepperoni pizza, and chocolate caramel. You and your guests will go absolutely bananas for all 3 of these recipes!
Yield: 1 per recipe
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
1. Cheesy Pulled Chicken & Bacon Monkey Bread
You’ll Need:
For the monkey bread:
- 2 lbs pizza dough
- 7 oz marinated pulled chicken
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella
- 8 strips of bacon, fried & chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- pepper
For the herb-infused olive oil:
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 3 tbsp olive oil
For the Alfredo sauce:
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1⅓ cups heavy cream
- salt & pepper to taste
Here’s How:
1.1 Grease a bundt cake pan and stir together the marinated pulled chicken, chopped bacon, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, minced garlic, and pepper.
1.2 Divide the pizza dough into 26 even balls.
1.3 Roll out each ball of pizza dough into a circle about 3 inches in diameter and spoon the pulled chicken mixture into the center.
1.4 Press the 2 opposite edges of dough together at the top and roll the whole thing back into a ball, sealing the filling into the center.
1.5 Place enough stuffed balls of dough into the greased bundt cake pan to cover the bottom, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella, and place the remainder of the stuffed balls of dough on top. Sprinkle with more shredded mozzarella, cover the bundt cake pan with plastic wrap, and let the stuffed balls of dough rest for 30 minutes. Once almost 30 minutes have passed, preheat the oven to 350°F.
1.6 Transfer the bundt cake pan to the oven and bake the stuffed monkey bread at 350°F for 30 minutes until golden brown. While the bread is baking, stir together the ingredients for the herb-infused olive oil. For the Alfredo sauce, heat the heavy cream, stir in the grated parmesan, bring the mixture to a boil, and season with salt & pepper. Once the monkey bread is done baking, flip the bundt cake pan over onto a large plate, brush the herb-infused olive oil over its surface, and serve with warm Alfredo sauce.
2. Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread
You’ll Need:
For the monkey bread:
- 2 lbs pizza dough
- ⅔ cup tomato sauce
- 5 oz pepperoni slices
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- tomato sauce to serve
For the chili-infused olive oil:
- 1 tbsp oregano
- red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Here’s How:
2.1 Grease a bundt cake pan, divide the pizza dough into 26 even balls, and roll out each ball of pizza dough into a circle about 3 inches in diameter. Spread a small amount of tomato sauce in the center of the dough, place 2 slices of pepperoni on top, and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Pinch the opposite edges of each piece of dough together and roll each one up into a ball.
2.2 Place the stuffed balls of dough into the greased bundt cake pan until they cover the bottom. Sprinkle some grated parmesan on top of the first layer, then place the remainder of the stuffed balls of dough on top. Cover the bundt cake pan with plastic wrap and let the stuffed balls of dough rest for 30 minutes. Once almost 30 minutes have passed, preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.3 Transfer the bundt cake pan to the oven and bake the stuffed monkey bread at 350°F for 30 minutes until golden brown. While the bread is baking, stir together the ingredients for the chili-infused olive oil. Once the monkey bread is done baking, flip the bundt cake pan over onto a large plate, brush the chili-infused olive oil over it, sprinkle grated parmesan on top, and serve with tomato sauce.
3. Chocolate Caramel Monkey Bread
You’ll Need:
- 2 lbs pizza dough
- 26 chocolate candies
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup caramel syrup
- ½ cup sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon
- ⅓ cup whipped cream to serve
For the icing:
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Here’s How:
3.1 Grease a bundt cake pan, divide the pizza dough into 26 even balls, and roll out each ball of pizza dough into a circle about 3 inches in diameter. Place 1 unwrapped chocolate candy in the center of each piece of dough, pinch the opposite edges of the dough together, and roll them all up into balls.
3.2 Stir together the cinnamon and sugar, then roll the stuffed balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar until they’re completely coated.
3.3 Sprinkle ½ of the chopped walnuts and pour ½ of the caramel sauce into the greased bundt cake pan, then cover the bottom of the pan with stuffed balls of dough. Pour the remaining caramel sauce and chopped walnuts on top of the first layer, then place the remainder of the stuffed balls of dough on top. Cover the bundt cake pan with plastic wrap and let the stuffed balls of dough rest for 30 minutes. Once almost 30 minutes have passed, preheat the oven to 350°F.
3.4 Transfer the bundt cake pan to the oven and bake the stuffed monkey bread at 350°F for 30 minutes until golden brown. For the icing, stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Once the monkey bread is done baking, flip the bundt cake pan over onto a large plate, drizzle the icing on top, and serve with whipped cream.
Earlier we said that these monkey bread recipes are great for sharing, but we’d definitely understand if you want to keep them all for yourself. Served sweet or savory, these monkey bread recipes are fun to eat and delicious beyond belief!
Get the recipe for the Pull-Apart Garlic Bread Rolls featured in the bonus video.