Are you ready for Pizza Monkey Bread? Similar to my delicious Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread, this recipe will change your life. Imagine a mini pull apart pizza with herbs and cheese and a warm pizza dipping sauce. It's pretty much soft, chewy bites of pizza crust that you can tear off and dip into pizza sauce - it doesn't get much better than that. And the best part is that this is such an easy Pizza Monkey Bread recipe! So what are you waiting for? Get in the kitchen and give this dish a try.
Why I Love This Recipe
Let's be honest, who doesn't love pizza? There are so many different ways to make it, and everyone has their own favorite toppings. But what if you could take all of those delicious flavors and put them into one dish? Monkey bread is a great way to do just that. It's easy to make, and everyone will love it! Plus, it's the perfect dish for a family dinner or game night. So get ready to enjoy some of the best pizza you've ever had - all in one bite!
Table of Contents
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pizza Dough – Homemade or store-bought pizza dough will work in this recipe
- Melted Butter – The cut dough gets dunked in a cheesy herby buttery mixture which takes this Pizza Monkey Bread to the next level
- Parmesan Cheese – Pecorino cheese would also be great in this recipe
- Fresh Herbs and Garlic – I use parsley, scallions, basil
- Salt and Pepper – Goes without saying
- Marinara or Pizza Sauce – Serve your Pizza Monkey Bread with your favorite kind of red sauce
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below
How to Make Pizza Monkey Bread
Step 1: Cut dough into small ½ inch cubes. Dust with flour to prevent them from sticking together. Set aside.
Step 2: Mix the cheese, herbs, salt/pepper and garlic and melted butter together in a large bowl.
Step 3: Toss the cut pizza dough into the butter mixture making sure it all gets a solid coating.
Step 4: Start layering the cubes into the bundt pans until they are ¾ of the way full. Let sit for 30 minutes for the dough to rise a little more and while they are rising, preheat the oven to 400º F. Place bundt pans into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the bread and cheese is golden brown.
How to Store Pizza Monkey Bread
Refrigerate the Pizza Monkey Bread leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds depending on the temperature you prefer.
Tips and Tricks
- Dough Choice. I've made this recipe for Pizza Monkey Bread with pre-made biscuit dough and from scratch, and both are absolutely insane. It's dough and cheese and herbs and you can do it either way you please! If you're making the dough from scratch, you'll need a few extra minutes of prep time and resting time. But once the dough is ready, all that's left to do is dunk it in butter, cheese, herbs and garlic.
- Whatever Pan You Prefer. If you don't have mini bundt pans you could also use a large bundt pan, just increase the baking time to 30 - 35 minutes.
FAQs
What does monkey bread taste like?
Imagine a mini pull apart pizza with herbs and cheese and a warm pizza dipping sauce. It's pretty much soft, chewy bites of pizza crust that you can tear off and dip into pizza sauce - it doesn't get much better than that.
Why is monkey bread called monkey bread?
Monkey bread gets its name from the way it's eaten. It's a finger-food meant to be pulled apart into pieces, similar to what a monkey would do.
Can monkey bread be made ahead of time?
Yes, Monkey Bread can be made ahead of time. Follow the recipe as written up until it's ready to be baked, cover the pan with plastic wrap or foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours until you're ready to bake it.
How to know when monkey bread is done?
You can test to see if monkey bread is done by inserting a toothpick into the center of the bread. When the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean the monkey bread is done.
What is the difference between pizza dough and biscuit dough?
Pizza dough uses yeast as the leavening agent, whereas biscuit dough uses baking powder or baking soda to help the dough rise.
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If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Pizza Monkey Bread
Ingredients
For the Pizza Dough
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- OR 1 LB OF PIZZA DOUGH IF YOU WANT TO SKIP DOUGH
For the Sauce and Herbs
- ½ cup butter melted
- ⅔ cup Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese grated
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 5 scallions chopped
- 10 basil leaves chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup marinara or pizza sauce
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the bread flour, all purpose flour and salt. Set aside.
- Combine the active yeast and water in a mixing bowl fitted with a dough hook. Let it sit for a few minutes to make sure your yeast is working. Add the sugar and mix for a quick second. Add the flour mixture in batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Let the dough hook work its magic for 5-6 minutes until the dough has come together into a large mass. Remove the dough to an oiled bowl and let rise for 60 minutes.
- After an hour, remove the dough from the bowl and cut into small ½ inch cubes. Dust with flour to prevent them from sticking together. Set aside.
- Butter and flour 6 small bundt pans. (You could also use a large bundt pan)
- Melt the butter in a small bowl.
- Combine the cheese, herbs, salt/pepper and garlic in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and mix together with a spoon. Toss in the cut dough and make sure it all gets a coat of the butter mixture. Start layering the cubes into the bundt pans until they are ¾ of the way full. Let sit for 30 minutes for the dough to rise a little more and while they are rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place bundt pans into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the bread and cheese is golden brown. Serve with warmed marinara sauce or pizza sauce.
Hi Gaby, could I use olive oil instead of butter? I would be making it in a large bundt pan for a girls cocktail and appetizer night. Thanks!
It might be too oily to be honest!
Made these tonight in a big bundt pan and they turned out great (very onion-y!). One thing--why would you preheat the oven in step 1, then wait 2+ hours to use it? Just put that in step 8. Also, the "total time" says 1 hr, 25 min, but it should be at least two hours (5 min mixing + 60 min rise + 30 min rise + 25 min cooking = 2 hrs [and this doesn't even count the prep time on top of that]). It helps to give an accurate time so people can gauge if they have time to make something or not. Thanks for the recipes. 🙂
I know three boys who would go crazy for this recipe!
This looks delicious! Do you think you could come up with a gluten free version?
If you have a recipe for gluten free pizza dough that would totally work!
Gaby I love following you on FB and snapchat and when I saw this recipe I had to come over and save, pin and filed this delicious recipe. Oh boy is this a keeper xoxo
Pizza and monkey bread, what a great combination!
oh my goodness! LOVE this! and I love that you used mini bundt pans! awesome! 🙂
What do you do if you don't own a dough hook?
Dear Gaby,
I love how you used the bundt pans! I've seen other blogs which put sauces in the hole, kind of like the flower pot the put in the bundt cake in my big fat greek wedding.
I'm going on holiday soon with a bunch of guys. I'm pretty sure this will be on the menu! I'll be the only girl, so they're hoping I don't let them starve! Can't wait to have the kitchen to myself!
I agree w/ Rebecca A....I tried this and it turned out great besides being SALTY!!! I thought 2 Tablespoons sounded like a lot but I followed the recipe exactly and i could only eat a few pieces. I would put it down to 1 teaspoon salt cause the cheese is a little salty too
Hi Jackie! Thanks for your comment. I went ahead and tested the bread recipe again this morning based on your comments and adjusted the amount of salt! Thanks so much. Cheers
Gaby
That photo at the very top looks so good, I wanna lick the computer screen!
As a previous commenter noted, I think it should be 2 tsp instead of 2 Tbsp of salt. Mine didn't rise but I cooked it anyway just to see what would happen and the pieces were WAY too salty. I hate that I wasted all of the time and ingredients, but I will probably try again another day and decrease the salt.
these are great
this looks incredibly delicious. my teenage granddaughters will love this. along with my son of course. great recipe.
Looks great.. I bet it tastes better