Vanilla Ice Cream Monkey Bread

The moment I post this recipe, my sister is going to call me and freak out.

It might not be for why you would think. No, she has not been waiting for a recipe like this. No, she will not be super excited about this ooey-gooey caramel delight. No, she will not be smiling from ear-to-ear because she cannot wait to try this recipe. She will be upset. She will more than likely lecture me. The reason being… this is HER signature dessert/breakfast dish.

For my sister, she grew up with many crazy chefs and bakers all around her; grandma, mom and me. She sat back for many years and was pushed around the kitchen as our mini sous chef. Adding sprinkles here, crushing crackers there and opening candies during the holidays. Or standing next to the stove with the whisk and commanded to not stop stirring until instructed.

She was a trooper, but over the years we did not take too much time to teach her what we were doing, we just counted on her to be there as our helper. Today she is in college and attempting to bake on her own. To date, she has a few recipes down, to the point that she has laid claim to making them for any and all family gatherings; green bean casserole, Spanish peanut clusters, chocolate chip cookies and  monkey bread.

I am going to risk it. I am going to share with you this wonderfully delicious recipe. Why? Because I want to face the wrath of my sister? No. Because it is so delicious there is no way I can keep it from the rest of the world!

Now this recipe does take over an extended amount of time to make. You will need to take 2 loaves of bread from the freezer and place them on a greased baking sheet on your counter for 45 minutes to partially thaw. Being slightly frozen will allow for easier slicing of the bread.  Slice each loaf of bread into 10-12 slices. Then quarter each slice.

Place all bread chunks into a well greased or buttered 9 x 13 baking pan.

Generously coat the bread chunks with cinnamon.  As you can see I was very generous with my cinnamon.  You can add as much as you desire.

At the same time as you take out your loaves of bread, measure out the vanilla ice cream into a bowl and place on the counter.  The ice cream will be perfectly melted when the loaves are ready to go.

Oh- and make sure you get a spoonful for yourself. We all deserve a treat while baking. I am calling this a taste test, to ensure the ice cream is just right for the recipe.

Once the ice cream is melted, add in the sugar, brown sugar and butter. You will have the best results when mixing if you place all ingredients in the bowl at one time. Creaming the butter and sugar first will yield an odd consistency. I am not sure as to why, but it does. So just go with it, add it all to the bowl and mix.

Once all mixed, the butter will look slightly lumpy, but that is fine.

The last step, pour the sugar mixture over the bread chunks. It is fine if the mixture does not fully cover the bread. The sugar mixture will sink to the bottom during baking and fully incorporate to create delicious caramel.

Now you need to wait. It is best to put this recipe together at night, at maybe 9pm or 10pm, before you go to bed. Place either a sheet of wax paper or tin foil over the bread and place in the refrigerator. If you do not want to make this overnight, you can make it and allow it to sit for 5-12 hours in the refrigerator before baking.

In the morning bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees (remove the foil or wax paper before baking). Make sure the oven is fully preheated or your caramel will not sink to the bottom correctly because your bread will rise too soon.  You will know the bread is done when the top is risen and golden brown.

Once you remove the bread from the oven, place a sheet of foil and a cookie sheet over the top of the bread. Using potholders, flip the pan over so the bread and caramel dumps out onto the foil.

Ta da! Hot, caramel  soaked, delicious Vanilla Ice Cream Monkey Bread! You will notice that the right corner is missing…. I needed a sample 🙂

I will have to admit, even though mine was quite scrumptious, my sister still does make this recipe the best! 🙂

Vanilla Ice Cream Monkey Bread

yield 9 x13 pan

  • 2 frozen loaves of bread
  • 3/4 cup vanilla ice cream, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • Cinnamon
  1. Place frozen bread dough on greased baking sheet and allow to thaw for 45 minutes at room temperature.
  2. Scope ice cream into medium mixing bowl and allow to melt while bread is thawing.
  3. Cut partially thawed bread loaves into 10-12 slices, then cut crosswise into 4 chunks. Sprinkle bread chunks into bottom of heavily greased 9 x 13 baking pan.
  4. Generously cover all bread chunks with cinnamon.
  5. Add butter, sugar and brown sugar to melted ice cream and mix by hand until fully incorporated.
  6. Pour sugar and butter mixture over bread dough. The sugar mixture will not be even, but will even out during baking.
  7. Cover bread with tin foil or wax paper, and place in refrigerator overnight. Overnight= 5-12 hours.
  8. In the morning, bake bread at 375 degrees in a preheated oven for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown.  Do not bake in cold oven.
  9. Remove bread promptly from oven. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Place foil covered pan over bread and using potholder, flip bread onto cookie sheet. This will allow the caramel from the bottom of the pan to coat all of the bread. Scrap any remaining caramel from the bottom of the pan and pour on bread.
  10. Serve immediately.

 

If you like the post or try the recipe, leave me a comment 🙂


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2 responses to “Vanilla Ice Cream Monkey Bread”

  1. Melissa Avatar
    Melissa

    This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it. 🙂

  2. Cheryl Mahoney Avatar
    Cheryl Mahoney

    Thanks for having this recipe online. I plan to make it for christmas. I used to have a recioe card similiar to your recipe 10yrs ago, but lost it.. Thanks!