Description
This Cheesy Savory Monkey Bread features a super soft Tangzhong dough rolled in flavorful pesto and arranged in a pan, topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. After a final rise, it bakes into a pull-apart bread perfect for sharing at any occasion.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dough
- 20 g bread flour
- 95 g whole milk
- 180 g cold whole milk
- 20 g sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp (5 g) instant yeast
- 270 g bread flour
- 20 g milk powder
- 1 tsp (3 g) kosher salt
- 45 g neutral oil
Filling and Topping
- 100 g pesto
- 30 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make Tangzhong: In a small saucepan, whisk together 20 g bread flour and 95 g whole milk over medium heat until thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Prepare Dough: In a large bowl, combine the cooled Tangzhong, 180 g cold whole milk, sugar, instant yeast, 270 g bread flour, milk powder, kosher salt, and neutral oil. Mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Knead Dough: Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place it in a greased bowl, cover with a towel, and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Shape Dough Balls: Punch down the risen dough and divide it into small equal pieces (around 20). Flatten each piece slightly and spread pesto over the surface, then roll into a ball.
- Assemble Monkey Bread: Arrange the pesto-coated dough balls in a greased bundt pan or round cake pan. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese evenly over the dough balls. Cover and let it rise again for about 1 hour until puffy.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the monkey bread for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through.
- Cool and Serve: Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm and enjoy pulling apart pieces of the cheesy pesto monkey bread.
Notes
- Use a neutral oil like vegetable or canola for the dough to keep flavors balanced.
- You can substitute pesto with your favorite herb spread or garlic butter for variation.
- Allow the dough to rise adequately for the softest texture.
- Make sure to cool the Tangzhong before mixing into the dough to avoid killing the yeast.
- This bread is best served warm but keeps well for up to 2 days stored in an airtight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 290 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
