Gluten Free Monkey Bread

This is a recipe that I use to make back in the early 1980's when I was teaching preschool.  Of course at the time it was not gluten-free.  For the original recipe all you needed was a can of refrigerator biscuits, butter and cinnamon-sugar.  The children would roll the individual biscuits into a ball, then they would dip it into butter and finally roll it in cinnamon-sugar, place in a bundt pan and bake.

When I looked up where the term Monkey Bread came from I found osome interesting facts on Wikipedia:  Monkey bread, also called Hungarian coffee cake, golden crown, pinch-me cake and bubbleloaf, is a sticky, gooey pastry is served as a breakfast treat.The origin of the term monkey bread is uncertain. Possible etymologies include that the bread resembles the monkey puzzle tree, or the act of several people pulling at the bread is reminiscent of monkey behavior. Recipes for the towering bread first appeared in American women's magazines and community cookbooks in the 1950s. It is made with pieces of sweet yeast dough which are baked in a cake pan at high heat after first being individually covered in melted butter, cinnamon, sugar and chopped pecans. It is traditionally served hot so that the baked segments can be easily torn away with the fingers and eaten by hand.

I also found out  on Food References.com that Nancy Reagan served monkey bread in the White House, especially during the holidays. It was a special, rich monkey bread made with tons of butter—almost brioche. She used a butter-rich dough, cut the dough into balls, rolled the balls in more butter and then stacked then in a ring pan for baking. The recipe was published by the American Cancer Society in 1985.


 The recipe for the gluten-free version is a bit more complicated but my 12 year old Autumn made this batch for Christmas breakfast this year.  We got this recipe from Gluten Free Gobsmacked, which is a terrific website for gluten-free baking.  Autumn does not like cooked nuts so she omitted the pecans.  You can easily adjust this recipe to be dairy free by using coconut, nut, soy, or rice milks to replace the cow's milk.  You can also make this with agave nectar instead of sugar to make a syrup, as well as Earth Balance in place of the butter.
This recipe is very similar to cinnamon rolls, which is why it is often called mock cinnamon rolls.  This monkey bread is best right out of the oven, but can be reheated with excellent results.  The balls should be small around 1/2 the size of a golf ball but Autumn was little impatient and rolled the balls bigger.
Rolling the balls and dipping them is usually Autumn's favorite part of this recipe aside from eating them!

Dough Ingredients

1 1/4 cup low fat milk, heated slightly (as you would for a baby)

4 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon yeast

1 large egg

1 1/2 cup GF Flour Mix

we use:
3/4 cups Featherlight sorghum flour mix
3/4 cup millet bread flour mix from Annalise Roberts or the Food Philosopher.*Note: See recipes for flours below
 (includes xanthan gum, if your mix does not, add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum to recipe)

1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (see above note about GF Flour mix)
*add additional 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum for our flour mixes

1 teaspoon gelatin

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dough Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, pour 1/4 cup of the milk. Add 2 Tablespoons sugar and 1 Tablespoon yeast. Set aside in a warm place to proof.

2. Mix together your other dry ingredients with a whisk in a small bowl (GF flour mix, sorghum, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, gelatin, and salt)

3. Heat the remaining milk a little higher and add the 4 Tablespoons of butter to melt it. Pour the butter/milk mixture into your mixing bowl.

4. Mix on low speed the milk/butter with your proofed yeast/milk/sugar. Add one egg. Blend together well on low.

5. Stop the mixer. Add your dry ingredients. Restart the mixer on low. The dough will come together a bit and is a bit heavy.

6. Mix on medium-high for 5 minutes.

7. While the bread is mixing, butter and sugar the inside of your chosen pan.

8. Once done mixing, scrap the dough together.  Refrigerate for at least an hour and then divide the dough into small balls (about 1/2 the size of a golf ball).

9. You’re now ready for rolling and topping your Monkey Bread.

Topping Ingredients

1/2 cup crushed toasted pecan pieces

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 Tablespoon butter, melted


1. Cover your Monkey Bread loosely with plastic wrap (coated with butter). Set aside in a warm place and allow to rise for 40 minutes.

