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Apple & Cinnamon Dough Balls (Healthy ‘Monkey Bread’)

Published on by Sharon18 Comments

When I first started blogging, I recall there was a wave of health food bloggers posting recipes for ‘Healthier’ Monkey bread.  I had absolutely no idea what ‘Monkey bread’ was or why it had such a funny name!

Wikipedia soon filled me in…

Monkey bread, also called monkey puzzle bread, sticky bread, African coffee cake, golden crown, pinch-me cake, bubbleloaf and monkey brains is a sweet, sticky, gooey pastry served in the United States for breakfast.  The bread is made with pieces of sweet yeast dough which are baked in a cake pan after first being covered in melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. It is traditionally served hot so that the baked segments can be easily torn away with the fingers and eaten by hand.

Sounds yummy doesn’t it?  However, traditional Monkey Bread isn’t particularly healthy.  It contains A LOT of fat and sugar.  In contrast, the ‘healthified’ versions often use bread or pizza dough as their base, and are glazed with healthier alternatives to butter and refined cane sugar.

One Sunday, I decided to have a go at making some Apple and Cinnamon-Spiced Healthy Monkey Bread as a ‘special breakfast’.  It was a huge hit with Lil’ L and M and,  I must admit, I’m rather partial to it too.

The ‘authentic’ way to serve Monkey Bread is to invert it onto a plate…

Apple and Cinnamon Healthy Monkey Bread

However, we prefer to eat it straight from the pan.  Hands get less messy, and you can use the balls to mop up any syrup left in the pan.

Healthy Apple & Cinnamon Monkey Bread

If you’re lucky enough to have a breadmaker, then this recipe requires very little effort at all.  You simply throw all the dough ingredients in the machine and press a button.   I’ve had my breadmaker for a couple of years now and it’s been fantastic!  I reckon it’s easily paid for itself in terms of the amount of times we’ve chosen to stay in rather than going to Pizza Express!

Today, I made some Monkey Bread as an after-school treat for Lil’ L and his friend, and I made it by hand to see how it compared to the bread-maker version.  To be honest, making dough by hand doesn’t require THAT much effort.  It takes less than 15 minutes, which isn’t too bad at all.  Plus kneading dough is great exercise for the arms.

Below I’ve given instructions for making the Monkey Bread by hand and in a breadmaker.  If you’re planning to eat it for breakfast, you can easily prepare the dough the night before and chill it in the fridge.  In the morning, simply remove the dough from the fridge about 20 minutes before you need to use it.

Recipe Card

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

These warm sweet dough balls make the most delicious weekend breakfast or 'elevenses'.
Below I’ve given instructions for making the Monkey Bread by hand and in a breadmaker. If you’re planning to eat it for breakfast, you can easily prepare the dough the night before and chill it in the fridge. In the morning, simply remove the dough from the fridge about 20 minutes before you need to use it.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Hands-on time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Breakfast, Elevenses
Servings 3

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 165 g / 1¼ cups fine wholemeal (whole wheat pastry) flour or chapatti flour
  • 140 g / 1 cup plain (all purpose) flour
  • ½ tsp fast action yeast
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 TBSP coconut sugar or golden caster (unrefined cane) sugar
  • 170 ml / ¾ cup lukewarm water
  • 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Apple Cinnamon Syrup

  • 2 small sweet organic apples (about 220g) or 190g / ¾ cup apple sauce
  • 30 g / 2 TBSP virgin coconut oil
  • 40 g / 2 TBSP maple syrup
  • 1 TBSP coconut sugar or golden caster (unrefined cane) sugar
  • 1 tsp ground sweet cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar

  • 1 TBSP coconut sugar or golden caster (unrefined cane) sugar
  • 1 tsp ground sweet cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the dough:
    – In a breadmaker: Tip all the ingredients in the pan and select ‘pizza dough’. The programme should take around 45 minutes. When it signals that it’s ready, leave the dough in the machine for a further 15 minutes or so.
    – Or by hand: Place the flours, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the warm water and oil using a spoon, then bring it together with your hands to form a sticky dough. Knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea cloth and leave in a warm place for an hour to prove.
  • Once the dough is ready, prepare the apple cinnamon syrup. Core the apples and chop into pieces. Place them in a bowl and blitz into a puree using a hand blender. Place the apple puree, coconut oil, syrup, sugar and cinnamon in a pan and gently heat until the oil has melted. Stir through, then remove from the heat.
  • To make the cinnamon sugar, simply combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  • Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan) / 400F. Grease a 23cm / 9″ baking pan with oil.
  • Prepare the dough balls: Pull off a small amount of dough and roll into a ball about 2.5 cm / 1″ in diameter. Place the ball in the prepared pan. Repeat until all the dough has been used. Space out the balls in the pan (they will expand as they cook). Spoon the apple cinnamon syrup between the balls and round the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the dough balls are crusty on top. Leave the pan to cool slightly, then place it in the centre of the table and invite everyone to tuck in.
  • Should there be any leftovers, store in the refrigerator for up to three days and gently warm through in the oven before serving.
Keyword Dairy-Free, Healthy Monkey Bread, Vegan Baking, Vegan Breakfast, Vegan Monkey Bread
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!


