Whether it be Christmas morning or Easter brunch, The Ultimate Gluten Free Sticky Monkey Bread has become a tradition in many households around the globe. Start the day off right by having this celebratory Monkey Bread for brunch. Add a side of fruit and some cheese, and you’ll have everyone swooning.
With the holiday right around the corner, I took it upon myself to make the ULTIMATE gluten free Sticky Monkey Bread (or Bubble Bread) that I could.
After the success of my Best Gluten Free Cinnamon Buns last January, I decided to try using that dough to create the most ultimate Gluten Free Sticky Monkey Bread I could. I don’t mean to toot my own horn here, but I think I’ve done it.
I did make a gluten free Monkey Bread last Christmas, and it was good, but wasn’t great. I’m always trying to raise the bar with gluten free baking, and improving existing recipes is a part of that.
This ultimate gluten free sticky monkey bread is the golden ticket. Soft yeasty dough, surrounded with a cinnamon and sugar mixture, baked in a gooey, sticky caramel sauce is pure perfection.
No, it is not a low calorie dish, sometimes calories shouldn’t be counted. This is one of those times. We generally only make this gluten free pull-apart Monkey Bread for Christmas, which is definitely a time to celebrate.
How to make the Ultimate Gluten Free Sticky Monkey Bread ahead of time:
The great news is I have done some testing with this recipe. You can form the dough, get it all prepped and in the baking pan, wrap it up in plastic wrap (a few layers is best), and put it straight in the freezer. Decide when you want to bake it (like Christmas morning), and take it out of the deep freeze the night before, letting it defrost (still covered) in the fridge.
In the morning (when you are awoken at 5:00 a.m. by the kids) place the gf Monkey Bread into a warm, draft-free place. I like to warm my oven slightly, and place the baking pan in there to get it nice & cozy warm. After it has risen, bake it, and it will be just as good as if you hadn’t made it ahead of time.
I would not recommend freezing it for longer than 1 week, but you can easily make it a few days in advance and use this method without a problem.
More recipes to help you make the ultimate holiday brunch:
- Make Ahead Baked French Toast
- Gluten Free Breakfast Muffins with Ham and Vegetables
- Gluten Free Cranberry Chocolate Bread
- Best Winter Fruit Salad
- Gluten Free Vanilla Scones
- Copycat Orange Julius
The Ultimate Gluten Free Sticky Monkey Bread Recipe:
The Ultimate Gluten Free Sticky Monkey Bread
Whether it be Christmas morning or Easter brunch, The Ultimate Gluten Free Sticky Monkey Bread has become a tradition in many households around the globe. Start the day off right by having this celebratory Monkey Bread for brunch. Add a side of fruit and some cheese, and you'll have everyone swooning.
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or corn syrup)
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Cinnamon & Sugar Mixture to Roll the Dough in:
- 1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (more or less depending on how cinnamon-y you like it)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 1/2 cup re-hydrated raisins (optional, I didn't add them, but if you like raisins in you cinnamon buns, you can add them to your Monkey Bread too)
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 2/3 cup brown rice flour
- 1/3 PLUS 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (dry) OR dry milk powder
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast
- 1 tablespoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Caramel Sauce:
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar and maple syrup. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Let the caramel sauce sit and cool while you prepare the dough. Pour mixture over the top of the dough.
Cinnamon & Sugar Mixture to Roll the Dough in:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ground cinnamon and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Set aside.
- Place chopped pecans (and raisins, if using) into the bottom of Bundt or tube pan. Set aside. Do not use a pan with a removable bottom, as the syrup would run through and make a huge mess.
Dough:
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix all dry ingredients until combined. Set aside.
- Put water and butter in a glass measuring cup and microwave just until the butter has melted. Remove from microwave and stir.
- Add milk, stir. Add other wet ingredients and whisk to combine.
- With the stand mixer running on low, using the paddle attachment, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Scrap down the bowl if you have to.
- Allow to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
- Form the dough into 3/4" balls and roll them to coat them fully in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. I used my smallest cookie scoop and just dropped the dough into the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
- Place sugar coated dough into the Bundt pan, on top of the pecans. Be sure to not tightly pack the dough into the pan, allow gaps between the dough. Repeat until all of the dough has been formed, rolled in the cinnamon/sugar mixture & placed in the pan. If you have any cinnamon/sugar mixture left, sprinkle it over the top of the dough in the pan.
- Pour the cooled caramel sauce over the monkey bread.
- If you want to freeze the dough, now would be the time to wrap the pan in two layers of plastic wrap and place in freezer.
