Monkey bread is a sweet, pull-apart bread made from small balls of dough, typically coated in butter, cinnamon, and sugar before being baked together in a bundt or tube pan. This recipe for Savoury Monkey Bread Wreath incorporates garlic, chilli and cheese, as well as different herbs and spices to make various doughs. The dough balls are placed into a prepared pan alternating flavours. Once baked, it forms a multicoloured bread wreath that people can tear apart with their hands, making it a fun and communal treat.
Savoury Monkey Bread Wreath Recipe
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
7g sachet dried yeast
4 ¼ cups plain flour
2 tsp caster sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 cup warm milk
⅓ cup olive oil
100g unsalted butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup black sesame seeds
¼ cup white sesame seeds
2 tbsp chilli sauce (such as sambal oelek)
¼ cup store-bought crispy fried shallots, crushed
⅓ cup finely grated Manchego cheese
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp Aleppo pepper
1 tbsp sumac
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
¼ cup dried chives
Method:
Combine the yeast and ½ cup warm water together in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes. Combine the flour, 2 tsp fine table salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg, milk, oil and yeast mixture and stir
to combine.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a large greased bowl. Loosely cover with a clean tea towel. Set aside for 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Grease and line a 22cm cake tin (base measurement) with non-stick baking paper, allowing the paper to sit 3cm above the edge. Lightly grease an 8cm tall and 8cm wide ovenproof ramekin or metal ring mould and place in the centre of the tin.
Punch down the dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide the dough into 60 portions, roll into balls and set aside.
Combine the butter and garlic in a medium bowl and set aside.
Place the black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds and chilli sauce in 3 separate bowls. Place shallots and Manchego in one bowl. Place the paprika, Aleppo pepper and sumac in one bowl. Place parsley and chives in one bowl, making six bowls in total.
Working one at a time, brush the dough balls with garlic butter and roll 10 balls into each bowl, resulting in 60 balls – 10 of each flavour. Place the balls in the base of the prepared pan, alternating with flavours. Allow to rise in the tin for 15 minutes.
Place on a baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Set aside in the tin for 10 minutes, before removing the ramekin. Turn the bread out and serve.
