Mini Maple Pecan Monkey Breads

When I was a child, one of my favorite sweet treats that my Grandma made was monkey bread, or pull apart bread.  I was always happy when I walked into her kitchen and was greeted by the ring of sweet caramelly balls of soft yeast bread dotted with toasted nuts.  It was like a giant ball of caramel rolls!  I could never resist it!  It was delicious warm, but I always found myself going back to sneak pieces of it, even though Grandma would tell me I would get a tummy ache if I had too many sweets.  That never happened though luckilly.  Sad to say I haven't had any in at least 10 years, since my Grandma was not well enough to make it and is no longer with us.  I have never attempted to make it on my own, until this weekend! 

I thought it would be the perfect bread to have for Easter, since I always remember having some sort of caramel roll or cinnamon roll to accompany Easter brunch growing up.  I decided that I needed to come up with my own recipe for monkey bread however, since I am not a fan of pre-made bread doughs or loading things up with pounds of butter.  I know Grandma used Rhodes bread dough, but I am a home made bread kind of girl. 

So I used my sweet roll dough recipe for the base and got to work.  I decided that I wanted my monkey bread to taste like a cross between a cinnamon roll and regular monkey bread so I added a bit of extra cinnamon.  Cassia cinnamon, because it is the most fragrant and delicious with no comparison to other types!  I also wanted my bread to have the wonderful presence of maple, so I used maple sugar in place of the brown sugar, as well as maple extract.  I used Earth Balance in place of the usual butter for the caramel, as I wanted to keep these vegan.  Last, I added plenty of pecans, because I love them with maple and cinnamon! 

I could have simply baked my monkey bread in a round bundt or tube pan, but I wanted to be able to share them with others, since I had made a double batch.  So I made mini monkey breads in muffin tins!  The perfect size for one, and the perfect size to share!  They smelled so wonderful as they were baking, filling my kitchen with the aroma of maple cinnamon rolls!  When they were finished baking and just cool enough to try I dove into one...and it was wonderful!  Soft and light dough with the aroma of cinnamon and sweetness of gooey maple caramel and toasty crunchy nuts! 

Heavenly, and even better than Grandma's monkey bread I might add.  I think Grandma would be proud if she were here today to try some!  I left them on the counter to cool and a couple hours later I noticed there were 3 missing.  My Mom had snuck a few, and if she goes back for seconds on anything you know it is really good!  I would have to agree with her!  They were perfect for Easter, but I would make them for brunch any time of the year!  Here is the recipe if you would wish to try some for yourself!

Mini Maple Pecan Monkey Breads

Makes about 16 rolls

Dough:

1 packet rapid rise yeast

1 1/2 tsp agave nectar

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup coconut milk or almond milk

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp maple sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp maple extract
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups organic bread Flour
1 1/2 cups organic whole wheat flour
1 cup toasted pecans

Coating:
1/4 cup maple sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
1/2 cup maple sugar
10 Tbsp Earth Balance vegan butter, melted
1 Tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

In a large bowl, combine yeast, 1 Tbsp agave nectar and water.  Let sit 5 minutes, until yeast is foamy, then add coconut milk, maple sugar, coconut oil, maple extract, vanilla, and sea salt.  Mix well, then add the flour 1 cup at a time until dough is not sticky.  Place dough on a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.  Place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm area to rise for about an hour, or until doubled in bulk.  Spray a 12 cup muffin tin, and a 6 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray.   Drop about 6 pecans into the bottom of each hole.  When dough has risen, punch it down, and divide into 16 pieces, and cut each into quarters. Combine 1/4 cup maple sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in a large ziplock bag.  Place half dough balls in bag, zip up, and shake in bag to coat. Remove from bag and repeat with remaining balls.  Place 4 dough balls into each muffin tin hole. In small bowl, for topping, mix together maple sugar, butter, agave nectar, vanilla, maple and sea salt.  Whisk until well combined and sugar is dissolved.   Pour  about 1 Tbsp over the dough pieces in each muffin hole. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise.  Let rise until almost doubled in bulk, about 35-45 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees with the rack set at the middle position.  Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and done in the center (keep a close watch as they brown quickly, and if they are brown after only 10 minutes, cover with foil and continue to bake until done).  Remove from oven and let cool slightly, about a minute, then invert onto foil sprayed with non-stick spray.  Serve warm while caramel is still gooey!