Every Thursday I chat with Matt Swaim on the Sonrise Morning Show/Sacred Heart Radio about Bible foods & herbs. 

Since we’re stuck indoors across the nation during this cold snap, I wanted to share a fun recipe the whole family can do together – Monkey Bread. Yes, it uses a couple ingredients from Bible days: butter and cinnamon. 

Butter: Repeatedly mentioned in the Old Testament Exodus 3:8; Numbers 14:8 – the promised land is described as the land of milk and honey. Butter was churned often from goats milk.

Cinnamon is featured in the Bible as a symbol of spiritual significance.  

Exodus 30 talks about cinnamon as an annointing oil for sacred objects and Song of Solomon in 4 14 describes cinnamon as a precious spice.

BTW did you know butter was “churned” in Bible days by putting the cream in a leather pouch and then swinging it back and forth until it formed curds and then butter?

Here’s the recipe and I hope you enjoy it. You’ll find variations all over the internet, so no worries if you have a little more, or less, of any one ingredient.

CINNAMON MONKEY BREAD

Ingredients

24 oz. refrigerated buttermilk biscuits – a little less, or more is OK I think 

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

InstructionsPreheat oven to 350. Grease generously or spray 9- or 10-inch tube or Bundt pan.

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and shape each into little balls.

Mix granulated sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag or bowl. Shake (or roll in bowl) 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar-cinnamon mix. 

Arrange pieces in prepared pan. Continue until all pieces are used up. You’ll have several layers.

Combine brown sugar and butter in a pan. Add 1/2 cup of the remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture and heat until butter melts and the mixture just begins to boil. Immediately remove from heat. Stir.  Be cautious not to overcook the syrup; the goal is to help the sugar dissolve only. Carefully drizzle the warm mixture over the rolled dough balls in the pan.Bake for about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it as baking times may vary.  Tip: It’s done when thermometer reads 185 or so.

Allow pan to rest for about 5 minutes.

Cover pan with a large plate and invert it to release the monkey bread. To eat, pull the desired amount off with your fingers (like a monkey would!).

No Bundt or Tube Pan?

The shape of a Bundt or tube pan allows hot air to circulate to the middle of the bread and bake the dough evenly.

If you don’t have a Bundt or tube pan, though, you can make monkey bread in a large loaf pan, cake pan, or 9×13 pan.

Use a large enough pan to allow for the biscuits to expand. You may have to adjust your baking time so the biscuit pieces are fully baked in the center of the monkey bread.