Cake Pan Monkey Bread

I saw this on food network the other day and I really wanted to try it. The finished bread came out beautiful even though I didn't really have the traditional bundt cake pan! Of course, I had to completely wing the recipe because I happen to be incapable of following recipes, but I was very happy with the results.

The Dough:

• 1 Package Active Dry Yeast
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Warm Milk
• 3/4 Cup Warm Water
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Stick Melted Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Vegetable oil 
• 1 Cup Flour (I used all purpose and a little bit of whole wheat) plus up to two cups  more on the side 
• Apple Pie Spice

1. Set oven to bread proof if you have that setting. If not, simply start at step 2
2. Place all ingredients (minus the two cups of flour you should have set to the side) into a stand mixer and beat with the dough paddle until well combined. 
3. Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer and slowly add more and more flour until a sticky dough begins to be formed. The amount of flour changes based on humidity and flour type, so you can't really use exact measurements at this point. Stop adding when the dough begins to crawl up the hook and doesn't stick to your finger very much when pressed. (If you don't have a stand mixer, you will have to knead by hand and you will have to make sure the dough isn't sticky at all. I tend to prefer the stand mixer method because I can leave the dough a bit stickier and it comes out very tender and cake-like) 
4. When the dough has been kneaded for about ten minutes, place it in a greased and floured bowl and allow to rise until doubled in size, about an hour or two. 
5. Punch down and knead a couple times, then place it back into the bowl and allow to double again.
6. After the second doubling, knead the dough a few times. Then, grease and flour a round cake pan. Prepare the sugar-butter topping as directed below. 

Sugar-Butter Topping

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Stick Melted Butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then whisk in the brown sugar into the simmering butter and stir for two minutes. Remove from heat. 
3. Pour half of the mixture onto the bottom of the greased cake pan. Begin rolling out balls of dough about two inches to three inches wide and cover the bottom of the cake pan with those balls of dough. Continue layering until all the dough is used. I ended up with one layer on the bottom and a couple dough balls on a second layer. 
4. Bake at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown and a toothpick removing the dough from the center comes out with dough that is no longer sticky (alternately, try to press down on the center of the bread to see if it springs back). This is hard to tell because different shaped breads cook at different times, so you might have to remove some of the dough from the inside of your bread to make sure it's done. If the top is cooking too fast, put foil over to stop browning. 
5. Flip the bread out so the taller side (second layer) is on top. Pour the remaining topping over the top of the bread. 
6. Rip off pieces and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pumped Banana Bread

Mmmmm. Bananas and peanut butter.

This bread is LOADED with bananas and chunky (you can use smooth if you want) peanut butter. It's crunchy on the outside, but absolutely melts in your mouth. It's actually extremely easy to make, too!

The Bread:

• 1 Stick of Butter (I used light butter) 
• 1 1/2 Cups Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Cup Peanut butter (your favorite kind!)
• 1/4 Cup milk
• 3 Mashed Small to Medium Bananas (or two large)
• 2 Cups Flour (I used 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat and 1 1/2 Cups All Purpose)
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• Apple Pie Spice (optional, you can add a pinch if you like spices in your banana bread)
• Chocolate Chips
• Cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until very light and fluffy using a hand or stand mixer. Add in the eggs one at a time and continue to beat until everything is very frothy and light. 
3. Add in the veggie oil and peanut butter and mix until well combined. Add in the milk and mashed bananas and stir in using spoon until just combined (you don't want to use the mixer anymore at this point or you'll get rid of the yummy banana chunks!)
4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and apple pie spice (optional), cinnamon, and chocolate chips. Pour together all at once into the wet mixture. DO NOT use a mixer or you'll get a rubbery cake!
5. Fold in the dry ingredients until JUST combined. To ensure a tender cake, I always stop stirring after ten folds even if I can still see flour. It's okay if all the flour isn't combined! As long as there isn't too much unmixed, you're better off undermixing than overmixing because the bread won't have melt-in-your-mouth texture if you do too much!
6. Bake covered in foil for ten minutes, then (depending on your baking dish) bake another ten minutes uncovered or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or the bread "springs" back when pushed down! 
7. Enjoy your yummy bread! 

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Nut Bread

This bread takes a little love, care, and patience, but it's so worth it! You can add in your favorite nuts and dried fruits to make it even more delicious! It is a yeast bread, so it requires proofing time and works best if you have either a bread machine or a stand mixer with a dough hook for easing kneading.

The Dough:

• 1 Packet Active Dry Yeast (if you know how to use rapidrise, this is okay too, but I really don't like the results compared to normal yeast)
• 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar (healthy swap-use 1/4 to 1/2 cup honey or agave instead!)
• 2 eggs
• 1 Cup very warm (about 110 Degree) water
• 1/4 Cup cooled, melted butter
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour, plus about two cups (separate, you'll see why) You can use half whole wheat and half all purpose if desired. 
• 3/4 Cup Oats
• Pinch each of Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Allspice
• Optional add ins- this bread goes great with nuts (almonds, walnuts, or even peanuts) and dried fruits (especially dried raisins and figs)

1. Working your way down the ingredients one or two at a time, combine all ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer (dough paddle) and mix until well blended. Be sure to only put in one cup of your flour to begin with. 
2. With your remaining two cups of flour, add very small amounts to the mix until a loose dough begins to form and it clumps on the dough paddle of your mixer. When this happens, remove the dough paddle and insert the dough hook. Continue working the dough with the dough hook, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking on sides of bowl. 
3. Beat dough for ten to fifteen minutes, or until it becomes almost elastic. Flour and spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough into it covered by a warm towel. Allow to rise in a very warm place until doubled in height. (This normally takes an hour to two hours)
4. Punch the dough down after it doubles, then let it rise again for an hour (at least). Please note that the longer you let breads rise, the better. So, you can make this dough in the morning and let it rise all day or make it at night and let it rise all night and it'll only be better!
5. Preheat an oven to 350 Degrees. Place the dough in a bread pan and pat out evenly, then "tent" the bread with aluminum foil and place in the oven. 
6. Bake for about thirty minutes covered, then remove the foil and continue baking until the very center springs back when pushed. You could also test with a toothpick, but be sure to get into the center of the bread with the toothpick and dig around to see if its still underdone. The crust around the bread will wipe the toothpick clean a lot of times even if it isn't done, so be sure to make a big enough hole with a toothpick to test the very center. I find the spring check always works like a charm. 
7. Slice and enjoy with jam, nut butters, honey, cream cheese, nutella, or even use in a sandwich! 

Tips and Tricks:

• Make an "egg wash" with an egg and a teaspoon of water mixed together (optionally add honey too for a sweet touch) and use a pastry brush to coat the top of the bread just before it's done baking to create a shiny finish
• Avoid using too much flour as it will cause your bread to be tough. If using a stand mixer, let your dough be a little more sticky because you don't have to knead it by hand so you don't have to worry about the stickiness!
• Increase or decrease the sugar for different types of bread. If you are looking for a sandwich loaf, decrease the sugar for less sweetness. If you want a bakery style bread that's more sweet, add more sugar.