- To bake immediately, allow the dough to rise for 20-30 minutes in a warm, draft-free place. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. When you remove the Monkey Bread from the oven, allow it to sit in the baking pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a serving dish or plate. To do this, place the plate upside down on top of the baking pan, and (while wearing oven mitts, just in case), quickly turn the plate and baking pan upside down. Your Monkey Bread should release from the pan without a problem. If there are still pecans and syrup in the baking pan, use a spoon and spoon the mixture over the top of the Monkey Bread.
- If you can wait, it is best to wait 10-15 minutes before serving. This not only allows the syrup to cool off a bit, but also allows the texture of the bread to improve (when gluten free bread cools slightly, it is less 'gummy').
If you froze your Monkey Bread for baking it later:
- Remove your baking pan from the freezer and place it in the fridge the night before. This allows the dough to defrost, but not begin rising too much yet. When you are ready to bake it, you want to place the baking pan in warm, draft-free place and allow it to rise for 30-40 minutes, or until the dough has nearly doubled in size. Baking directions are the same as if you were to bake it immediately.
Notes
Gluten-free AND Dairy-Free Monkey Bread:
I know many, many of you have asked how to change this recipe so that it is both gluten and dairy free.
REPLACE the instant vanilla pudding powder with 1/4 cup almond flour (although Jell-o brand pudding powder is dairy free)
REPLACE the 1/2 cup water and 3/4 cup milk with your favorite non-dairy milk
REPLACE all of the butter with vegan buttery sticks (I used Earth Balance)
REPLACE the heavy cream in the sauce with 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk.
Recommended Products
Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
The images were updated in March 2018.
Betty Reimer says
Oh Jeanine, your bar must be right up there..how can you raise it anymore girl?? This monkey bread looks fantastic..it seems I should be able to pick it right out of the screen..yummers!!
Jeanine says
Thanks, Betty! I was so thrilled when it worked. lol Silly things make us happy. 🙂
Jackie Bowles says
Your Monkey Bread is the bestest EVER…………I haven’t really found any good recipes for bread, especially Monkey Bread. All my co-workers and in-laws loved the bread and couldn’t believe it was Gluten Free…..Thanks so much, I ate the bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner the first day I made it ………had a little more self control the next time I made it so I shared it with others !!!!
Anna Kosinski says
I just want to say that I am going to try these as I have been hungry for them a long time now. I tired your cinnamon rolls and the only trouble I had was rolling them out so I used a little cornstarch. they were good and just finished them today. Thank you for the good recipes.
Jeanine says
If rolling them was the problem, Anna, this recipe is PERFECT for you! The dough is the same as the cinnamon buns, but since you don’t have to form them, it’s super easy to do! I use a small cookie scoop, and it works great.
Johnna says
I cannot wait to try this! Just when I think there isn’t anything missing from my gluten-free repertoire, you’ve found something I hadn’t thought about in years. Yum!
Jeanine says
Oh, Johnna, there’s always something, isn’t there? 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Tamara says
Oh, Jeanine…I think I’ve made you “Empress of the Kitchen”…this looks amazing! And I did try the monkey bread recipe last year, and it didn’t turn out as good as this one looks! Happy Holidays to you and yours! (Hooray for great cooks and bloggers like you!)
Jeanine says
I’ll take that title, Tamara! 🙂 Maybe I should get an apron stitched with that. hehe I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with this one. 😉 Merry Christmas to your family as well!
InTolerant Chef says
OOh how delightful sounding! I will so be making this 🙂 Just one question, what could I use instead of the pudding mix, as it’s not something readily available here?
Jeanine says
Thank you! 🙂 Instead of the pudding mix, you could use dry milk powder. I’ve done that in the past without a problem. Enjoy!
Andrea says
This looks AMAZING!!! One question I have… I also have to eat dairy free so is there anything I can substitute for the heavy cream that you would recommend?
Jeanine says
For the dairy in the dough, I would suggest a coconut or almond milk. And for the syrup, I would think a little bit of the same milk of your choice would work there as well. I add heavy cream to the sauce so that after it has baked, it stays soft & pliable. If you omit it, the syrup has a tenancy to turn hard. Sort of like making caramels. When the temp of the syrup reaches a hard ball stage, you need something like cream to keep it chewy. HTH. If you do make it, please post back with the changes you’ve made, so that others know what works! Thanks!
Jennifer says
ooewy, goewy goodness! yum! thanks for this delicious looking recipe!
My 3-year-old son had severe eczema until he was diagnosed with food allergies a few months back. I have a blog that shares our family’s battles with eczema, allergies, and asthma (yes, lucky guy has that too).
