Cool recipe title, right? Of course, that’s not the point. The point is that brown sugar, yeasty bread, cinnamon, and orange have a new best friend. And that best friend is a hint of smoke.
It’s subtle, not in your face by any means, but that hint of woodsmoke along with all those other cozy flavours takes this Monkey Bread to a whole other level.
The smoke flavour comes from tea. Lapsang Souchong tea, specifically. Lapsang Souchong is smoked over pine needles, giving it an intense, heady aroma.
To be honest with you, I can’t stand to drink it – the smoke flavour is way too strong for me. But baking with it? I’m in love.
The beauty of bringing that pine-smoke flavour to this bread is not only that it adds some complexity to what is a very familiar flavour, but it also tastes exactly like eating a cinnamon bun next to a campfire.
It makes me think of forests, and cozy blankets and chopping wood, and cooking under the stars.
Smoke, cinnamon and orange is such a great combination. And it was so easy to achieve too. I just infused the butter with a few spoonfuls of tea and blammo, mission accompished – I’m really psyched to try out some other varieties and see what happens.
This is my latest favourite update on a classic. Do you ever do that? Take an old favourite and add a new flavour – like when everyone discovered that salt and caramel are best friends? What’s your favourite unusual combo?
xx Sarah.
- 2 + ½ cups (375g) flour
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 + ¼ tsp yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅔ cup (165ml) milk
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
- ½ stick (50g) butter
- 2 tsp lapsang souchong tea
- ½ cup (110g) brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Zest of 1 orange
- Place all the ingredients for the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it's elastic. (easily done by hand, it'll just take a bit longer!)
- Cover the dough and set aside for at least an hour or until doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter for the coating, and add the tea. Cover and set aside to infuse for at least 20 minutes, before straining out the tea and placing the butter in a shallow bowl.
- Mix the remaining coating ingredients together in a separate shallow bowl.
- When the dough is risen, punch it down, and then press it out on a lightly floured surface into a square. Cut the square 6 down and 6 across to make 36 small pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball, and dip first into the butter, then the brown sugar mixture, before placing it into a greased 6 inch bundt tin. Cover the tin and set aside to rise for a further 30 minutes.
- Bake at 180C for 15 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, before turning out onto a plate. Don't let it cool too much in the tin, or it might stick! ENJOY!
This sounds incredible!! I love unexpected flavor combos like this. I just recently made chocolate chip cookies with soy sauce and black sesame seeds, which sounded just weird enough to be amazing… and it was!
That sounds amazing! I would love to try that.
Whhhat?! Smoky tea, you are blowing my mind! Eith way, I’ll take this, because OMG that bread!
I want to eat a cinnamon roll by a campfire! No, wait, I want this!
Wow, what a fantastic combination of flavors! I’m not a fan of that tea either, but this I can definitely see trying.
Sarah,. this looks absolutely epic in the best possible way! And also, how have i not thought to combine cinnamon rolls with campfires? that’s just a win-win situation all around :)
Thanks Amy! I LOVE your blog.
woodsmoke?! COOL! This recipe looks lovely and is soooo unique!
What great looking monkey bread!
Wowza – this is pretty amazing. You come up with the best ideas!
Thanks Sasha!
Whoa I’m getting a sugar rush just reading this post! Heck yeah!
wow. pinsmoke flavour? did you buy a flavour for tha? if so where. sounds awesome and ski lodgy! x
It actually comes from Lapsang Souchong tea!
I think I had once a smoky tea… I could not drink it either! At that time I didn’t even know what I was drinking. The idea to use the Lapsang souchong in a monkey bread is so original. Makes me very curious…
I still can’t believe I’ve never made monkey bread before. It’s just embarrassing–and totally wrong. This looks spectacular Sarah!!! The smokey tea–seriously amazing. Love everything about this.
I love monkey bread and have fond memories of it as a kid. Your idea of making this more “adult” with the tea smoke is fabulous!
This looks amazing! So interesting that the smokey flavor comes from tea – when I read the title I was wondering if you put liquid smoke in your money bread! The flavors sound amazing
I can’t tell you how many times I have wanted to make monkey bread and haven’t for one reason or another. But, this sounds so amazing that I must try it. I’m seeing more and more people using tea in their baking…I’ve got to get on this wagon soon :D
Whaaaaaat?… smokey-tea monkey bread? I love it!!
I’m not sure how your brain works the way it does, but I freaking love it. This sounds SO good.
Such interesting flavor combos, I love it!
I love this flavor situation you have going on here! and I love eating campfire infused foods. Last time I went camping I made a blueberry snack cake and wrapped up individual squares in foil so we could toss them onto the fire to reheat. It was so good…albeit messy.
Sounds good, I think I will Try it, but I am going to try using smoked salt for half of the salt called for, since i don’t have any souchong at the moment.
You asked for unusual ingredient additions – I like using a bit of ground Coriander in my baking – Muffins, loafs, cookies and such. It adds an interesting dimension.
Oh my gosh, I was SO glad to get to the part where you mentioned using tea to infuse a smoky flavor! I was picturing adding liquid smoke to monkey bread and was a little skeptical…but tea and orange? I can get behind that! Loving these pictures of the glistening bread.
You are genius! Using tea to infuse flavor? Love it! I’ve never had monkey, but I sure want to try it!
HOLD ME! This looks glorious.