John Torode's monkey bread
It's the American soft, sweet, sticky pull apart bread that's the perfect sweet treat - an indulgent breakfast, brunch or pudding idea... if you pair it with John's no churn coconut salted caramel ice cream - what’s not to love!
Monkey bread
Serves 8 - 10
Ingredients
For the dough
475g strong white flour
75g custard powder
10g salt
50g caster sugar
240ml milk, at room temperature
7g fast-action yeast
40g unsalted butter
2 eggs
For the coating
2 tsp vanilla extract
150g butter, melted
100g soft brown sugar
100g caster sugar
1 tbsp ginger powder
2 tsp cinnamon
Method
1. To make the dough, put the flour and custard powder into the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer and stir in the salt and sugar by hand.
2. Warm the milk with butter in a saucepan so the butter melts, leave to cool a little. Once just warm, mix the yeast into the milk mixture to dissolve.
3. Add the eggs to the milk and butter mixture and beat together.
4. So now you have a wet mix and a dry mix - mix the wet with the dry in a mixing machine with a K hook and leave to mix on a medium speed for 10 minutes, scraping down the bowl every so often - the mix will be a little sticky at the beginning but after 10 minutes it will become smooth and stretchy.
5. Put the dough in a clean bowl, cover with a cloth and leave to prove for an hour.
6. Now the dough has risen, punch it and it will go flat, divide into four lots and then divide each batch into 8, to give you 32 pieces in total – it’s easier to work with it like this. Roll each one into a ball and spread out on a floured board well spaced apart.
7. To make the coating, mix the vanilla with the butter. Mix the sugar and the spice and keep separate.
8. Grease a 25cm Bundt tin well with lots of butter and sprinkle with caster sugar (you could use a large round Savarin mould if you want to make a wreath type affair for the Christmas table)
9. Take each ball of the dough and firstly dip in the melted butter before rolling in the sugar mix. Place gently into the bundt tin in a random order.
10. When full add any remaining sugar the butter and drizzle over the top of the dough. Cover in grease proof and leave to rise for about 30 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C, gas 6.
12. Place the tin in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180C, gas 4 for a further 20 minutes.
13. Take from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before you turn it out. Pull the balls from the loaf and eat as you like.
Coconut yoghurt, banana, salted caramel ice cream
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 bananas
300g coconut yoghurt
2 tbsp salted caramel sauce
Coconut flakes toasted
Method
1. Take the bananas from their skins and cut into 8 pieces each, place on a tray & freeze overnight (discard the skins).
2. In a food processor place half the yoghurt and the bananas and blend until smooth.
3. Take from the blender and place in a bowl, stir in the remaining yoghurt and then swirl through the salted caramel. Freeze for a few hours
4. Take from the freezer ten minutes before to soften
5. Serve with extra salted caramel sauce and toasted coconut shavings.