I think the key is to learn from one another, so the more information out there to the masses, the better. With this in mind I’ve started a blog hop for anyone dealing with allergies, eczema, or asthma, either for themselves or as a caregiver. If you’re interested in joining, please add a comment. I’d love to welcome you to the group. http://itchylittleworld.wordpress.com/blog-hop/
Thanks.
Jennifer
Lizzy M. says
Oh my goodness. Always wanted to try monkey bread but hadn’t discovered it before becoming GF. Thanks for your recipe. Will have to try it out during Xmas break!
Jennifer M. says
OH thank you, thank you! I was so sad that I couldn’t have monkey bread this year for Christmas and this recipe looks fantastic!
Jeanine says
You definitely won’t be denied, Jennifer! Enjoy the monkey bread! 🙂
Jennifer says
Thank you! With the exception of my husband (who is a weirdo and doesn’t like anything with cinnamon in it) we all loved it. I could quite possibly say this was the best monkey bread I’ve ever had!
Jeanine says
Awesome!! Love hearing that. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of anyone that doesn’t love cinnamon before. lol Well, his loss. more for you. 😉
Andrea says
My daughter will be visiting Christmas and we are both Celiacs. I made Money Bread every Christmas morning. I can’t wait to try it! Once question, could I make the bread a day ahead and just put it in the fridge? Then, warm, let rise and bake on Christmas morning? Thanks
Jeanine says
Yes, you most certainly can! I’ve made it in advance, frozen it, let it defrost in the fridge, rise on the counter & baked it and it worked well. I’m sure that putting it in the fridge the day before would not be problem. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Alyssa says
My mom used to make garlic parmesean monkey bread, is there any way this recipe could be changed to that?
Jeanine says
That’s a good question, Alyssa! I’ll look into it! 😀
Mona says
Yummo! GF Monkey Bread!? ahhh… 🙂 Looking forward to a starting a new Christmas morning tradition with this one. Question? Could I sub butter for the 4 tbsp of margarine? Thanks!
Jeanine says
Absolutely! Butter would work just as well. I think I have Margarine because this recipe stems back to a recipe that my home ec teacher taught us 15+ years ago, and she probably had margarine. 🙂 Butter should work just fine.
McMama says
The Recipe that Saved Solstice! We make Wish Bread every year as part of our solstice celebration. We’re currently testing my son for gluten intolerances, so we would have had to do without if we couldn’t find a good GF alternative. This was WONDERFUL and his picky little self was so happy with it!
(FYI, your directions for the glaze do not include the heavy cream listed in the ingredients – I added it anyway!)
Jeanine says
Wonderful, so glad that the recipe worked so well for you as well! And thanks for the mention of the heavy cream omission, I missed that, but added it now. 🙂
stephanie b says
Oh my! I have a pan of monkey bread in the fridge right now for Christmas morning. I can hardly wait for morning to bake it. There sure is a lot of the sticky sauce…Like the dough balls are swimming n it right now. Hum… I will let you know how it turns out. Smile… happy Christmas.
stephanie b says
I had to come back and let you know —it was awesome! We loved this recipe and it will be on the menu for next Christmas for certain. I should never have had any doubts. Smile.
Jeanine says
Now that makes me smile. So glad that it worked out well for you. I agree, it does look a little scary at first, but the dough grows and does overcome the syrup in the end. 🙂
Heather f says
Hi Stephanie! Did you make the dough the night before and let soak in the caramel sauce? Looking to make this tomorrow and cook the morning of Christmas ( today is sec 23)
Lori says
We just finished eating this delicious monkey bread this morning. Thanks for a great recipe. My mother-in-law hasn’t been able to have Monkey Bread for the 10 years since she was diagnosed with celiac disease so this was a great Christmas gift. She’s a petite lady and I’ve never seen her grab such a large slice of sweets in my life 🙂 Even those that can eat gluten went back for seconds. Thanks again!
Jeanine says
Haha, that’s wonderful! I guess you found something that your MIL really enjoys!
Brandi says
Thank you for the amazing recipe! It was a huge hit on Christmas Day, and it was good for the next couple of days! Just delicious!
Jeanine says
Awesome to hear! You are very welcome!
Christy says
Please tell me where I can find the gluten free all purpose flour mix that you call for on here. I cant find it anywhere on your page. 🙁 I want to make this tomorrow morning for our Chirstmas breakfast……I know its a little late but I had to wait for my husband to get home. Thank you~! 🙂 Have a blessed day.
