Monkey Bread

This is it!  The one you've all been waiting for!  Monkey bread.  That warm thought on holiday mornings, full of deliciousness, sugar, and fat.  What more could you want!  Why I chose to make this in the middle of summer is beyond me, but here it is.

As a teenager, I would attend early morning seminary every day before school.  Once a week, one of the students would bring a treat.  I always made monkey bread.  Here is the original recipe that I used (I love it for it's simplicity).

Original recipe

1 package (24 rolls) frozen white bread dough (Rhodes)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 package regular butterscotch pudding mix
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Grease Bundt pan, place frozen rolls loosely in pan.  Mix brown sugar and butterscotch pudding mix and sprinkle over rolls.  Mix white sugar, cinnamon, and pecans and sprinkle over rolls.  Melt butter and drizzle over rolls.  Leave uncovered in oven overnight.  In the morning, remove pan from oven.  Preheat at 350 degrees; bake 30-40 minutes.  Let stand in pan 10 minutes before flipping over onto serving plate.

This recipe is so simple because the dough is already made.  I set off to find my own gluten free version.

Gluten Free Version

You will need:
Dough:
9 egg whites
3 tablespoons of oil
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon and 1 1/4 teaspoons xanthan/guar gum
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons vanilla

Topping: 
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 package regular butterscotch pudding mix (Jello brand specifies that it uses modified cornstarch)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or 2 teaspoons, why not?)
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used almonds)

Icing:
1 eight ounce package of cream cheese softened
1/4 cup butter softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a Bundt pan.

Step Two: Beat the egg whites until frothy with whisk attachment on a stand mixer. Add the remaining dough ingredients and stir until thick using the paddle attachment.  (Mine ended up like a thick cake batter/cookie dough mix.  It would be easier to work with if it were a little thicker than that.  If yours ends up runny then add a little more flour until you get the right consistency.) Set aside.

Step Three: Combine the topping ingredients with a fork.

Step Four: Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough into the Bundt pan in layers. (I found here that spraying the spoon once or twice with vegetable spray worked really well.) After the first layer sprinkle a generous amount of topping, do another layer and more topping, and so on.  (I had three layers and more than enough topping)

Step Five: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  If you can see the bread it will be lightly browned.   Let it cool 10 minutes and then invert onto a platter.

Step Six: In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Mix in the vanilla and gradually stir in the vanilla (more vanilla can't hurt either).  Pour/spread over the top of monkey bread.**Make sure that your cream cheese and butter are softened or else you'll have to do what I did.  Which is melt them in a pan and mix it there, it was inconvenient, but it worked fine. 

Step Seven: Voila!!!  Now you have a delicious dish to share with your friends.  This recipe is easily put in halves or thirds to make a smaller amount.