A tear-and-share bread with an extra touch of summer! This Blueberry Monkey Bread is a tender sweet roll loaded with a bright burst of flavor from the sweet and tart blueberry sauce. There are plenty of warming spices and a luscious, creamy glaze all over the top, which is literally finger-licking delicious… you won’t want to miss even a little drop of it! Blueberry Monkey Bread will have you monkeying-around for more!
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more, to taste, for greasing the bowl
- 3/4 cup whole milk, heated to 110 degrees F
- 1/2 cup water, heated to 110 degrees F
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
For the blueberry sauce:
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 teaspoon cold water
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- kosher salt, to taste
For the assembly:
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons, softened, divided
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- all-purpose flour, to taste, for dusting a work surface
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk, plus more, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Grease a bowl with the extra melted butter.
Step 2 –Stir 3/4 cup of the heated milk, 1/2 cup of the heated water, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter together in a small heatproof bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 3 –Stir in the yeast and let the mixture sit until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
Step 4 –In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour and 2 teaspoons of the salt.
Step 5 –Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
Step 6 –Switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook, increase the speed to high, and beat until the dough is smooth, elastic, and sticky, about 6-8 minutes.
Step 7 –Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl, cover it, and let sit in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Step 8 –Heat the remaining granulated sugar, the remaining water, and 1 cup of the blueberries in a small pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to burst and the mixture comes to a boil, about 6-7 minutes.
Step 9 –Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the berries have cooked down to a sauce, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 10 –Stir in the dissolved cornstarch mixture and simmer until combined and thickened, about 1 minute.
Step 11 –Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, the salt (to taste), and the remaining blueberries.
Step 12 –Allow the sauce to cool.
Step 13 –Grease a 12-cup Bundtâ„¢ pan or tube pan with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter.
Step 14 –Pour the remaining 6 tablespoons of the melted butter into a small, flat container.
Step 15 –In another small, flat container, stir together the brown sugar, the cinnamon, the cardamom, and the remaining salt.
Step 16 –Lightly flour a worksurface and turn the dough out onto it.
Step 17 –Divide the dough into 36 equal pieces.
Step 18 –Dip each dough piece into the container with the melted butter, then roll the pieces in the container with the spiced sugar mixture.
Step 19 –Arrange 12 pieces on the bottom of prepared tube pan.
Step 20 –Add 1/2 of the blueberry sauce to the tube pan.
Step 21 –Repeat the layers.
Step 22 –Top the tube pan with the remaining 12 dough pieces.
Step 23 –Cover and let rise until the top dough pieces nearly reach the top of the mold, about 20-30 minutes.
Step 24 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 25 –Uncover the pan and bake the bread until deeply browned on top and around the edges, about 35-45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into one of the bread pieces should register at least 190 degrees F.
Step 26 –Let the monkey bread cool for 5 minutes before running a small knife around the edges of the pan to loosen.
Step 27 –Invert the bread onto a platter.
Step 28 –Stir together the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of the softened butter in a medium bowl until smooth.
Step 29 –Stir in the powdered sugar and the remaining milk, adding more milk if needed to reach a smooth, pourable glaze.
Step 30 –Drizzle the glaze over the warm monkey bread.
Step 31 –Serve.