Jeanine says
The mix can be found right under the ingredient list:
NOTE: 4 cups superfine brown rice flour, 1 1/3 cups potato starch (not flour), 2/3 cup tapioca starch. Combine all ingredients in a large zipper-top bag. Shake until well blended.
Merry Christmas, Christy!
Nyssa says
Hi Jeanine,
My household is also Dairy Free, I’m guessing the ‘ooze’ is basically a caramel ? is there an alternate to using cream do you think.
Thanks,
Nyssa
Jeanine says
I think you could use a few Tbsp of your preferred milk. The dairy is added just to keep the caramel from getting tough when it bakes, it keeps it a nice syrup then.
Marlene Mose says
Hi Jeannie
Last night in bed I was wondering what I could make for a 10:00 a.m coffee as we were having company over. I thought monkey bread!!!! So first thing this a.m. I googled gluten free monkey bread and your recipe came up. I tried it and was so excited. It turned out perfect. I never told the company it was gf. They devoured it as did I. I called my daughter-in-law and told her my success and emailed her the link. She had made regular monkey bread for her company over the holidays and gf cinnamon rolls for her husband and daughter. She was so excited for t his recipe. I can forsee a batch for breakfast there next Sunday morning.
Thanks so much.
Marlene
P.S I have book marked your blog.
Jeanine says
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!! So happy to hear that you loved the recipe, and love that you ‘pulled one over’ on your company, with them having no idea they were eating GF. 🙂 Win! 🙂
Amy Dooley says
I made this for Christmas brunch this year, and it was DELICIOUS!!! Everyone devoured it, event the non-GFree members of the family. Definitely a keeper! BTW, I made up the recipe the night before and chilled it overnight in the fridge, which worked out great. Just pulled it out to rise a bit while we opened presents and the oven preheated in the morning. Perfect!
Jeanine says
Awesome! Glad to hear that it worked so well for you, and I love that it can be made ahead, makes those morning brunches so much easier. 🙂
Cara says
Jeanine, this picture and recipe is AMAZING! You are doing the gluten free world justice over here 🙂
Jeanine says
Thank you, Cara! 🙂
Erika says
Thank you SO much for this recipe! We’ve been GF for 4 months (celiac) and learning how to revamp my recipes has been tricky! I double grind my brown rice (I have a grain grinder–) and grind my brown rice flour two times to make it super fine. It takes extra time but the consistency is great and the price is right! Also, I made this the night before, refrigerated it, got it out at 6am let it sit on the counter for 1 1/2 hours (I went back to bed after getting up and then oops! it was later) and cooked it for my daughter’s birthday breakfast –it was perfect!
Jeanine says
yeah!! That is so awesome! And such a great treat for the birthday girl too! Happy Birthday!!! 🙂
Great tip about grinding your own flour, I should maybe look into investing in one of those…hmm…
Pam says
What if I don’t have a stand mixer?
Jeanine says
If you have a strong hand mixer, you can use that, or you can really give your muscles a good workout by using a wooden spoon. 🙂
Debra says
I have never made Monkey Bread and it sounds divine !!! I was wondering if I could make it, bake it, and then freeze it. I work long hours and try to pack in my baking whenever I can. This would be terrific if I could pull it out of the freezer and voila !
Jeanine says
I did some asking around on facebook, since I haven’t tried doing it that way myself. I’ve frozen it before baking it, but never after. Some people suggested that as long as it is wrapped up well, you should be able to defrost and reheat in the oven.
Another formed & rolled the dough in sugar, then let them rise, then flash-froze them on a pan. When she wants to bake some (in muffin tins), she places a few balls of dough in a pan, pours the syrup over them, and bakes them that way. Sounds interesting, but I’ve never tried it myself.
I’ve frozen it before letting it rise, then defrosting it, letting it rise & baking it without a problem. I ‘think’ it should be similar to freezing cinnamon buns though. They can be frozen, defrosted, and gently reheated in the oven without a problem. If you do try it, let me know how it worked for you!
Trish says
My mother in law passed away over 4 years ago. Every Christmas she made Monkey Bread for our family brunch. My family continues to make Monkey Bread in her honor, but I have not been able to enjoy it due to being Gluten Sensitive. I came across your recipe and did a test run today to see if this dish would be one I could make and share this Christmas. It is delicious! Even my husband who can eat gluten agreed it is very good. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! Happy Holidays.
Jeanine says
My pleasure, Trish! I’m so happy to hear when traditions have been restored, and memories can be carried forward because of a recipe. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
katie says
Hello! I’m very new to this whole gluten free game and so happy I found this recipe! Its by far my favorite Christmastime treat and I was so sad when I thought I couldnt have it. So I made it last night only to realize this morning that I used reg. active dry yeast instead of rapid rise. Did I totally ruin it? What can I do to save it? Its currently in the freezer.
