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CINNAMON MONKEY BREAD

Ingredients:1 cup plain light soy milk1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar, divided1/2 tsp salt8 tbsp. vegan margarine  (Earth Balance sticks work very well)1 tsp. pure vanilla extract1/4 cup warm water, about 110 degrees1 envelope active dry yeast4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling1 cup vegan granulated sugar1 cup packed vegan brown sugar5-6 tsp. ground cinnamon6 tbsp. plain light soy milk4 tbsp. vegan margarine, melted

Makes: 1 large Bundt pan full or 7 mini Bundts

Steps:1. Get a small saucepan (about six inches wide) and heat it on low to medium (about a 4 on current stoves). Add the ½ cup of sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 8 tablespoons of margarine and stir everything every minute or so. Tip: If using Earth Balance sticks, leave two of the sticks (which equals 16 tablespoons) out overnight as this will allow it to get soft and make it easier to melt for Steps 1 and 8. Once the margarine has melted, put it on an unused burner or trivet to cool and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

2. While your margarine/soy milk mixture is cooling, put a tablespoon of sugar and a packet of yeast in a 1-cup measuring cup and slowly add ½ cup of warm water, stirring for about 10 seconds after adding the water. Make sure to check the temperature as indicated on the yeast packet and use a thermometer to make sure that the water isn’t too hot, as it will kill the yeast. After 10 minutes the yeast should almost fill the measuring cup and your kitchen should smell like a bakery. If the yeast has not increased in size, get another packet of yeast

and repeat Step 2 with more sugar and warm water. 

3. Get out your mixer with whisk attachment and add the margarine/soy and yeast, put the power to medium and whisk for 2 minutes. Add 2 ½ cups of flour, whisk for 2 minutes at low speed, and then add the remaining 2 cups of flour and whisk for another minute. The dough will be sticky and have a slightly tan color.

4. Now you need to knead your dough, which can either be done by hand or with a dough hook in your mixer. If kneading by hand, sprinkle about a ½ cup of flour on a big cutting board or clean flat surface. If using your mixer and dough hook, put a small amount of oil on the hook to prevent the dough from climbing the hook. I forgot this step with oil and spent the next few minutes continuously stopping the mixer and pushing the dough back into the bowl with my spatula. Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes and then shape it into a ball.

5. Get out a larger mixing bowl (I use a 2 or 3

quart size) and spray with a nonstick cooking spray and put the dough in the bowl, rolling it around to coat the dough with cooking spray which will prevent it from sticking to the sides of the bowl when it rises. Put plastic wrap over the top and place the bowl somewhere warm for 1 ½ hours so that the dough can rise.6. Once your dough has risen (should be about twice the original size) you will need to punch it, which just means to push your fist down in the center and allow it to deflate. The dough should now be the same size as before. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface to rest for 10 minutes, as being dough is hard work!

7. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and make sure that your oven rack is in the middle/lower middle position for a large Bundt pan (12 cup size) or upper middle position for a mini Bundt pan. 

8. Get two bowls that will be used for the coating mixture (one wet, one dry) – I like to use cereal bowls. For the dry mixture, combine the 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup packed brown sugar, and 5-6 teaspoons of ground

cinnamon (use 8 teaspoons if you like the taste of cinnamon!) and stir together with a fork. For the wet mixture, melt the 4 tablespoons of margarine and combine with 6 tablespoons of soy milk.

9. Get your now-rested dough and rip off chunks, setting the chunks down on your floured surface. The chunks should be bite-size, but keep in mind that they will grow in size when they are baked. I generally make the chunks about the size of a large grape. Make the chunks into a rough ball, but don’t worry about getting them perfect – the strange shapes give your monkey bread character! Once all of your dough has been made into balls, cover the balls with your plastic wrap loosely to prevent them from drying out. Take 10 balls out at a time to dip, keeping the rest covered.

10. Dip each ball first into the wet mixture, then coat with the dry mixture and layer in your Bundt pan. Word of warning: your hands will get incredibly covered in wet/dry mixture so don’t worry about trying to stay clean! If you have any remaining dry mixture sprinkle it

on top of the dough balls.

11. Cook for 25 minutes for a large Bundt pan or 15 minutes for a small Bundt pan, and when it has finished cooking let the pan cool for 5 minutes. Grab a fork and dig in!