Monkey Bread

By 1For_Him

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for kneading
• 1/4 lb margarine (you'll use less)

Details

Servings 16

Preparation

Step 1

Directions:Prep Time: 1 1/4 hrTotal Time: 1 1/2 hrs

Heat the water to between 105 and 115 degrees F. Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar, oil, salt and egg.

Stir in 1 cup of flour until smooth. (This is officially known as a"sponge" since it does not have all the flour of the final dough.) Cover with a dishcloth and set in a warm place (over a bowl of warm water, in a slightly warm oven, in the microwave beside a cup of warm water, etc.). Let rise for 15 minutes.

Grease a square 9 inch pan for rolls. If you want to make monkey bread, use a ring pan or a bundt pan and do not grease it. Stir down the sponge and add 1 1/2 cups flour. Blend until well mixed. Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead 3 minutes adding flour if the dough is sticky. If using the square pan, divide the dough into 16 pieces, and shape quickly into balls. If making monkey bread, divide the dough into 32 pieces and shape quickly into balls.

For the square pan, arrange the balls in the pan and smear tops with softened margarine. For the monkey bread, roll each ball in melted margarine and cinnamon/sugar mixture before arranging the balls in the ring or bundt pan. Cover the pan with the dishcloth and set back in the warm place. Let rise for 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°F (move the pan first if that is where the dough is rising, of course). Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Remove from pan to a rack or plate to cool.

To make them even better (and more fattening), brush the tops with melted butter. If you made monkey bread, eat the bread like a monkey by pulling off chunks.