Apple Pie Monkey Bread Recipe - Yes it is as GOOD as it sounds! (2024)

FAQs

What apples should you avoid when making apple pie and why? ›

Choose the Wrong Apple Variety

The science of baking goes all the way down to the cellular level; due to a fruit's biological makeup, sweeter apples break down easier than more acidic apples. To avoid filling that looks like applesauce and tastes like grainy sludge, avoid particularly sweet apples, like Red Delicious.

Monkey bread (also known by other names including plucking cake, pull-apart bread, and bubble bread) is a soft, sweet, sticky pastry served in the United States for breakfast or as a treat. It consists of pieces of soft baked dough sprinkled with cinnamon.

Dating back to the 1880s in Hungarian literature, Hungarian immigrants brought this dish with them when they immigrated to America and began introducing it into the country's food landscape when Hungarian and Hungarian Jewish bakeries began selling it in the mid-twentieth century.

The exact ratio is up to you. If you prioritize a more puckery pie, use mostly Granny Smiths and toss in a Honeycrisp and a Jonagold. If you like your apples to slump and soften, use mostly Golden Delicious with a Braeburn thrown in.

Try these: Jonagold, Northern Spy, Honeycrisp and Cortlandt, Granny Smith and Pink Lady, Golden Delicious, or Sierra Beauty, Calville Blanc, Roxbury Russet are all firm enough to hold up in the oven. Avoid these: McIntosh, Gala, Fuji or Red Delicious.

Monkey Bread, aka Puzzle Bread, aka Hungarian Coffee Cake, may not have originated in the United States but in Hungary, where my paternal grandmother was born. And so, in my search for a dish that was previously unknown to me, I am somehow guided to an ancestral tradition.

Baobab's medicinal benefits…

Powdered monkey-bread is used as a remedy for exhaustion. It aids recovery after illness like flu, or after sports. It also has strong anti-inflammatory properties and helps fight joint pain and other inflammations. Finally, this powder promotes digestive health and protects the liver.

Pink Lady^® apples are a perfect accompaniment for pies as they hold their shape and don't disintegrate when baked, creating beautiful layers within your pie. Slightly el dente and naturally sweet when baked make them the perfect pie partner.

Like glass dishes, ceramic pie dishes conduct heat slowly and evenly, which helps yield uniformly golden crusts and thoroughly cooked fillings, even when making fruit pies, like apple, that require lengthy cooks to soften down.

Why is my apple pie watery? ›

One of the chief reasons bakers end up with apple soup under the crust is failure to bake their pie long enough. There's almost no such thing as over-baking an apple pie; I've baked apple pies for 2 hours and longer, and they turn out just fine.

Bake the monkey bread for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top of the loaf is golden brown. An instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf should read between 190°F and 200°F. Serve and store. Serve immediately, or warmed.

I bake mine in one of the best Bundt pans, but a tube pan works, too. You could even bake it in a muffin tin for individual monkey bread "muffins." Wouldn't that be cute?! Just be sure to adjust the baking time.

Reheating leftover monkey bread in the oven will yield the best results. Place monkey bread on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and bake at 250 degrees F for 5-10 minutes.

Granny Smith apples are considered by many to be the "pie apples." They are known for their snappy tartness and ability to maintain their shape and texture when cooked. These are, no doubt, a terrific choice for apple pie — especially when combined with a sweeter, softer apple like Braeberns or Crispins.

Braeburn Apples

A Braeburn's flavor sweetens and concentrates during cooking to evoke a hint of spice, which makes it a natural pick for pie. And since Braeburns don't release much liquid during cooking, they won't lead to a runny filling or soggy pie crust.

What Makes A Good Apple For Apple Crisp? The best apples for baking keep their structure under heat, which prevents the chunks of fruit from turning into mush after baking. The firm and crisp Granny Smith and Honeycrisp varieties are popular apples to use in apple pies and apple crisps.

Perfect Pie Tip #6: Choose Tart Apples

When apples are cooked, this pectin breaks down, and the apples turn mushy. However, there are ways to control this pectin breakdown, helping you to ensure that your apple slices are tender, but still hold their shape in the pie.