Pumpkin Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 Tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup warm milk

1/4 cup warm water

2/3 cup pumpkin puree 

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Coating/Layering:

1 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 stick butter, melted

1 block cream cheese (not softened)

12oz pecan pieces

Whisk together the flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, water, pumpkin, melted butter, sugar, and yeast. 

Add wet ingredient to the dry and mix together

Once both wet and dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, it’s time to knead the dough. You can either turn the dough onto floured surface and knead by hand until elastic (about 8-10 minutes) or using a kneading attachment for your mixer. You’ll likely have to add flour a little at a time during the kneading process in order to get the elastic consistency that is the mark of good bread dough.

Once the dough is elastic, transfer to a bowl sprayed with cooking spray. Flip the dough over so that the top is coated and won’t dry out. Cover with a towel and allow to rise until double in size or about an hour.

While the dough is rising you can go ahead and do a little prep work for the assembly process. Cut a block of refrigerated cream cheese into tiny cubes. You’ll need to get 20-30 cubes out of one block so slice small. You can also mix together the cinnamon and sugar for rolling the dough balls and if you feel really ambitious you can melt a stick of butter.

Once the dough has doubled in size, it’s ready to be divided into small balls. 

Pinch dough into balls that are 1 1/2 – 2 inches in diameter and tuck a cube of cream cheese inside. Dip each ball in the melted butter then roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Place one layer balls in a Bundt pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle pecans on top then add another layers of balls. Repeat dough ball/pecan layers until Bundt pan is a little over half full.  A tighter packed pan makes cake-like, sliceable monkey bread whereas a lightly packed  pan (ie just laying the balls in the pan) makes for pull-apart monkey bread.

After layering is complete, sprinkle any leftover butter and cinnamon/sugar mixture on top, cover, and allow to rise again for about an hour. Once the dough has risen for the second time, bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

After baking, let the monkey bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes (no longer or it will get stuck!) then flip onto a serving platter. 

Enjoy this yummy treat. It is really good for breakfast! 

Original recipe found here.