Monkey Bread--one
of my oldest recipes (c1970). I searched in cookbooks for
almost a year, until I finally came across the recipe in a small cookbook at the San Antonio public library. Silent movie star and feature actress ZaSu Pitts contributed the bread recipe, and called it Monkey Bread--"because you have to monkey around with it."
I made a Xerox copy of the recipe (long before home computers could cut and paste from a website) and began the journey to master my first homemade bread. It took years to get the feel of the dough, to know when it had risen enough, to perfect the light golden brown crust. I understood what ZaSu meant after a few attempts. Monkey Bread has since become a holiday tradition and making it always puts me in the holiday spirit.
I made a Xerox copy of the recipe (long before home computers could cut and paste from a website) and began the journey to master my first homemade bread. It took years to get the feel of the dough, to know when it had risen enough, to perfect the light golden brown crust. I understood what ZaSu meant after a few attempts. Monkey Bread has since become a holiday tradition and making it always puts me in the holiday spirit.
The
first time I had Monkey Bread was at a scholarship luncheon held at a local
country club by the Fort Worth Women's Business Association. All I remember of
that day was receiving a tiny scholarship award to pursue a business major in
college, and being served a warm, pull apart, melt-in-your-mouth piece of bread.
I would later learn that the soft texture of the bread was the result of a mashed potato being added. I was definitely more excited about the bread than the scholarship! If only I had followed my instincts that day and changed career direction; but in 1970 cooking school wasn't recognized as anything more than a hobby. Women traveled to France to earn a grand diplome in cuisine and baking from Le Cordon Bleu, and it was the kick-start to many now famous female chefs and cookbook authors who entered the male-dominated field (Dione Lucas, Julia Child, Nathalie Dupree to name a few).
I don't think the Culinary Institute of America or French Culinary Institute even existed! My female friends were off to college to pursue finance, education, or accounting degrees--not a single one of them hoped to spend their career back in the kitchen. My minuscule college budget did not include money for traveling and living in France for 12 months and I never even considered it an option. To better understand the evolution of culinary degrees, read this excellent 1998 article by Amanda Hesser of the New York Times.
I would later learn that the soft texture of the bread was the result of a mashed potato being added. I was definitely more excited about the bread than the scholarship! If only I had followed my instincts that day and changed career direction; but in 1970 cooking school wasn't recognized as anything more than a hobby. Women traveled to France to earn a grand diplome in cuisine and baking from Le Cordon Bleu, and it was the kick-start to many now famous female chefs and cookbook authors who entered the male-dominated field (Dione Lucas, Julia Child, Nathalie Dupree to name a few).
I don't think the Culinary Institute of America or French Culinary Institute even existed! My female friends were off to college to pursue finance, education, or accounting degrees--not a single one of them hoped to spend their career back in the kitchen. My minuscule college budget did not include money for traveling and living in France for 12 months and I never even considered it an option. To better understand the evolution of culinary degrees, read this excellent 1998 article by Amanda Hesser of the New York Times.
As for the Monkey Bread recipe I so desperately sought, be sure and read through the directions first and don't be overwhelmed. Silent movie star ZaSu Pitts knew how to write a recipe and gave excellent detailed instructions. She was also quite a candy maker, and her cookbook CandyHits was published posthumously in 1963.
Her cookbook was published after her death in 1963. |
Homemade Marshmallows and Caramels--I like this lady! |
Can't wait to get my copy to read more about her candy and her life in Hollywood. |
Monkey bread dough can also be used for cinnamon-sugar bread using the same
technique, just roll in cinnamon sugar after dipping in the melted
butter. You could also dip the dough in garlic butter. or add chopped herbs. The possibilities are endless. I'm a purist when it comes to this bread though. We all like it the original way-drenched in butter and warm from the oven.
Monkey Bread
Monkey Bread
makes two 9" ring loaves
(I often make one large Bundt pan and a
smaller loaf pan)
2 cups water
2 medium-sized boiling potatoes, peeled
and quarter
1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon plus 1/2 cup sugar
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cup unsifted all-purpose
flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup lukewarm milk (110°F to 115°F)
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
(such as Crisco)
1 tablespoon butter, softened, plus
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and
cooled*
*I melt a whole pound of butter to dip
the dough.
When the reserved potato water has
cooled to lukewarm (110°F to 115°F), pour it into a shallow bowl. Add yeast and
1 teaspoon of the sugar and let mixture rest for 2-3 minutes, then stir well.
Set the bowl in a warm, draft-free place (such as an unlighted oven) for 5
minutes, or until the yeast bubbles and the mixture almost doubles in volume.
Combine 5 1/2 cups of flour, the
remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and the salt in a deep mixing bowl and make a well
in the center. Add the potato puree, the yeast mixture, and the eggs, milk, and
vegetable shortening. With a large spoon, mix the ingredients together and stir
until the dough is smooth and can be gathered into a soft ball. (I did this by
hand for years, but I now let my KitchenAid stand mixer with the dough hook to
do all the work.)
Place the ball on a lightly floured
surface and knead pushing the dough down with the heels of your hands, pressing
it forward and folding it back on itself. As you knead, sprinkle flour over the
ball by the tablespoonful, adding up to 1 cup of flour if necessary to make a
firm dough. Continue to knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is
smooth, shiny, and elastic. (If using the stand mixer, do the same with the
flour, but let dough hook work the dough until smooth, shiny, and
elastic--several minutes.)
With a pastry brush, spread the
tablespoon of softened butter evenly inside a deep mixing bowl. Place the ball
in the bowl and turn it around to butter the entire surface of the dough. Drape
the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel and put it in a draft-free place for
about 1-1/2 hours, or until the dough doubles in volume.
With a pastry brush, spread 2
tablespoons of the melted butter evenly over the bottom and sides of two 9-inch
tube pans. (I sometimes use 1 Bundt and 1 loaf pan.) Punch the dough down with a blow of
your first and place it on a lightly floured surface. With your hand, pat and
shape the dough into a rectangle 14 inches long, 12 inches wide and about 1/2
inch thick. Using a ruler and a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut the rectangle
into diamonds about 2 inches long.
For years I actually used a ruler to measure--I now just eye it. |
Butter-drenched dough is ready for final rise. |
Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake the monkey bread in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the loaves are a golden brown. To test for doneness, turn the loaves out and rap the bottoms sharply with your knuckles. The loaves should sound hollow; if they do not, return them to their pans and bake for 5-10 minutes longer.
Ready to pull apart and slather with butter. |
Recognize her now?
Enjoy!
ZaSu played the frantic telephone operator in It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World directed by Stanley Kramer in 1963. It was her last movie. |
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