Monkey Bread (or Caramel Rolls)

I'd heard about "monkey bread", but hadn't tried making it until last year. Bread is one of my weaknesses (no carb-free diets for me!), and I LOVE cinnamon rolls (or anything similar). These are really tasty, and are like a really sticky cinnamon roll. Because you do most of the prep the night before, they're a quick and easy way to have a yummy breakfast without getting up at the crack of dawn to allow time for rising.

I have seen recipes for monkey bread online that call for refrigerated biscuit dough, but I like this version, which uses frozen roll dough. There are many other variations on this recipe out there, but I got this version of the recipe from my friend Barb. She calls them Caramel Rolls. Sounds a little more appetizing than Monkey Bread, but whatever you call it, it's delicious!

I'm usually against nuts in my baked goods...I like most nuts, but I don't like something crunchy in the middle of my breads, brownies, etc. I think this recipe is the first exception I've found. I tried it with the pecans, and actually preferred it that way.

On to the recipe:

Monkey Bread (or Caramel Rolls)

22-24 Frozen Rolls (such as Rhodes)
1 small box cook and serve (not instant) butterscotch pudding
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans-optional

In a greased bundt pan, layer pecans, rolls, then the dry pudding mix. (This might not seem like enough rolls, but DON'T add more; it will rise too high.) Melt butter and sugar together; poor over rolls. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Let rise over night in a cold oven (about 8 hours). Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Carefully turn out onto a plate. Cut into slices and enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls have always been a weakness of mine. They are one of my favorite treats. One that can even be considered breakfast once in awhile (although of course not a very healthy one). Cinnamon rolls are infinitely better when baked fresh, and eaten warm out of the oven. This necessitated learning to make them fresh at home.

There are at least hundreds of cinnamon roll recipes out there. Just google it...you'll see. I have tried a few different recipes, and actually have a few more I would like to try. For now, this is the recipe I use most often, for a few different reasons. First of all, this recipe is quick. It only requires one rise, which cuts the time in half compared with many of the recipes out there. After all, I don't want to have to get up at the crack of dawn to make them for breakfast. Also, while these are definitely not healthy, they don't have as much butter, etc. as some of the recipes I've seen out there. So I feel a little better about eating them, yet they still taste great! It also gives the option of using part or all wheat flour. I'll admit, I've always used white for these, but maybe one day I'll add some wheat to make them a little better for me.

This particular recipe makes about 2 dozen, so I usually cut it in half.

Cinnamon Rolls

4 eggs (Room temp. I just stick the whole eggs in warm water for a few minutes if they're cold.)
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. shortening
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. warm water
2/3 c. powdered milk
7-8 c. flour (white, wheat, or a combination)
2 T. yeast
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. cinnamon
Raisins, nuts, chocolate chips - optional. I don't add any of them, but if you like soggy raisins in your baked goods, be my guest :)

Cream together sugar, shortening, eggs, and salt. Add warm water, powdered milk, and 3-4 cups flour. Blend in yeast and then additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead lightly with a dough hook or in a bowl. Let rise 1 hour and then roll out to about 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Spread with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Add raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips if desired. Roll up, starting from a long side, and cut into about 1 1/2 inch pieces. (I prefer to use thread to cut them.) Place on greased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool about 10 minutes and glaze.

Glaze:
4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
milk to make spreadable

Combine sugar, butter, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Gradually add milk until glaze reaches desired consistency.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

We used to have a patient come to the office where I work who would often bring in treats. She made great treats, so we nearly always asked her for the recipes. She started automatically bringing a copy of the recipe in with her treats after awhile, knowing she would be asked to bring it in later anyway.

This is my most used of her recipes. It's sweet enough to be a dessert, but if I use the rule that says it's good for you if there's a veggie in it, I feel less guilty eating it.

The recipe makes 2 regular size loaves, but can also make 6 mini loaves.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

2 c. pumpkin
4 eggs
1 c. oil
3/4 c. water
3 1/2 c. flour
3 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. baking soda
1 t/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, and water and mix well. Mix dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake one hour and 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

This is a pretty typical banana bread, but has a tasty twist. It has a crispy, sugary, cinnamon topping that makes it so good. In order to make the topping turn out right, it only works in a bundt or angel food pan. I tried loaf pans, and it just wasn't the same.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Bread:
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
4 Tbsp. sour cream
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. bananas, mashed (about 2 large bananas)

Topping:
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/8 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. nuts, chopped (optional)

The recipe said to line an angel food cake pan with waxed paper and grease well. I use a bundt pan because I don't have an angel food cake pan, and I had trouble getting the waxed paper to work. So I spray the pan really well with Pam With Flour. (Upon further reflection after baking it with the waxed paper once...DON'T do it. Just really grease the pan thoroughly. There's a chance a little of the topping will stick to the pan, but when I used waxed paper, the topping didn't bake through correctly, and there was no crunchy goodness on the top of the cake--and that's the best part.)

