Recipe: Cinnamon walnut monkey bread

Cinnamon walnut monkey bread

Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes plus rising time

Servings: 10 to 12

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

1 recipe basic monkey bread dough

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together over medium heat, stirring frequently, just until the brown sugar starts to dissolve into the butter to form a sauce, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

2. Pour one-third of the butter-brown sugar mixture into a greased 10-inch cake pan, then sprinkle in half of the chopped walnuts in an even layer. Keep the remaining butter-sugar mixture in a warm place so it stays pourable.

3. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

4. Punch down the monkey bread dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into four equal pieces, and loosely drape a piece of plastic over the dough.

5. Using your hands, roll one piece of the dough into a 12-inch-long log. (The dough is moist and it may not be perfectly smooth.) Cut the log crosswise into 10 equal pieces. Roll the pieces in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place them side by side, gently touching (not tightly packed), on top of the walnuts and butter-brown sugar mixture. Continue with the three remaining pieces of dough, forming the logs, then rolling the cut pieces in cinnamon-sugar and placing them in the pan (the pieces should cover the base of the pan).

6. Sprinkle the remaining chopped walnuts over the top of the dough. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until the dough has more than doubled, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees.

7. Unwrap the risen dough and pour over the remaining butter-brown sugar mixture. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the monkey bread is puffed and golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes. Cool the monkey bread, still in the pan, on a rack for 15 minutes. Invert the monkey bread onto a serving plate or platter and allow the bread to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Each of 12 servings: 478 calories; 6 grams protein; 50 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 29 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 63 mg. cholesterol; 23 grams sugar; 210 mg. sodium.