Jeanine says
I sure hope it isn’t ruined. 🙁 The one concern I would have would be that the yeast would not be able to fully activate in the dough without it being proofed first. Rapid rise yeast you can mix directly into your dry ingredients, with no need to proof, but active dry yeast is supposed to be proofed in a warm liquid with a little bit of sugar to get it going, since the granules are larger. From Breadworld.com “Can Active Dry Yeast be used in RapidRise recipes?
Yes, but with limitations. The Active Dry has larger granules and it is necessary to dissolve completely for the yeast to work. Therefore, Active Dry works best if dissolved in warm water (100° to 110°F).” So, it’s hard to say – you may need to bake that one this weekend to see how it worked, then make another for Christmas?
Beth says
I was just thinking tonight about making your Monkey Bread recipe for Christmas morning, but was wonderful about freezing it so I can make it now to eat later. Low and behold you have my answer right here!!! Have I told you lately just how amazing you are?? Thanks so much for keeping my tummy so very happy! Off to make Christmas breakfast, 5 days early!
Jeanine says
Haha, my pleasure, Beth! I had to test it myself, and low & behold, it worked!! 🙂 I’ve had some people say they even do it in muffin tins, just a few dough balls per, and bake as many as they ‘need’. Sounds good, but I think we’ll need the whole Bundt pan. 😉 Merry Christmas!! 😀
Jannan says
I am so excited that I found this recipe. I grew up with monkey bread every Christmas morning and I was sad that this year we wouldn’t be able to have it since we found out in June that my daughter is gluten intolerant. But you saved the day! You’re like a super hero. :). I was wondering if I could use a prepackaged all purpose flour mix without affecting the outcome? I have on that already xantham gum in it and I would prefer not going out and buying more flour (I have a 25 lb bag).
Kirsten says
Did you find out if you can do this? My daughter needs to make it for culinary arts class and I don’t want to have to buy all the flours when they are blended together in the 1-to-1 I have in the cupboard.
Rachel says
I am also wondering about the answer to this question about the use of prepackaged all purpose GF flour in place of the various flours this recipe calls for. Jeannie, can you please respond?
Rachel says
Hi again! I scrolled down far enough in the comments that I saw that you responded to Jo Diehl Feb. 16, 2013, and said that a prepacked GF flour would work just fine. Thank you!
kathy says
any thoughts if you can substiture egg replacer? looks lovely
Jeanine says
Someone posted just today that they made the cinnamon buns with egg replacer and it worked perfectly, so I think it should work well in this recipe too, since the dough is the same.
Kathy says
Would love to find out if egg replacer will work in this wonderful recipe?
Beth R says
Last year was the first Christmas I had to gluten free and my whole family missed my homemade cinnamon rolls. We enjoyed this recipe this morning..and a new tradition has been born. Thank you!!
Jessica says
Made this for Christmas breakfast this morning…turned out awesome!! Absolutely picture perfect and absolutely delicious! Thank you so much!!!
kathy says
Thank you for sharing your expertise and talents with so many, what a blessing this web site has been to so many! I was hoping to get feedback in regards to the monkey bread. I tried making it egg and dairy free, but had issues with rising. My boys still ate the small hard balls, great flavoring. I did use active yeast, but let it proof in warm milk. I wonder when I took the water/earthbalance from the microwave, which was just melted, if the temperature was too hot and killed the yeast, or if replacing the egg made such a difference. THe dough structrue was great, just didn’t rise. Put it in my oven, previously warmed, with oven light, and let rise for over anhour, no such luck. I would like to try again, but hoping for some pointers. I used almond flour in place of vanilla pudding, we do have dry potato milk, but no protien in that, so choose almond flour. Thank you again, I would be delighted to get this to work, and make it for years to come. Next time I will use rapid rise for sure, just was out on Christmas eve.
Erika says
I just took this out of the oven and patiently waited for about 15 minutes to let it cool.. Oh my goodness! It’s amazing! Thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes! I also really enjoyed your choux paste recipe!
Heather M says
Thank you for this recipe! My 9 yr old daughter has celiac, and I was determined she would still have our traditional Christmas morning monkey bread.
I made this ahead of time, wrapped it tightly in layers of saran wrap, froze it until the night before, put it in the fridge over night to defrost, let it sit for 30 minutes in a slightly warm oven to rise, then baked as directed. I didn’t have any tapioca starch, and I think I put in a little more xantham gum by accident (I was in a hurry..) but it came out delicious!