Lil L & Monkey Bread

Good Hemp Seed Giveaway Results!
Before I go, I’d like to announce the winners of the Good Hemp Seed Giveaway.  The eligible entries were placed in chronological order and 3 winners were randomly selected using Random.org.

I’m delighted to announce that the winners are…

1. Emma
2. Samantha
3. Penniless Veggie

Please email your postal addresses and I’ll arrange for the gifts to be sent to you asap.

Have a great weekend everyone!

With love,

—————–

Delicious Orange & Almond Cake (Dairy-free & Vegan)

Published on by Sharon59 Comments

Inspired by the yummy orange and almond cake that I had at the Holburne Museum Garden Cafe in Bath last week, I thought I’d attempt to bake an orange and almond cake myself.

And guess what?  …

It wasn’t a flop!

Look, it’s even cake shape (unlike last week’s brownie gloop which I had to turn into a chocolate ‘pudding’).


This cake is beautifully moist and has the most delicious almond flavour with a hint of orange.

AND, it’s got lots of lovely goodness in it, including B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E and a few minerals to boot. The cake’s also low GI, so it gifts us slow release energy rather than refined sugar energy spikes.

AND it’s easy to make.  Even for me!  (And if I can bake it, you definitely will be able to).

One of my study group friends said it’s the best cake I’ve ever made.  (To be fair, I haven’t set the bar very high with my attempts at baking, but it’s wonderful to hear that I’ve actually made something that’s more than edible).

M and Lil’ L absolutely loved it.  In fact, Lil’ L said it was one of the best cakes in the world!  For this reason alone, I think this cake deserves its own blog post.  So here it is.

Recipe Cards

Orange & Almond Cake (Dairy-free | Vegan)

Unlike regular cakes which are full of ’empty’ calories, this cake is packed full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein and fibre. It also provides slow release energy thanks to the wholegrain flour and almonds.
I would class this cake as a healthier ‘eat any time’ kind of cake, though some of my readers have served it at parties and told me that it went down a treat. It can easily be prepared in advance. In fact, we find it tastes even better a day or two after baking.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Hands-on time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Afternoon Tea, Treat
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

  • 140 g / 1 cup fine wholemeal (whole wheat pastry) flour or chapatti flour
  • 140 g / 1 cup plain (all purpose) flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 100 g / 1 cup ground almonds (almond meal)
  • 100 ml / ½ cup organic rapeseed, canola oil or other neutral-flavoured oil
  • 150 ml / ½ cup + 2 TBSP soya or almond milk
  • 200 ml / ⅔ cup maple syrup
  • ½ TBSP zest from an unwaxed / organic orange
  • 60 ml / ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 tsp orange extract
  • ½ tsp almond extract

Decorating suggestions:

  • Orange Cashew Cream Frosting (see recipe below) or apricot jam
  • 3 TBSP toasted flaked almonds crushed

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180C (160 fan) / 350F. Grease the sides of a 20cm / 8 inch loose-bottomed cake tin with oil and line the bottom with non-stick baking paper.
  • Sift the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl. Tip any remaining wheat germ into the bowl. Add the ground almonds and stir through to combine.
  • In a separate bowl, use a fork to whisk together the oil, milk, syrup, orange zest, orange juice, orange extract and almond extract until fully combined.
  • Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and stir to combine (but do not over mix). Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
  • Bake for 45 minutes, or until the cake is browned and feels springy when lightly pressed. Leave the cake in its tin until completely cooled (it will firm up as it cools).
  • Decorate with frosting or apricot jam and sprinkle toasted flaked almonds on top. Lightly press down on the almonds so that they stick. Chill in the refrigerator before serving.
  • Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this cake will keep for up to 5 days. It also freezes well.
Keyword Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Vegan Baking, Vegan Cake
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Orange Cashew Cream Frosting

In contrast to traditional frosting, this one is filled with nutrients including antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It tastes delicious too! The cashews and coconut oil make it smooth and creamy, while the orange adds a zesty, fresh flavour.
The quantities in the recipe below yield about ¾ cup frosting, which is sufficient to frost the top of a 20cm / 8 inch cake.
Print Recipe
Hands-on time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 110 g / ¾ cup raw cashews
  • 55 ml / 3 TBSP maple syrup
  • ½ TBSP zest from an unwaxed / organic orange
  • 30 ml / 2 TBSP freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 tsp orange extract
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 45 g / 3 TBSP virgin coconut oil, melted

Instructions
 

  • To soften the cashews, boil them in a pan of water for 15 minutes or soak in freshly boiled water for 30 minutes. Rinse in cold water and thoroughly drain.
  • Place the cashews in a food processor along with the syrup, zest, juice, orange extract and vanilla extract. Process until the cashews are ground into a creamy mixture. Stop now and then to scrape down the bowl. Add the melted coconut oil and continue blending for a few minutes until the mixture is completely smooth. Taste test for smoothness.
  • Scoop the frosting into a bowl and chill for one hour, or until firm enough to spread. The frosting will keep for five days in the refrigerator. It is also freezable.
Keyword Cashew Cream Frosting, Dairy-Free, Vegan Frosting
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

If you make this Orange & Almond Cake, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I’d love to see them! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here:
Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.   

With love,