Butter. Cinnamon. Sugar. If only these were the three foods we needed to survive. Luckily, they all come together in what is called Monkey Bread. Mmmmmm. I made this for my family on Christmas morning last year and it was so good, it will definitely be a new tradition for us. Monkey bread was easier than I thought to make, too. There are no crazy ingredients, so if you bake regularly, you probably already have them on hand. The best thing about this recipe, is you can put it all together the night before you bake it. Perfect for Christmas morning or if you have early morning plans. All you need to do when you wake up is stick it in the oven. So let’s go…

What you will need:

9 inch greased bundt or tube pan

To make the cinnamon sugar:

3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

To make the dough:

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup warm milk
1 large egg
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter melted

First, make the cinnamon sugar. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients together, set aside. Next, in a small bowl (I used a glass cereal bowl), heat 1/4 cup of water in microwave until warm, not hot (or you can just use warm tap water, whatever is more convenient for you). Sprinkle the yeast over the water, stir, and let stand about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl (or bowl of your electric mixer), add salt, sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, milk, egg and yeast mixture. Beat until blended. Add flour, one cup at a time, until everything is incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead about 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Cut (or pull) dough and make 1 to 2 inch balls (see picture). Roll each ball in 1/2 cup melted butter and then the cinnamon sugar mixture and place in pan. Once all the dough is used, sprinkle any remaining sugar and drizzle remaining butter on top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, take pan out of refrigerator and set it on your counter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on wire rack for about 15 minutes before inverting onto serving plate. Enjoy! Seriously, so divine 😉