I also made a “regular” gluten monkey bread (careful not to cross contaminate, of course) because we had a ton of guests staying at our house, and I was nervous the GF version may not be enough, or as good as the regular version because I hadn’t made it before. It turns out, the GF version was just as good, if not better, and my daughter was getting mad that people were eating “her” bread. Next year, I’m just going to make two GF breads, so there is enough, and call it a day.
Thank you, again, for this amazing recipe!
Sue says
Hello Jeanine,
Just wondering if you white rice flour could be substituted for the brown rice flour?
Jeanine says
Yes, since brown & white rice flour weigh the same, you should be able to interchange them without a problem. 🙂
Jo Diehl says
I’m ecstatic to find this recipe! My question is about the dry ingredients. The recipe calls for 2 1/2 c. g-f flour mixture, but your measurements for the mixture (in your “note”) add up to 6 cups total. I don’t get it–do I just use 2 1/2 c. of that whole mixture? I’m sure this must be obvious to everyone else since no one else asked about it, so I apologize for being so dense!
I can’t WAIT to try this & am practically drooling after reading all the positive comments! 🙂
Jeanine says
If you mix up the “flour blend”, you will have extra flour. I used to do a lot of baking using that blend, but since then, I’ve broken things down into individual flours. If you have a pre-blended flour that you’ve purchased, you can use that in place of the flour blend as well, it’s a pretty versatile recipe that way. 🙂
Elise says
Do you weigh your flours at all? I know that every gluten free flour weighs differently. And if I am using a different blend do you think the difference in the weight would ruin it? I made this a few weeks ago and it was amazing!! I am curious to see how it would work with the gluten free flour blend that I typically use.
Jeanine Friesen says
I’ve begun weighing the flours for my bread recipes. If you check out the Cinnamon Buns on here, that recipe includes the weights, and that dough, and this dough are the same. You should be able to figure out the weight difference between this blend and the flour blend you typically use. Hope that helps – glad to hear that it was yummy though. 🙂
Elise says
Thank you for letting me know that! I am going to check it out now 😀
And it did help! 🙂
Michele says
If you use GF flour blend (Namaste) that contains xanthum gum, do you still add in the 3 tsp it calls for or not? Thanks much!
Jeanine Friesen says
If you have xanthan gum on hand, I’d add 1 tsp. I believe breads need more xanthan gum than muffins, so that’s one of the reasons I’m not a fan of the preblends. You can read more about that here: http://www.thebakingbeauties.com/2013/11/substitutions-all-purpose-gluten-free-flour.html
Monica says
I don’t have the vanilla pudding or dry milk – is there anything else I can sub in? (I’m super excited to try this!)
Jeanine Friesen says
You can also use almond meal/flour, or just omit it all together – it still works. 🙂
Jo says
Do you think I could use half and half instead of heavy cream?
Jeanine Friesen says
Absolutely! The cream just helps the caramel topping from getting hard while it bakes, keeps it softer. I think that would work without a problem.
Teri says
I’m pretty sure you just saved Christmas. I used to always make Alton Brown’s Cinnamon buns, but now that gluten is out of the picture I had kids asking if I was going to still make them (I just can’t start Christmas with stomach aches). This post made my day!! Thank you.
Jeanine Friesen says
Teri, you made my day! 🙂 You can use this dough, and still make Alton’s cinnamon buns (just follow the directions in the cinnamon bun recipe to get them to roll properly). No need to leave things behind, especially important food traditions. Merry Christmas!
Teri says
Oh my…this was amazing!!! We stuck with the Monkey bread even after you shared that we could use the dough for our old favorite. We literally stopped opening presents and not a word was said until we each had devoured our portion of this ooey sticky goodness! The kids have asked for this to be the new Christmas morning treat. We made it yesterday, put it in the fridge and then just followed the instructions as if we’d frozen it. yum!! You did save Christmas — Thank you!!
Lisa d says
I would love to make this but don’t use the pudding mix. Any way i can sub that part? The topping is to die for! Just used it on a different dough with your directions. My family won’t even know it is gluten free.
Jeanine Friesen says
You can either sub with dry milk powder or almond flour, or just omit it – it’ll still work without it. 🙂 Merry Christmas, Lisa!
Melanie S says
Just put my monkey bread in the fridge to be baked off for Christmas morning. I made it dairy free as well, using premium canned coconut milk (and the thick part on the top of the can specifically) for the caramel gooeyness. It tastes great and the consistency of it seems perfect right now, I’ll report back after I bake it and see how it stands up.
