Recipe: Holiday Pull-Apart Bread

The holidays are the busiest time of the year for many people, our family included. Shopping (of course!), our amazing Holiday Gift Guide (10 years ago when it started, who knew?) Christmas parties, concerts, and of course hosting gatherings with friends and family as a way to connect and share how thankful we are to have them.

Whether visiting for an evening of cocktails or a weekend of catching up, food of course plays a central role when hosting and I like to be prepared with my favorite, easy go-to recipes which then gives me more time to relax and visit.

Pull-Apart bread (also commonly called Monkey Bread) is a breakfast favourite in our household, and you can, of course, adapt it to suit your tastes by adding nuts, candy, fruit, and more. This lets everyone enjoy the holidays thanks to Silk Plant Based Beverages – with no lactose and vegan-friendly, everyone can enjoy a heaping serving (and will probably ask for seconds!)

Ingredients:

DOUGH:

• 2 Tbsp margarine
• 1 cup Silk Almond Beverage (Silk Cashew would work well too)
• 1/3 cup warm water
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 pkg instant yeast (or 2 ¼ Tbsp)
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (you’ll need some extra for your work surface too)
• 1 tsp salt
• cinnamon sugar

CARAMEL COATING

• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup margarine
• 1 tsp cinnamon

OTHER

• 1 Pkg (30g) Butterscotch Pudding Mix

GLAZE

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp Silk Almond Beverage
• 1 Pkg Vegan Squeezable Royal Icing if desired

Directions:

1. Grease a Bundt pan with cooking spray (make sure to get into all the corners!), set aside.
2. In bowl #1, mix together the Silk Almond Beverage, water, melted butter, sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes.
3. In a stand mixer with dough hook, mix the flour and salt together.
4. Turn mixer to low and slowly add the mixture from bowl #1. Increase speed to medium and mix for about 5-6 minutes until it comes together into a nice mass. Add a little flour if it’s still looking too wet after about 5 minutes.
5. Add some flour to a bowl to coat and place the dough inside, then cover and let rise for 2 hours, until doubled.
6. Shortly before your 2 hours is up, make the caramel coating by melting the brown sugar, margarine and cinnamon on the stove, mixing well. Set aside.
7. Now its time to make rolls! Pull apart your dough into about 40-50 small pieces or 20-25 bigger pieces depending on the size of your rolls – this number just gives you a rough estimate so you know the size you’re looking for. Roll each piece into a ball.
8. Layer the rolled balls in the greased Bundt pan with a sprinkle of Butterscotch Pudding Mix in between (there’s no method to this, just sprinkle a bit between each layer). Pour the caramel mixture on top.
9. Cover, put in a warm spot and let rise once again (1-2 hours)
10. Now you’re ready to bake, hooray! Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, unwrap the Bundt pan and bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until the top is a nice deep brown and the caramel is bubbling at the edges.
11. Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes, and then turn out into a plate, let rest for another 5 minutes or so.
12. While the bread is cooling, prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and Silk Almond Beverage. Drizzle over bread. Add Royal Icing and holiday themed candies, and serve!