The Breakfast Twist You Should Put On Monkey Bread

Monkey bread is a must-try breakfast food that can easily double as dessert. A dish you can make with canned biscuit dough, plenty of butter, sugar, and cinnamon, it is gloriously sticky and sweet. If you want to bump up the breakfast factor, though, try adding crumbled bacon when you bake it. Like dipping the meat in maple syrup, including the crispy pork pieces will introduce a savory, salty element to the otherwise sugary flavor of the bread.

This is not the time to use manufactured, processed bacon bits from a bottle, which will turn into soggy mush when they're incorporated into the moist pastry. Fry up some fresh bacon until it's crispy, and then crumble it. Monkey bread is usually baked in a bundt pan, so it's inverted to serve. If you want bacon on top, sprinkle some of your cooked bacon pieces in the pan first, then start placing your prepared bread dough on top. Add the rest of the bacon throughout so it's distributed evenly, along with the rest of your ingredients (usually a syrup made from butter and brown sugar or maple syrup). Once baked and removed from the pan, you should have a beautifully browned crown of pastry with plenty of bacon scattered throughout.

If you enjoy your breakfasts on the savory side, there is a monkey bread for you, too. You can make this dish completely without sugar and fill it with lots of other flavorful ingredients. It would be wonderful alongside a plate of eggs or as the main course. Along with the crumbled bacon, incorporate things like shredded or cubed cheese (cheddar, Gruyere, Swiss, Gouda are all good choices), chopped green onions or chives, sauteed onions and peppers, mushrooms, dill, and parsley.

For maximum flavor, use the grease that's leftover from cooking your bacon. Wait for it to cool a bit, and dip each chunk of bread dough in it. Then toss them with a seasoning blend like Everything But the Bagel or ranch. You could even opt for finely grated Parmesan cheese. Alternatively, you can dunk the dough in melted butter instead of bacon fat. Then, build your monkey bread in the pan, scattering your bacon and any other chosen ingredients in.