how2heroes » Savory Monkey Bread

Dessert & Baked Goods » Savory Monkey Bread

Maria Collins shares her whole-grain, Gruyère cheese and sautéed onion recipe for monkey bread. Flavored with a mix of aromatic herbs, this savory version is incredible served warm from the oven but it's also great as the base for a delicious stuffing. All you need is a bit of time and patience to let the dough rise a few of times and to roll 64 pieces of dough into paws. Put on some festive tunes, share the rolling task, and you'll agree it's well worth the effort.

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Ingredients

Dough

½ cup skim milk
1 cup water
2 tbsp honey
½ cup rolled oats
2 cups whole wheat bread flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tbsp instant yeast
1½ tsp salt
water, added 1 tbsp at a time (if dough seems dry)
3 egg yolks
4 tbsp butter, melted
2-3 tbsp chopped herbs, fresh or dried (parsley, rosemary, oregano, sage, etc.)
1 medium onion, diced, cooked & cooled

For Assembly

½ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
1 tbsp mixed chopped herbs, fresh or dried
1¼ cups shredded Gruyère cheese
nonstick cooking spray

Special Equipment

stand mixer with dough hook attachment
pastry cloth
pizza wheel or pastry blade
tube pan or bundt pan

How-to

Make Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together water, milk, honey, flours, oats and yeast until no dry patches remain and dough has formed a shaggy ball
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 20 minutes for gluten to develop
Using the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, add salt to the rested dough and start on low speed, then increase to medium speed for 7 minutes (keeping a hand on the base of the mixer so it doesn't run off the counter). If dough seems dry, add water, 1 tbsp at a time
Add egg yolks and melted and butter and mix to incorporate
Add herbs and mix on low for 1 minute
Microwave onions for 2 minutes or sauté in a small amount of oil 7-10 minutes until translucent. Set aside to cool
Remove dough from mixer bowl and transfer to a large pastry cloth or floured counter. Spread dough into a rough rectangle, about 12” x 9” and distribute cooled onions evenly over the top. Roll from the long side into a log, then curl the log into a coil
Transfer the dough ball to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in size, 2 - 2½ hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen
Once doubled, transfer dough to your large pastry cloth or floured counter, press out into a rectangle, about 12” x 9”. Use a bench knife or pizza wheel to cut into 64 pieces
In a shallow baking dish, mix chopped herbs and olive oil and roll each piece of dough into a ball, coat in oil and parsley, and transfer to a tube (angle food cake) or bundt pan prepped with nonstick cooking spray
Add a little more than ⅓ of the dough balls to the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle with ⅓ of the cheese before adding the next layer
Repeat with second layer and third layers, but add less dough to the second layer than the first and third. Wrap pan in plastic and set aside to rise until doubled in size, 35-60 minutes, until dough rises almost to the to of the pan

Bake & Serve

Preheat oven after 30 minutes to 350º
Once doubled, bake 45-55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool 15 minutes
Run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan (the cheese may stick) before inverting onto cooling rack, then use a towel or pot holders to flip bread upright to continue cooling. Serve warm or at room temperature