My mostly non-gluten free family loved this last year! It was requested that I make it again.
Thanks Jeanie! Merry Christmas!
Melanie S says
Perfect! Would very much recommend using canned full fat coconut milk for the sauce if you need to make it dairy free. It came out beautifully and my family was thrilled. People are always so impressed with the texture of this dough, it’s a hit for sure. Thank you again Jeanie!
Melissa says
Made this today and it’s absolutely amazing!! Thanks for the great recipe!!
Kerri Hall says
OMG! This recipe is absolutely delicious and gluten free! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Our whole family loved it. This one is a keeper.
Jim says
In your comments you indicated that you warm your over and place bread in to rise. A trick I learned a
few years ago is to turn on your oven light when you start preparing the dough. By the time you are
ready for the dough to raise the oven is warmed to 110 F. This works very well and to oven is draft free.
Melissa says
Hello Jeanine!! I just wanted to let you know that I made this today for a group of gluten eaters and it was a big hit!! Everyone loved it and they didn’t think it tasted gluten free.
Thanks again for such a great recipe!!
Dorothy Greco says
I folloqed the recipe exactly with the exception of not adding the dry milk. Its super runny and there’s no way I’m forming any balls or sticky buns. help!
Jeanine says
When I measure by spoons, I scoop, rather than spoon the flour into my cups. that gives a little more flour. Did you beat it for a few minutes on medium speed? Are you sure you added the xanthan (I forgot once, and my bread dough was a batter – oops!). Add a little more flour if necessary, 1/4 cup of brown rice flour should help. I don’t touch the dough either, I use a cookie scoop or two spoons and drop it into the cinnamon-sugar mixture, then just roll it around before putting it into the pan. Hope this helps, Dorothy!
gretchen | kumquat says
this will be on our table on christmas morn. i’m willing it.
Joe Benda says
I made this last Christmas and it was unbelievably awesome!! I have everything set to make it again tomorrow. This year, I am going to put a small cube of cream cheese into every little ball of dough! I will give you an update on how that turns out. Baking Beauties has the best gluten free recipes I have ever come across. Nicely done and thank you!!
Shelley Wall says
I made this for the first time today for Christmas. I’ve been on several dietary restrictions like what free for just less than a year. I’ve made monkey bread for Christmas since we were first married. So unfortunately when I reviewed the recipe when buying groceries, I missed the tapioca starch. Darn! So looked for substitute online and found I could use corn flour. The end result tastes good but my little balls didn’t rise. Do you think it was the lack of tapioca starch? I want to try the recipe again and see if I have results. I’m in Canada so I didn’t know if it was the yeast maybe. I used quick rise. Any advice appreciated. Thank you.
Jenny says
I made this on Christmas Eve before bed, I used cup4cup flour that I received as a gift and wanted to use up, and fast rising yeast. I left it in the fridge overnight. To my surprise in the morning it was nearly doubled in size, assuming the warmth of the sauce caused it to rise in the fridge. I llet it sit out while the oven preheated. It baked up to perfection and did not collapse at all. It was truly wonderful! Thank you!
Karen Misek says
Another FANTASTIC recipe!!! We ate this delicious monkey bread on Christmas morning but I did make it ahead and froze it. I followed your instructions and it turned out fabulous. I usually make your cinnamon buns on Christmas morning but decided to change things up this year. Both recipes are great!
Shannon Klarenbeek says
So if I would use the all purpose Better Batter flour do I also add the tapioca starch as well?
Jeanine says
Hi Shannon, this recipe is developed using the individual flours, going a little higher on the starches. You’re welcome to experiment with the Better Batter flour and sub the additional tapioca with more flour blend, or even cornstarch, if you’d like. I can’t tell you how it will work though, sorry.
nicole says
Shannon, did you try it with the flour blend? I’m wondering same thing. Did it work?
L.Clark says
Wow, this recipe looks great and I would like to make it for my family tomorrow. Do you know approximately how many this serves?
Malia says
I don’t have a stand mixer and I’m eager to try this. Any tips?
Joy Fulkerson says
It is the only monkey bread that rises and it is so good thanks alot
Janice Uhl says
THANK YOU SO MUCH! My daughter (12) is doing a project at school on our family history. She needed to include a recipe and was able to provide a sample. My Grandmother always made Betty Crocker Hungarian Coffee Cake (from the 50’s). This is the closest thing I have ever found. My daughter loves it so much, she asked if I could make this instead of Birthday Cake last year.
