Monkey Bread: Recipe Makeover

By Sidney Fry, MS, RD
Updated: June 09, 2014
This pull-apart brunch favorite undergoes a slimming transformation yet miraculously keeps all of its irresistible sticky-buttery essence.
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Monkey Bread Lightens Up

Photo: Randy Mayor
Monkey around with the likes of canned biscuit dough, a stick of butter, and gobs of cinnamon-sugar, and you've got a mountain of fatty calories. I knew that the nutrition analysis of the traditional monkey bread recipe would show that—but 960mg of sodium per serving surprised me.

To build a better base, we give the premade biscuits a pass—they're high in sodium and contain trans fats. Instead (and here's where convenience takes a backseat to quality), we start with fresh, homemade dough, made with nutty whole-wheat flour and delicately sweetened with orange juice and honey. In place of the stick of butter, each bite is dipped in a combo of milk and butter, then rolled in cinnamon and sugar. A finishing drizzle of cream cheese icing sends this treat over the top in taste—with about 80% less sodium and saturated fat than the original.

THE CLASSIC
556 calories per serving
960 milligrams sodium
13 grams saturated fat

THE MAKEOVER
234 calories per serving
184 milligrams sodium
2 grams saturated fat

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Ingredient Showdown

Photo: Randy Mayor
Canned Biscuits
A nifty kitchen convenience, but you pay a price in fat, and they can contain a surprising amount of sodium.

Homemade Whole-Wheat Dough
You'll save 3g saturated fat and 677mg sodium per serving by making your own light, fluffy whole-wheat dough.

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Step 1

Photo: Randy Mayor
Use kitchen shears or scissors to cut each rope into 8 equal portions, shaping each cut portion into a 1-inch ball.
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Step 2

Photo: Randy Mayor
A quick skinny dip in a milk-and-butter bath evenly coats the dough, so there's no need for a heavy butter basting.

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Step 3

Photo: Randy Mayor
The milk bath allows maximum cinnamon-sugar coverage on the dough for full flavor in every bite.

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Step 4

Photo: Randy Mayor
Layer the bites in the pan for the final rise. The sugar coating caramelizes in the oven.

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