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Maple Bacon Monkey Bread will satisfy your sweet and savory cravings. Homemade maple syrup sauce and crispy bacon nestled over soft, fluffy rolls is a favorite brunch treat!
Featured with this recipe
- Recipe Ingredients
- Maple Bacon Mixture
- Why do they Call Monkey Bread, Monkey Bread?!
- Tips for the Best Maple Monkey Bread
- Make Some Variations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing and Making Ahead Monkey Bread
- More Delicious Sweet Bread Recipes
- How to Make Maple Bacon Monkey Bread
- Maple Bacon Monkey Bread Recipe
Maple bacon monkey bread combines two favorite flavors into one deliciously sweet and savory breakfast roll. You can’t go wrong with the favorite ingredient: bacon! Bacon pairs so beautifully with sweet things. No wonder it’s so popular! This recipe is a delightful twist on our Caramel Monkey Bread. The warm maple syrup cascades over pillows of homemade dough and the crisp, salty bacon adds a perfect crunch. You’ll love the flavor combination of this maple bacon monkey bread!
Recipe Ingredients
Taste the goodness at breakfast or a delicious dessert after dinner! This maple bacon monkey bread can be used for a special occasion or just because on a Saturday morning. First, you will make the dough, and then the maple bacon mixture. Combine together to make the perfect combination!
- Yeast – This will help your dough double in size and give it the volume you will want to fill the bundt pan.
- Water – Warm water is best! This will activate the yeast and help the yeast grow.
- Milk – Microwave or warm your milk up on the stove to help give the dough moisture.
- Butter – Melt the butter before using. This will help blend and mix the dough together.
- Granulated sugar – Added for sweetness and texture.
- Eggs – These will bind the dough and help “glue” it together. It also gives it that elastic motion and texture when kneading it on the counter top.
- Salt – Just a pinch will help infuse the ingredients together.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is the best flour for monkey bread. This will thicken but also give the dough substance to help it grow. Most breads need flour as its base ingredient.
Maple Bacon Mixture
There are several types of flavored monkey bread and this one is one of the best, hands down! Combine the maple mixture with bacon, you have a maple bacon donut, stirred together to make the best sweet and savory mixture.
- Butter – Melt your butter in a saucepan along with the later ingredients to make a maple butter mixture.
- Sugars – I used both granulated white sugar and brown sugar. These both add sweetness and the brown sugar caramelizes as it bakes. Roll the dough into these sugars.
- Cinnamon – A warm and spice that is perfect for adding to this maple bacon mixture. Add a cinnamon sugar mixture for a sweeter flavor.
- Maple syrup – Sweeten your mixture as well as add in more liquid to pour over top the pieces of dough.
- Bacon – Center-cut bacon is best! Center-cut bacon means that the fat is already cut off the bacon for you. You do not cook the bacon ahead of time. You will add the bacon in raw to the baking dish.
Why do they Call Monkey Bread, Monkey Bread?!
Monkey bread is named monkey bread because of how you eat this breakfast dessert. It sounds funny, but it is true! The dough is cut into pieces and then layered on each other in order to create the dough ring from the bundt cake pan. Once baked in the oven, this method is perfect for picking off chunks of the ooey, gooey, sticky dough with your fingers. Similar to monkeys grooming their babies or friends.
Tips for the Best Maple Monkey Bread
You are going to love how simple this maple monkey bread is to make! Here are a few extra tips to help you make a winning breakfast for your family. Make this easier, learn what is best, and get ready to serve this monkey bread right away. Enjoy your monkey bread recipe and these ideas to make it better!
- Cooking spray – This is a MUST!! Because the monkey bread with maple and butter mixture is sticky, it is best to spray or coat the pan with butter before adding in the dough.
- Bundt pan – Pick the right bundt pan! There are so many types and beautiful bundt pans out there, but you will want one that is not too extravagant. This will make it harder for the dough to conform and stick to each other.
- Make it easier! Instead of making your own homemade dough, use cut up biscuit pieces from a can. This will reduce the waiting time as well as making it easier if you need it quicker.
- Ready to serve – The flip is the hardest part in the whole process, which means this recipe is pretty easy. I like to use a plate or serving tray that is round and stick it on top of the bundt cake pan. Hold tight with both hands and slowly flip the bundt pan. Let the sticky monkey bread fall out. You may need to tap the top or shake the pan a bit in order for the bread to drop onto the plate.
