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Brioche Monkey Bread

A rich brioche dough turned into a sweet & delicious monkey bread. It's so worth the extra effort!
Brioche Monkey Bread

Ingredients

Sponge

  • 1 (0.25oz) package (7g) or 2 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast
  • 1/2 cup whole milk (at room temperature)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup bread flour

Dough

  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened, but still cool)

Coating

  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

  • Make the sponge: Combine the yeast and milk in the bowl of standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and whisk until the yeast is dissolved. Stir in the sugar and flour, forming a thick batter. Cover with plastic film and let rest in a warm environment for 30-45 minutes.
  • Make the dough: Add the bread flour and salt to the sponge, then add the eggs. Using the paddle attachment mix on low speed for 2 minutes, or until the eggs are absorbed. Increase the speed to medium and knead the dough for 5 minutes. At this point, the dough will be shiny and satiny.
  • Switch to the dough hook at this point. On medium speed, add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time. Knead until the dough is shiny and smooth, about 5 minutes.
  • Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it so the top is coated with oil. Cover with plastic film and let rise until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
  • After the dough has doubled in volume, press down to deflate, folding one half into the other. Fold two or three times. Cover with plastic film and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. This is the second rise.
  • Make the coating: Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
  • Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough evenly in half. Cover one piece with plastic film while you shape the other. You will not need the other half of the dough for this recipe so you can either make a double-batch of monkey bread, a loaf of bread or cinnamon rolls with this half.
  • Divide the dough into 24 even balls and place on cookie sheets or baking pans. Cover the dough with plastic film coated with pan spray and let rise at room temperature until it has doubled in size and filled the pans completely. It should take 1½ to 2 hours, depending on the temperature of your room.
  • Toward the end of the proofing, preheat the oven to 350°F. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven.
  • Prepare a standard loaf pan with baking spray or butter.
  • Gently toss the balls of dough, a few at a time, in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place 12 of them gently into the bottom of the prepared pan, taking care not to squeeze them too close together. Then the remaining 12 on top.
  • Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for approximately 40-50 minutes, until the top crust is nicely browned, and a thermometer inserted in the center reads 210°F.
  • Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, remove from pan and completely cool on wire rack.

Notes

Turn this brioche monkey bread into this 'over the top' bread pudding for a special treat!
Recipe by Sweet Recipeas.