2. 10 minutes before the rising time ends, preheat your oven to 375F.

3. Bake your Monkey Bread for 25-30 minutes (depending on the depth of your pan/bread).

4. When you remove the bread, allow to cool for 3-5 minutes, then dump out onto a serving dish. If the bread is too “doughy” for you, put it into a large baking dish and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Topping Instructions:


1. In a small bowl, combine the pecan pieces, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix together well.
2. In another small bowl, melt the butter.
3. Working with each of the small dough balls you made, roll each first into the butter bowl and then into the pecan/brown sugar bowl.
4. Place each dough ball into the pan. Allow yourself to push the pieces together a bit but not too much
5. Continue rolling the balls until you have finished either (1) filling your pan or (2) using all the dough balls. (If you have extra dough balls that don’t fit into your pan, coat them as you did the others and fill another small baking dish.)

Rest, Rise, Bake, and EAT!

PLEASE NOTE: These treats need to be enjoyed warm and can be reheated. Some people also like to add a powder sugar-glaze to the top of them before serving.

Featherlight Sorghum Cookie Flour Mix


1 part sorghum flour

1 part tapioca flour

1 part cornstarch

3 teaspoons potato flour (not potato starch)


Annalise Roberts Bread Flour Mix A:
This recipe makes 3 cups


1 cup millet flour, ½ cup sorghum flour, ½ cup corn starch, ½ cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch), ½ cup potato starch.

Gluten free gingerbread houses for Christmas

Ah-h-h, gluten-free gingerbread.  It smells so delicious, and tasted even better, but constructing a gingerbread house was a whole other experience.  While not perfect the kids enjoyed making and decorating them, and that is what is important.  We decided to host a gingerbread house party, and so we invited a few of our celiac friends.  Everyone brought gluten-free candy to decorate.  Although this was our first attempt at making gluten-free gingerbread houses, we learned a great deal with this experience.   Fortunately, we kept plenty of notes for next year.  The main idea I would like to pass on is to give yourself ample time to make the dough, allow time to refrigerate dough (at least 1 hour and preferably 24 hours), when constructing the houses use cardboard forms to help keep the the house from tumbling down, and finally, heaps of patience will go a long way.  Being prepared is key here.  But remeber to have fun with the kids.  We learned that the kids really didn't care a whole lot what their houses looked like, they just wanted to decorate them, and ultimately eat them.  So don't forget to make extra pieces for everyone to enjoy eating while decorating their houses. 

This recipe was adapted from a Joy of Baking recipe. It can be used for gluten-free gingerbread houses or for gingerbread men. Make sure to roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch and use gingerbread forms to cut out house pieces. You can also get templates at Martha Stewart. 


3 cups gluten-free cookie flour (recipe to follow)

1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

2/3 cup unsulphured molasses (We use Brer Rabbit)

*Note: To prevent the molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non-stick vegetable spray (like Pam).



Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups confectioners

(powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

or

Royal Icing Using Meringue Powder:

4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons meringue powder

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1/2 cup - 3/4 cup warm water

Food Coloring (I use Gel Pastes)

Amy’s Featherlight Sorghum flour Mix aka: Gluten-free Cookie Flour Mix

1 part sorghum flour

1 part tapioca flour

1 part cornstarch (arrowroot starch if allergic to corn)

1 tsp. potato flour (not starch) for each cup of flour not starch

Rule of thumb for gluten-free cookies is 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup of cookie flour in ANY cookie recipe.

Gingerbread houses: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated. Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a floured cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart.

Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the forms. Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger ones will take about 12 minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of cookie cutter used or 1 gingerbread house.

Place royal icing in a pastry bag fitted with a medium plain tip (No. 5 or 6). Pipe to outline windows, doorway, and edges of chimney, including top and base. Outline the four joining points of house, sides, and top of roof. Decorate roof: Starting at the top, pipe a horizontal line of icing in a scallop pattern, making curves in even intervals; pipe another scalloped line so the peaks join the scallops above them in the middle. Pipe icicles around edges. Dust roof with confectioners' sugar.