Monkey Bread
Growing up in my household, there were a few recipes that my dad would make with us kids on a regular basis. Monkey Bread was always a Sunday morning favorite. It really helps to have some extra hands around when it comes to all the cutting and coating in sugar that is required. I think this recipe is the single reason why you could always find a 4 pack of Pillsbury biscuits in the fridge growing up.
I made this when Hubby’s siblings were in town and we all enjoyed the sugary sweetness just as much as I remember from my childhood. I later found out that my younger siblings back home made it that day as well since I had to call home to get the recipe.
Since this was the first time I’ve made Monkey Bread without the help of my Dad, I did overcook the syrup a bit. It caramelized more than it should. You really want it to be a gooey sticky mess gooing out of the bread. But even the more caramelized version was delicious.
One year ago – Tomatoes Stuffed with Salmon Dill Dip
Monkey Bread – recipe from my Dad – no idea where it originally comes from
4 cans Pillsbury biscuit (get the kind that come in a 4 pack, the small ones, not the Grands)
Sugar coating:
2/3 brown sugar – I was running low on brown sugar, so I used 1/3 cup white and 1/3 cup brown
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Syrup topping:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. Spray your angel food cake or bundt pan.
Mix the sugar coating in a ziplock bag (feel free to add more cinnamon and/or sugar if you run out during the coating process). Cut the biscuits into 4 (kitchen shears work great for this). Drop the biscuit pieces into the ziplock bag and shake to coat. Drop coated biscuit pieces into the prepared pan.
Bring syrup ingredients to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then pour over biscuit pieces. Bake for 35 minutes.
Turn over onto plate and serve while hot.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
These pancakes look perfect! I don’t make pancakes that often, but this mix would be an easy throw together to keep in the freezer. Yum!
Great idea to freeze the mix. I have been making our pancake batter from scratch for a while now, and it’s nearly impossible to go back to the boxed stuff! They just taste flavorless and cardboard-y. I had been reluctant to make mix ahead of time because I didn’t want it to go bad. Thanks for the idea!
What a great idea to have a homemade pancake mix on hand!
A good substitute for buttermilk – since most of us don’t keep it on hand, but do have milk in the fridge:
1 TBS white vinegar with enough milk added to make 1 cup. Allowed to sit for at least ten minutes, this mixture will clot up and mimic buttermilk sufficiently for most recipes.
Those pancakes look amazing!! Oh my goodness.
i think it is a great idea about freezing milk, too. I buy whole milk for baking only so I need to do that.
Wow. Those look so good I might have to whip some up…..like…NOW.
http://www.simplysweeter.blogspot.com
You can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar in the substitute for buttermilk provided by Nancy.
One thing to note about this recipe though. Not only is the buttermilk needed for the chemical reaction, but it also provides a great flavor to the pancakes that I don’t think you get from using the substitute. Also, buttermilk will keep for a very long time in the fridge since it’s acidic.
AB mentioned in his cookbook that there are only four thinks he will not make without buttermilk: cornbread, biscuits, waffles, and pancakes. I tend to agree with him.
What a great idea to make your own pancake mix and then when you want quick pancakes, you can have a healthy mix 🙂
Mmm, these look way better than a mix! Great tip to store the mix in the freezer too!
Yum! I love blueberry ‘anything’. Alton Brown recipes are always winners. If you’re looking for an even healthier pancake recipe, check out my ‘fluffy whole wheat pancakes’ on my blog. I mix batches of the dry ingredients and keep them in the freezer. Thanks for posting – I’m off to buy some blueberries! Oh, and I’m a new follower 🙂
These pancakes look amazing!! Bookmarked!
Hey Jen I am eating these pancakes at this very moment. They are so fluffy and filling! May I borrow this recipe for my blog and link it back to you??