Sob Sob Sob - boy did I ever mess up this yeast recipe - Monkey Bread with Brioche Dough

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deb-in-mi

Well-known member
Schools are canceled here today and I wanted to make a treat for my neighbor's kids. I didn't realize that I was using 'instant' yeast and, I think, when I added the warm/hot milk (at temp in instructions) I killed the poor little yeasties. No bubbling. No Rise. No Monkey Bread.

Most of the time, yeast hates me.

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/monkey-bread

 
Lo and Behold - I think it is beginning to rise - just taking way more time...

I'm going to give it another 45 minutes or so.

There is hope....

 
I think it is all working out beautifully - in the oven now

I moved the bowls/pan near a heat vent and that did the trick.

What a beautiful dough.

 
Good for you! I am glad it is rising--I think Michigan is just a leeeetle bit colder. . .

than southern California.

I usually need to find somewhere to let my dough rise that is COOLER than room temp. Here room temp can be in the mid to high 70s in the winter. Sometimes in the summer I wrap my bowl of dough in damp towel to keep it cooler.

 
I agree! Brrrrr!

Envious of Mario Lopez in his short sleeve shirts smileys/wink.gif It is really cold here in MI. Colleen

 
Where did I go wrong (and it wasn't the dough - lol)

I did not end up with pull apart monkey bread covered in sugar/cinnamon - more like a cake (you can see breaks in the dough from the balls but not a lot of definition) with barely any cinnamon sugar.

I know what the problem is sorta.......

I ended up using only about half the butter and half the sugar/cinn mixture. The dough was completely covered butter and had a good covering of the topping (I wouldn't have known how to add more) but there was almost no buttery/cinnamon taste in the cooked product.

I'm thinking that traditional recipes have you take the dough balls and dipped them in butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. Recipes may call for a sugary glaze to pour over before it goes in the oven. This one just had a caramel sauce to serve with it.

I'll make the dough again and make rolls out of it but I won't attempt this recipe again.

 
As said that dough will take longer to rise and room temp may also be cooler. Glad it worked out!!

 
In cold weather (like now) I put the dough on top of my fridge - nice even not-to-hot heat

I was surprised to learn how warm it actually is up there. I shudder when I see people store foodstuff up there

 
I think next time you need a different dough recipe, Deb

I took a look at the recipe you posted. First off I personally would never use Brioche dough to make Monkey Bread- to me it is the wrong consistency for this purpose. You actually ended up pretty much with what the blogger that posted the recipe ended up with. If you scroll way down to the end you will see hers is a cake with hardly any definition except on the top. What I think of as Monkey Bread rises really high, has definition throughout and the hunks are easy to pull off. Maybe next time try a really sturdy cinnamon roll dough. I will post my favorite- been making this for probably 50 years. Just use the dough and dip balls in butter then roll in cinnamon sugar- or make into cinnamon rolls and glaze:

GRANDMA'S CINNAMON ROLLS

4 Tbsp yeast (I use fast-rise yeast)
1/4 C sugar
1 C warm (104°) water
1/2 C sugar
2 Tbsp salt
3/4 C evaporated milk
1 C Crisco
5 egg yolks
2-1/2 C hot (120°) water
10-1/2 C all-purpose flour
melted butter
1 C sugar mixed with 1 Tbsp cinnamon
Icing (recipe below)

Dissolve yeast and 1/4 C sugar in 1 C warm water. Set aside until foamy. Mix 1/2 C sugar, salt, evaporated milk, Crisco and egg yolks in a large bowl until well blended. Add the hot water and mix. Add 4 C of the flour and mix well. Add the yeast mixture and blend well. Add remaining 6-1/2 C flour one at a time- you should have a nice, elastic dough that is just barely sticky to the touch. Let rest for 5 minutes. Knead 50 times then shape into two long loaves. Let rest 10 minutes. Roll loaves into rectangles 1/2" thick. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Moisten the upper edge of the dough with water then roll from bottom to top and pinch to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 2" rolls. Place side by side in a greased 10" X 14" pan. Cover lightly with a dish towel and allow to rise until doubled in bulk (15 min for fast-rise yeast) then bake at 325° for 50-60 minutes or more until golden on top. Allow to cool in pan. Drizzle icing over top and wait for the compliments!

Icing: About 2 C powdered sugar, 2 tsp Mapleine or 1 tsp vanilla and enough milk or cream to make a drizzle.

 
I made my grandmother Pashka bread last week using fresh yeast (thank you Pittsburgh).

Used the oven trick. While hand-kneading the dough, I set the oven to 200 degrees and when it reached temp, let it run for 10 minutes, then shut off the oven.

Placing it in the now off but warm oven, I doubled the dough twice, for 45 minutes each time, noticing that the second time, the dough was already warm and it rose even higher. Then I shaped the loaves and let those rise in the oven again for 30 minutes. Then baked it.

Perfect both times I did it.

 
I've used my oven with just the light on to proof bread dough.

I found this especially useful in the winter when my house can be chilly and a but drafty if the wood stove fan is on.

Marilyn, I used to be able to find fresh yeast cakes in the local store, but I haven't seen them in about 5 years now.

 
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