Cream the sugar, butter, and eggs. Combine baking soda and sour cream; stir into butter and sugar mixture. Add flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in vanilla and bananas. Pour half of the batter into the pan. Combine topping ingredients. (I keep the chocolate chips separate and sprinkle them on separately; I find I can control how well they are spread out that way.) Sprinkle half the topping over the batter in the pan. Pour the remaining batter into the pan and sprinkle with remaining topping. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes. (About 55 minutes has usually been about right for me.) Cake is done when toothpick comes out clean. Cool before removing from the pan.

Bread Machine Dinner Rolls

You can make these without a bread machine; just mix the ingredients together yourself. But I love this recipe because I can put all the ingredients in the bread maker, set the timer, and have the dough ready for me when I get home from church or wherever. (I know, I'm probably one of the few people who still own a bread machine. I pretty much never use it for baking bread, but it's very convenient for making dough.) These rolls are light and airy. I got this recipe years ago from someone at church.

Bread Machine Dinner Rolls

Put the following ingredients in the bread machine first:

2 1/2 Tbsp. softened butter
1 egg yolk - room temperature (you don't need the white for this recipe)
1/2 c. dry milk
1/6 c. sugar (Yes, just 1/6. I just eyeball it to fill my 1/3 measuring cup half full)
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. warm water

Next, put 3 cups of bread flour over the liquid ingredients. Poke a small hole in the center of the flour, and put 1 envelope (or 1 Tbsp.) dry yeast in the hole.

Set your machine on dough cycle, and start.

I don't usually worry about this next step, since I'm not usually there when the dough starts mixing. But the recipe says to open the top of the machine 5 minutes after it starts. If there is still flour in the corners of the machine, add 1 Tbsp. water, and scrape the flour with a spatula. Can repeat if necessary. If it seems too watery, you can add flour 1 Tbsp. at a time instead. (Once again, I almost never do this, and they turn out fine for me.)

When the dough cycle is done, empty the machine onto a lightly floured surface. (A rubber spatula helps loosen the dough from the machine.) Gently punch the dough down. Divide into 12 pieces. Roll each of them into a ball, and place in a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Let rise about 1 1/2 hours. (See my recipe for Speedy Rolls to see how to speed up this part of the process.) I cover them with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray while they rise. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350, until just lightly browned.

Speedy Rolls

I took this recipe from the Ivory Favorite's Cookbook. They call it "Natalie's Speedy Rolls", but I don't know Natalie, so I'll just call it "Speedy Rolls". (Although I do appreciate Natalie sharing it in the first place.) For some reason, making homemade bread of any kind used to really intimidate me. However, I love a good homemade roll, and was determined to learn to make them. It turns out, it's not so hard. Of course, having a Kitchenaid mixer has really helped make the dough making process much quicker and easier. This is my most used roll recipe, both because they taste great, and because they are much faster than most homemade rolls. They only rise for about 1 hour and 15 minutes total. (Sometimes I can even speed up the first rise by heating the oven to 100 degrees, then turning off the oven. I place the bowl of dough in the warm oven, and they often rise to double more quickly. However, I've found this works better in an electric oven than a gas one.)

A few notes: This makes 24 rolls. I often cut the recipe in half and make just 1 dozen. Also, I usually roll them out into a rectangle (2 rectangles if making 2 dozen). I cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut it the other direction 5 times, so I have 2 rows of 6 rectangles. I then brush them with butter before rolling them up. Also, I usually bake them in a 9x13 pan. They rise up so they bake right next to each other, and stay soft all the way through. If you prefer them lightly browned all over, you can bake them on a large cookie sheet with a little space between them. The results will be slightly different. Okay, enough rambling. On to the recipe:

Speedy Rolls

2 T. dry yeast
2 c. warm water, divided (I was once told if you dip a finger in the water, then flip the water on your other wrist, if it feels neither hot nor cold, but about the same temp. as your skin, it's the correct temperature. That test has worked pretty well for me.)
1 c. instant powdered milk
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs (room temp. I sometimes put them in warm water for a few minutes if I forget to leave them out ahead of time)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened (plus some extra kept separate for brushing on the rolls if desired)
6 c. flour (I use bread flour, but all purpose works)

Combine 1 cup of the warm water with the yeast; set aside. In mixing bowl (or Kitchenaid bowl), mix together the other cup of water with the powdered milk, sugar, eggs, salt, butte, and 1 cup of the flour. Add the softened yeast and blend. Pour in remaining flour slowly while mixing and knead for 10-15 minutes. (It only takes about 5 minutes or less to knead in my Kitchenaid.)

Place dough in an oiled bowl (I spray with cooking spray) and let rise until double in size (about an hour.) Punch down dough and divide in half. Roll out each half into a large circle on a floured surface, and cut with a pizza cutter or sharp knife into 12 segments. (Here is where I brush them with butter.) Roll up "croissant style" and place on greased cookie sheets, or 2 9x13 pans. Let rise for 15 minutes (while preheating the oven to 350 degrees). Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden. (If I bake them in a 9x13 pan, they tend to take a full 15 minutes, and I only wait until the tops barely start to turn golden.)