I never would have thought that within the last year, Gigi Hadid [1] would have become a huge inspiration for me in the kitchen, but here we are! And for the record, I'm totally glad I found her recipes on Instagram. After trying her spicy vodka pasta sauce [2] (which hits it out of the park, in my opinion), I figured her homemade monkey bread would have to be just as good. And I was right — it's mouth-watering delicious. Actually, it's the best monkey bread I've ever had [3], and I like to consider myself a breakfast-dessert connoisseur.
Gigi keeps most shared recipes saved to her "From My Kitchen" Instagram highlight, so if you do forget to screenshot in real-time, she's got you covered. As someone who bakes frequently, I already had most of the ingredients on hand, biscuits being the exception. One thing I will stress: double-check you buy buttermilk biscuits [4] and not flaky biscuits or else your monkey bread will be a crumbled flaky mess out of the oven. I didn't make any modifications to Gigi's recipe, though I was a bit apprehensive about the amount of liquid from the brown sugar glaze; but I trusted the process, and damn, is Gigi onto something here! If you're looking to win over your loved ones with a stellar dish, or craving something warm, gooey, and extra sweet, I cannot recommend Gigi's recipe enough.
In the gallery ahead, see how I made Gigi's homemade monkey bread from my own kitchen.
Step 1: Cut and Prepare Biscuit Dough
Using a pair of scissors:
- Cut 24 ounces of buttermilk biscuit dough (about 2 cans of biscuits) in half into bite size pieces.
Step 2: Roll in Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the bundt pan and in a medium bowl:
- Add 2 cups white sugar.
- Add 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
- Mix until incorporated.
- Roll each biscuit into a ball and toss in cinnamon sugar mixture. Add to greased bundt.
- Set aside 1/2 cup of cinnamon sugar mix for the next step.
Step 3: Make Brown Sugar Glaze
In a medium pot over medium heat:
- Add 2 sticks butter.
- 1/2 cup remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
- 1/2 cup brown sugar and melt together.
- Once melted, bring to a boil then take off heat and stir until sugar dissolves.
Step 4: Pour Brown Sugar Glaze Over Dough and Bake
- Once all the sugar is dissolved, pour the brown sugar glaze evenly over the biscuit dough.
- Place into oven and bake for exactly 30 minutes.
Step 5: Let Monkey Bread Cool For Five Minutes Before Flipping Over
Editor's note: I thought mine look exceptionally dry compared to Gigi's gooey melted bread, but it's because all the excess glaze is at the bottom of the bundt pan. So! Be careful when you flip it over, because there will be liquid, which will cascade down onto the top of the bread.
