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Grandma Coco’s Monkey Bread: World Famous

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Grandma Coco’s Monkey Bread is so soft and buttery. It is baked in a bundt pan and the sections just pull apart. It’s a simple bread recipe and a real crowd-pleaser. Grandma Coco always serves her monkey bread on holidays and special occasions. This recipe is a must-try!

Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread pulled apart on a plate.

TO MAKE GRANDMA COCO’S MONKEY BREAD YOU WILL NEED:

  • 2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. dry yeast
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • 4 Tbsp. oil
  • 7 cups flour
  • 12 Tbsp. of butter (for the pan)

This recipe makes TWO bundt pan loaves. You can easily halve the recipe if you would like to just make one, but if you make one you’ll probably wish you had two!

LET’S GET BAKING:

Pour the two cups of warm water into a bowl or the bowl of a  stand mixer then sprinkle with the yeast.

Yeast sprinkled on top of warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Next, add the sugar and salt and let it rest while the yeast develops for 10 min.

bloomed yeast

Now crack two eggs into a bowl. I assumed you needed a picture of this. 😉

2 eggs cracked into a bowl

Add the 4 Tbsp. of oil to the eggs and beat them together.

Eggs and oil mixed in a bowl.

Next, pour the egg and oil mixture into the mixing bowl with the yeast mixture. 

pouring the egg mixture into the yeast mixture.

Mix until just combined. 

Developed yeast and egg mixture. Nice and bubbley.

DRY INGREDIENTS:

Add the first three cups of flour to the mixer.

Flour added to the yeast mixture in a mixing bowl.

Mix until the flour is incorporated. 

The start of the dough for Grandma Coco's Monkey Dough.

Now add three and a half more cups of the flour and mix until incorporated.  I leave the last half cup of flour for when I roll the dough out later.

Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread dough in a mixing bowl, ready to rise.

TIME TO RISE:

Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place until about double in size. The time it takes the dough to double will vary depending on how warm your house is, altitude, etc. Generally, it will only take about 30 minutes. Once the dough has doubled, dump it out onto a clean floured surface.

dough and flour on the dounter

Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’

Start by splitting the dough into two equal portions to go into the two pans. Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using a round cookie cutter, or the rim of a glass, cut the dough into circles. Take the scraps and roll them out again, and continue cutting circles until you’ve used all the dough. 

Circle cookie cutter cutting dough on a counter
Circles of dough cut out on a countertop.

Now it’s time for the BUTTER!!! Add 6 Tbsp. of salted butter to each pan. You can melt it and then add it to your pans….

Butter in a bundt pan

….or add the solid butter to your pans and stick them in the oven while it preheats for a minute and allow the butter to melt that way. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn. Remove the pans from the oven as soon as the butter has melted.

Melted butter in a bundt pan.

STACKING:

Now for the fun part! Take those beautiful little circles of dough, and dip both sides in the warm butter, and stack them like so. Keep going until you use all the dough and both pans are filled. 

Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread dough in a bundt pan, ready to rise.

SECOND RISE:

Now let the dough rise again. The beautiful thing about the warm butter is that it helps these little guys puff up pretty quickly. It is ready for the oven when it looks about like this.

Dough risen and ready to bake.

TIME TO BAKE:

Now bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown and the center is no longer doughy. 

Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread baking in the oven

It should smell incredible in your house right about now!

Two bundt loaf pans of Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread baking in the oven.

Does it get better than hot, golden, buttery bread???

A pan of Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread fresh from the oven.

REAPING THE REWARD:

Allow the monkey bread to cool for a few minutes, then go ahead and turn it over onto a plate to serve. If the pan is still hot, make sure to use hot pads and be careful when turning it over. It is so golden and delicious!

Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread turned out onto a plate. Golden brown on top.

Pull off a piece or two and devour.

Pieces of Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread on a plate.

BUTTER

And you can always add a smidge more butter if you want. It is great just as it is though. It’s also great topped with jam or honey or used to wipe up gravy from your plate.

2 slices of Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread on a plate with a big pat of butter melting on top.
5.0 from 5 reviews
Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread is so soft and buttery. It is baked in a bundt pan and the sections just pull apart. It's a simple bread recipe and a real crowd-pleaser. Grandma Coco always serves her monkey bread on holidays and special occasions. This recipe is a must-try!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups lukewarm water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. dry yeast
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • 4 Tbsp. oil
  • 7 cups flour
  • 12 Tbsp. salted butter
Instructions
  1. Pour 2 cups of warm water into a mixing bowl or mixer
  2. Sprinkle yeast on water
  3. Add sugar and salt and let sit for 10 minutes
  4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and oil together
  5. Add oil/egg mixture to yeast mixture and mix
  6. Next, add the first 3 cups of flour and mix
  7. Add 3.5 cups of flour and mix
  8. Cover and let rise until double
  9. Dump onto a clean, floured surface using the remaining ½ cup of flour
  10. Separate the dough into two equal sections
  11. Knead and roll the dough out one section at a time
  12. Cut dough with a circle cookie cutter
  13. Add 6 Tbsp. melted butter in each of the two bundt pans
  14. Dip each dough circle on both sides in butter and stack around in a circle until you've used all the dough
  15. Do the same for the rest of the dough in the other pan
  16. Let rise until double
  17. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  18. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes
  19. Serve warm or cooled

I really hope y’all will give this recipe a try. Maybe it’s because it’s my Mama’s recipe and it tastes like home, or that it is warm, butter-loaded carbs, but I LOVE Grandma Coco’s Monkey Bread!

Rate this recipe:  

CallieAnn

Tuesday 6th of February 2024

I have been home recovering from surgery and decided to go in a mission to find the best bread. I want to replace store bought with all the chemicals.This recipe is so easy! I love it so much! I think this is the winner! I made it in our large loaf pan and it came out beautifully! It rose so much! The flavor is Devine. 🙌🏻 Definitely chef’s 💋

MANDY

Tuesday 6th of February 2024

Thanks so much for your sweet comment! I'm so glad you loved the recipe. Wishing you a speedy recovery! -Mandy

INSTANT POT BALSAMIC DIJON HAM: THE BEST RECIPE - HUCKLEBERRY LIFE

Sunday 26th of November 2023

[…] Even better when you serve it up with our Instant Pot New Potatoes and Peas and Grandma Cocoa’s Monkey Bread! […]

Mary Riley

Thursday 23rd of November 2023

I love this bread .it's a good thing it makes 2 pans my husband and I fight over it. I took it to a holiday dinner now they ask for it.

MANDY

Saturday 25th of November 2023

I'm so glad you love it! It is a hit at our house too. :)

Rachel

Saturday 14th of October 2023

Can’t stop eating this!

David

Monday 12th of June 2023

Wow! First time making monkey bread and it was SOOOOO GOOD! Softest bread ever! Nice and buttery with ADDED butter when eating it. Thanks, so much, for sharing!

MANDY

Wednesday 14th of June 2023

BUTTER!!! I'm so glad Grandma Coco's Monkey Bread was a hit at your house! No shame in adding extra butter! :) -Mandy