Make Some Variations
This pull-apart bread recipe is so fun to make and always a delicious breakfast that is close enough to be a dessert! Make this just how you like it and add in all the goods to make it even better. These add-ins are a great addition if you are looking for more flavor and texture!
- Fruit – Raisins are always a favorite to add-in that gives it more of a cinnamon roll taste.
- Frosting – Even though this is already over-the-top sweet and savory, top it off with a maple glaze or frosting drizzled over. You can also dust the top with powdered sugar.
- Nuts – Pecans and walnuts are great ways to add in sweetness and flavor. Chop them before adding them to the dough.
“Wowzers, this monkey bread is beyond delicious! I loved the sweet and salty flavors and you can never go wrong with bacon! Scrumptious!!!”
-Wilhelmina
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can either use frozen roll dough or refrigerated biscuit dough in replace of making your own dough. If the roll dough is frozen, be sure to thaw the rolls and then proceed to cut into thirds or fourths depending on the size of dough balls.
Any bacon works great with this monkey bread. Try your favorite kind or what you have on hand. If you can, center cut bacon is great because the strips have the fat cut off.
If the outside is dark and cooked or burnt and the inside is raw, this usually means that your oven may be too hot. Using an oven thermometer will help regulate this.
READ MORE: 35+ Brunch Menu Ideas
Storing and Making Ahead Monkey Bread
It is best to wrap this monkey maple bread in a plastic wrap. Store at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or even freeze the plastic wrapped bread. The fridge will help last for one to two days, whereas the freezer will last for about one to two months.
More Delicious Sweet Bread Recipes
Can’t get enough sweet bread? We can’t either! That’s why we have tons of delicious baked sweet bread recipes, including two incredible monkey bread recipes. Try some of our favorites!
How to Make Maple Bacon Monkey Bread
Maple Bacon Monkey Bread
Equipment
- Bundt Pan
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 package yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 1/4 cup warm milk
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups flour
Other ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 11 oz center-cut bacon chopped into pieces
Instructions
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, butter, sugar, eggs, salt and half of the flour (2 ½ cup) and whisk together.
- In a stand up mixer with a hook attachment, beat on medium speed for 3 min. Add remaining flour and knead in mixer for 7-8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
- Place in lightly oiled bowl and turn over to get the whole dough ball lightly oiled and shiny. Cover and let rise for about an hour or until dough doubles in size.
- When dough is done, punch it down and form into 35-40 small balls. In a pie pan or shallow bowl, combine sugars and cinnamon. Place melted butter in another bowl. Dip balls in butter, then roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture.
- Spray bundt pan with non stick cooking stray. Pour about ⅓ of the maple syrup in a bundt pan and sprinkle with ⅓ of the bacon crumbles.
- Place 20 or so of the dough balls in the bundt pan. Top with another ⅓ of the syrup and bacon. Add remaining dough balls and top with remaining syrup and bacon.
- Cover and let rise about 40 minutes, until doubled in size again.
- Bake at 350-degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown (if they are browning too fast you can loosely cover it with tin foil). Cool for 10 minutes, then turn up-side down onto a serving plate.
Notes
- How to Store Maple Bacon Monkey Bread – It is best to wrap this monkey maple bread in a plastic wrap. Store at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or even freeze the plastic wrapped bread. The fridge will help last for one to two days, whereas the freezer will last for about one to two months.
- Cooking spray – This is a MUST!! Because the monkey bread with maple and butter mixture is sticky, it is best to spray or coat the pan with butter before adding in the dough.
- Bundt pan – Pick the right bundt pan! There are so many types and beautiful bundt pans out there, but you will want one that is not too extravagant. This will make it harder for the dough to conform and stick to each other.
- Make it easier! Instead of making your own homemade dough, use cut up biscuit pieces from a can. This will reduce the waiting time as well as making it easier if you need it quicker.
Do you precook the bacon first or layer it in raw?
It goes in raw! Make sure you use center-cut bacon which has the fat strips cut off.
Wowzers, this monkey bread is beyond delicious! I loved the sweet and salty flavors and you can never go wrong with bacon! Scrumptious!!!
I Made this for a gathering and it was a hit, everyone loved it! Will definitely make it again!
I’m thinking this sounds awesome, but I have a question. Would it work if I did all the work up through layering it in the bunt pan and then left it in the fridge over night and popped it in the oven in the morning? I hate having to be up 2 hours before my kids to make breakfast for them.
Haven’t tried it before but it sounds like it could maybe work! If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Oh my! That looks stupendous. I am absolutely going to make it for Christmas morning!