Cheesy Monkey Bread

Name: Cheesy Monkey Bread
Prep time: 3 h 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 4 h 5 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 cup lowfat milk, warmed to 104° to 112°F; 2 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet); ¼ cup Cabot Unsalted Butter, melted plus 2 tablespoons softened; 2 eggs, divided lightly beaten; 3 ¼ cups King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, plus more for work surface; ½ teaspoon salt; 6 – 8 ounces Cabot Farmhouse Reserve, Seriously Sharp Cheddar or Extra Sharp Cheddar shredded (about 1½ – 2 cups), divided

Servings

12 servings, two pieces each

Prep Time

210 minutes

Cook Time

35 minutes

It’s impossible to resist these soft and fluffy pull-apart rolls topped with gooey melted Cabot cheddar! What makes these even more appealing is that you don’t need to worry about rounding the dough into balls. Instead, you simply cut the dough into pieces and load them into the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. They’ll puff up together as they rise and bake. Serve this monkey bread as part of an elegant brunch menu or simply for an extra delightful snack! Be sure to share this recipe with family and friends on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Although there are several steps and the prep is a bit time-consuming, we promise this monkey bread isn’t complicated to make. You’ll begin by stirring warm milk and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl and then sprinkling yeast over the milk. Let sit for about 5 minutes, until foamy, and then add melted Cabot Unsalted Butter and 1 beaten egg, whisking to combine.

Next, add flour, sprinkle with salt, and mix either in a stand mixer or with a wooden spoon per recipe instructions below. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gradually knead it by hand, incorporating the remaining 1/3 flour until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Coat a bowl with cooking spray or oil and set dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot until the dough is doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours. Once dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down into a flat shape, sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar. Fold the dough over and gradually knead cheddar into the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest on the surface for about 30 to 45 minutes.

With the remaining 2 tablespoons of softened butter, coat an 10-inch Lodge Cast Iron skillet. Divide dough into 24 roughly equal balls and layer the dough balls into the bottom of the skillet. Brush the top with the remaining 1 beaten egg.

Preheat oven to 375°F and let dough rise until it is even with the top of the skillet rim. Bake until the top is deeply golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. Then sprinkle with the remaining ½ – 1 cup cheddar cheese and bake another 2 to 4 minutes, until cheese melts. Remove skillet from oven and let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.

Before serving, run a knife along the edges of the bread and remove bread from the skillet as directed below. Let bread cool on a rack until warm and dig in!

Cabot is a cooperative of over 800 farm families and has been producing award-winning dairy products for many years. We’d love to hear your feedback on this skillet cheesy monkey bread, so please rate and review the recipe after you’ve tried it!

Ingredients

1 cup lowfat milk, warmed to 104° to 112°F
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
¼ cup Cabot Unsalted Butter, melted plus 2 tablespoons softened
2 eggs, divided lightly beaten
3 ¼ cups King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, plus more for work surface
½ teaspoon salt
6 – 8 ounces Cabot Farmhouse Reserve, Seriously Sharp Cheddar or Extra Sharp Cheddar shredded (about 1½ – 2 cups), divided

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Directions

STIR warm milk and sugar in bowl of a stand mixer or mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the milk and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
ADD melted butter and 1 beaten egg and whisk to combine.
ADD flour, sprinkle with salt and mix with the dough hook attachment until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes on medium speed. Alternatively, stir in about ⅔ of the flour with a wooden spoon until stiff. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gradually knead the dough by hand incorporating the remaining ⅓ flour until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
COAT a bowl with cooking spray or oil and set dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot until the dough is doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
TURN dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down into a flat shape, sprinkle with 1 cup cheddar. Fold the dough over and gradually knead cheddar into the dough, for about 45 seconds. Let rest on the surface (covered with plastic) 30 to 45 minutes to relax.
COAT an 10-inch Lodge Cast Iron skillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons softened butter. Divide dough into 24 roughly equal balls. Layer dough balls into the bottom of the skillet. Brush the top with the remaining 1 beaten egg.
PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Let dough rise until it is even with the top of the skillet rim, 20 to 30 minutes. Bake until the top is deeply golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ – 1 cup cheddar and bake to allow to melt, 2 to 5 minutes. Remove skillet from oven and let the bread cool in the pan about 10 minutes.
RUN a knife along the edges of the bread. Remove the bread from the skillet by inserting two carving forks or pairing knives into the sides of the loaf and lifting it out as if they were handles. Let cool on a rack until warm.