Jeanine says
Yeah!! That’s wonderful, Janice! I love hearing about family traditions being saved. So many traditions revolve around food too. So glad that this helped! And I don’t blame her for wanting it for a birthday cake, that’s a great idea!
Marian White says
Hi, the recipe looks yummy. But, I have looked and it doesn’t seem we can get GF vanilla instant pudding here in Australia. I have looked at similar recipes on the web and they suggest you could substitute with milk powder or almond meal. I would like to know your thought on this please.
Regards
Marian
Jeanine says
Subbing with instant milk powder or almond flour works beautifully!
judy says
very disappointed, just made this – never rose.
Rebecca says
I’ve made this recipe every year since 2011-I’ve always followed the directions as outlined, and it has always come out great! This year we are in a rental as we build our new home and I don’t have storage for all the various flours it calls for. I ended up substituting Bob’s GF Baking Flour for the 2.5 cups, then still used the 1/2 cup tapioca flour and followed the recipe as is otherwise. I made it the day before, but ended up just refrigerating it straight away. I let it rise in a 100 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes, then baked it. It came out BETTER THAN EVER! The dough was hard to work with, I dropped it by rounded spoonfuls into the sugar and got it coated as usual-I was nervous it wasn’t going to turn out but OH MY GOSH. Worth the extra effort. This recipe does not disappoint! Thank you for making my Christmas each year!
Lex says
Looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it.
Lori Smith says
I’ve been eating gluten free for about 5 years now. This is a great gf monkey bread recipe. I made it for Christmas morning so I made it the day before and froze it. I took it out the next morning, let it rise and baked it. So delicious. This definitely is not low-fat but a splurge now and then is alright. This is a keeper for our family!
Ashley says
I just made this. I used better batter flour for the 2.5 cups and then my family’s sauce recipe and oh my goodness it was so good! Thank you!
Jeanine says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your changes, Ashley. I appreciate it!
Marcella Gibbs says
I just made the monkey bread (unfortunately I didn’t let it rise the 30 minutes), but it was beautiful after the 35 minutes of baking time. I was shocked when I returned 5 minutes later to find the whole thing had collapsed. What do you think happened? Did I beat it too long? Was the pre-rise that important? Should the oven temp be higher?
The flavour is good but the texture is very dense………….
Jeanine says
Hi Marcella, You definitely need to have a rise time for this recipe. It is a yeast dough, and without it, it won’t turn out. It’ll make all the difference!
Iris says
I rarely comment on recipes, but this was so good! It was too expensive for me to buy each of the different flours so I used the King Arthur’s blend to equal the amount of each flour used(2 1/2 cups of the blend was used). I also omitted the xanthan gum since the King Arthur’s blend already had it!
Seriously, my entire family LOVED IT!! Even the picky non-gluten free members.
This was a SCORE!!
Callie Short says
Just made this for the 1st time. I followed the recipe exactly. It turned out amazing. By far the best monkey bread I’ve ever had. No one would ever think it was gluten free. Definitely a recipe we will use for special occasions. Thank you!
Kellie says
Hello,
I’d very much like to make this recipe. I use the ATK GF flour blend which is as follows.
24 ounces (4 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup) white rice flour
7 ½ ounces (1 2/3 cups) brown rice flour
7 ounces (1 1/3 cups) potato starch
3 ounces (3/4 cup) tapioca starch
¾ ounce (1/4 cup) nonfat dry milk powder
It seems incredibly close to your flour mix. How much of it would I use to equal your individual flours and dry milk powder mix?
Thank you very much!
Michelle Duncan says
We made this the night before and put it in the fridge. In the morning we took it out for about an hour for it to rise. I didn’t have any brown rice flour so I substituted sorghum and it came out beautifully. We will be making it again thank you!
Anne says
This was a wonderful treat on Christmas morning. I made it GF and DF the night before Christmas, covered & put it in the fridge overnight, then took it out Christmas Morning, set it on top of our boiler (heater for the whole house) in the basement for 30 min to rise, and then baked it. I made the following substitutions and it came out GREAT:
Butter/margarine –> Earth balance
Milk and cream –> almond milk
Vanilla pudding powder –> almond flour
I also added walnuts and raisins, which really added a little bit of texture & nutrition to this wonderfully decadent dish!
The texture was superb, with both crusty and gooey parts–fantastic!
Jeanine Friesen says
Thanks for sharing your subs and the results, Anne! Glad that you liked it!
JoElyn says
Hello there, do you think it would be possible to make this 2 days before and leave in the fridge until morning of? Then let rise for an hour? Also, do you think I could sub bananas for the pecans? Thanks!