Walnut & Sultana Monkey Bread
Preparation 20 mins + 1 hr rising time
Cook 20
Serves 6
Method
Prepare the dough: The dough comes together with a mixer. You can also make the dough by hand, but it requires a bit of arm muscle. After the dough comes together in the mixing bowl, it’s time to knead. You can simply continue beating the dough with the mixer for this step or you can knead the dough by hand.
Let the dough rise: The dough rises in about 1-2 hours in a relatively warm environment.
Punch down the dough: Punch down the dough to release the air.
Shape & coat dough balls: Pull off little pieces of dough and roll into balls. Dunk the balls into melted butter, then coat with cinnamon sugar. Little bakers love to help out with this step! Good thing to note: the heavier the cinnamon-sugar coating, the more these little monkey bread bites will taste like gooey cinnamon rolls.
Let the shaped monkey bread rest for 20 minutes: Arrange the coated balls in a flat oven proof pan or a cast iron pan, cover lightly, then set aside to rest as you preheat the oven. The balls will slightly rise during this time.
Top with buttery brown sugar sauce: Before baking the monkey bread, mix melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract together. Stir in the nuts. Pour any remaining sauce sauce all over the dough balls.
Bake:
Bake until the top is lightly browned, about 40 minutes.
Invert onto serving plate: Allow the monkey bread to cool for 5-10 minutes, then invert it onto a serving plate.
Drizzle with vanilla icing: Whisk confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Drizzle all over the warm monkey bread. Top with extra nuts
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
2.5 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup (5 Tbsp; 70g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups (625g) all-purpose flour
Coating
3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, divided
1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup (130g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup Sunbeam walnuts chopped
½ cup Sunbeam sultanas
Icing
1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
3 Tablespoons (45ml) whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup Sunbeam walnuts chopped and toasted
Recipe Collection
Spiced Chicken Pilaf
- Toss chicken with spices and a small drizzle of the oil. Heat half the remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes each side until golden and just cooked through. Allow to cool slightly, then break into pieces. Set aside.
- Add remaining oil to pan and cook onion and garlic for several minutes until tender. Stir in rice with stock and bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes, partially covered.
- Add chicken pieces, zucchini and currants to pan, cooking a further 3-4 minutes. Serve sprinkled with almonds and coriander. Accompany with yoghurt and lemon wedges.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 170°C.
- Line 24 cupcake pans with paper cases.
- Sift flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Stir through the sugar and currants.
- Whisk the buttermilk, butter, eggs, vinegar and vanilla in a large jug until combined.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk mixture. Stir until just combined. Stir in the food colouring.
- Spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Easter Fruit Loaf
Preheat oven to 180°C
Dough:
- Sift self raising flour, bi-carb soda, mixed spice and castor sugar into a large bowl. Pour in buttermilk and mix with a butter knife to combine. Tip onto a floured surface and knead for 1 minute. Roll out to a 40cm x 30cm rectangle.
- Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Thinly spread creamed butter mix over dough and sprinkle evenly with almond meal. Combine all the fruit in a small bowl and spread on top of the almond meal.
- Roll into a loaf, place on a greased paper lined oven tray and set aside for 15 minutes to allow dough to rise.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. When cool, ice and sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds.
Icing:
- Combine sifted icing sugar with boiling water.
Crispy Chocolate Slice
- Combine rice puffs, coconut, cacao, raisins and seeds in a large mixing bowl.
- Place coconut oil, honey and vanilla in a small saucepan and gently heat until melted. Pour onto the dry ingredients and mix well. Press into a 20 x 20cm slice pan. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into pieces.
Notes:
If you’d like crispier rice puffs, place them in a slow oven for 10 minutes to crisp up slightly. If you don’t have rice puffs, replace with rice bubbles.
Zucchini Salad
Cut the zucchini into long, thin ribbons using a mandolin or vegetable peeler.
Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil, season. Pour over the zucchini, gently toss to combine then allow to sit for 10 mins to marinate.
Drain zucchini and arrange on a serving platter. Sprinkle over pine nuts, sultanas, raisins and feta. Scatter over mint leaves just before serving.
Traditional Hot Cross Buns
Place your flour, yeast, sugar, allspice, cinnamon and salt in your mixing bowl and briefly mix until combined.
Add in your melted butter, warm milk, eggs and raisins.
Mix with your dough hook on medium speed for 5-7 minutes until a dough ball is formed and is coming away from the sides of the bowl.
Leave the dough covered with clingfilm in a warm place for approximately 1 hour or until doubles in size.
Knock the air out of the dough and roll it into a log before cutting it into 12 even pieces.
Roll each piece into a smooth ball and place into a grease proof paper linen baking tray (approx. 30cm x 20cm) in a 3 bun by 4 bun pattern.
Cover balls of dough with cling film again and let rise for approximately 40 minutes or until it has risen to about 70% of its original size.
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees after leaving it to rest.
Right before placing it into the oven make your cross mixture by mixing your flour and water until a thickish paste forms. Using a ziplock bag with the corner cut off or a piping bag, pipe your crosses down the center of each bun horizontally and then vertically.
Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until nice and golden brown.
Meanwhile, place jam and water in a bowl and microwave for approx. 30 seconds until melted and combines.
Once buns are fresh out the over, brush your glaze over each one to give them a beautiful glossy finish.
