Cardamom-Spiced Monkey Bread
Lukas Volger
Photo by Food52
- Serves
- 1 Loaf
- Prep Time
- 1 Hour
- Cook Time
- 2 Hours
Squarely in the “sticky bun” family of sweet breads, Monkey Bread is a thrill because the only reasonable way to eat it is to pry it apart with your fingers. This recipe incorporates a bit of whole wheat into the dough and opts for cardamom, rather than cinnamon, as the lead spice, taking inspiration from Swedish cardamom knots known as kardemummabullar.
Ingredients
Dough
- 3/4 cup Whole milk
- 2 Large eggs
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Fine sea salt
- 2 1/2 cup Bread flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/ 1/4 cup Whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour, spooned and levels
- 4 tablespoon Instant yeast — 2 teaspoons Unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, at room temperature
Cardamom Coating
- 4 tablespoon Unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Ground cardamom (see note)
- For Vanilla Caramel Sauce
- 4 tablespoon Unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon Fine sea salt
Featured Video
Recipe from “The Bread Machine Book: 75 Unforgettable, Unfussy Recipes for Every Baker [A Baking Cookbook]” © 2025 by Lukas Volger
Directions
Instructions
- Step 1
Make the dough: In the order listed, add all the ingredients to the bread machine’s baking pan. Select DOUGH, lock the pan into the machine, close the lid, and press START. At the completion of the cycle, the dough should be doubled in size; if not, leave it in the machine for additional time as needed. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface. If it’s too sticky to handle, dust it lightly with flour, but resist adding any more than necessary, and use a bench scraper to help lift and move it around. Divide into 30 equal portions and roll each one into a ball the size of a Ping-Pong ball.
- Step 2
For the cardamom coating: Put the melted butter in a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and cardamom.
- Step 3
Working quickly one by one, roll each ball in butter, then in the cardamom/sugar mixture and pile them evenly into either the bread machine baking pan or a greased 9 × 5-inch loaf pan. Close the bread machine lid and proof in the bread machine (or cover the loaf pan with a clean towel or food wrap and proof in a warm spot in the kitchen) until doubled in size, about 1 hour. You can also proof the dough overnight in the refrigerator; allow it to warm up at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes before baking.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, make the vanilla caramel sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, honey, vanilla, and salt and bring to a simmer, stirring often, until the sugar is melted. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
- Step 5
To bake in a bread machine: Pour the cooled caramel sauce evenly over the dough. Lock your pan into the bread machine. Select the BAKE setting and bake the loaf for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the machine and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then tip out onto a serving platter or cooling rack set on top of a sheet pan, to collect any syrupy drippings. Cool for 10 minutes more before serving warm.
- Step 6
To bake in a home oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the cooled caramel sauce evenly over the dough. Bake until golden brown on the top, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Then tip out onto a serving platter or cooling rack set on top of a sheet pan, to collect any syrupy drippings. Cool for 10 minutes more before serving warm.
- Step 7
LEFTOVER AND STORAGE: best on the day it’s made, but the bread can be shaped and assembled, then baked off the next morning. Wrap leftovers in foil and reheat them in a 300 degree F oven for 10 – 15 mins.
- Step 8
NOTE: For the most pronounced flavor, seek out whole cardamom seeds (either purchased in a jar as “whole cardamom seeds,” or still in their pods, which are easy to crack open to dislodge the seeds) and freshly grind them in a mortar or with an electric spice grinder.
- Step 9
Variation: Substitute ground cinnamon for the cardamom.