#PumpkinWeek ~ Pumpkin Monkey Bread

#PumpkinWeek is here again and we can't be more excited. Hosted by Terri from Love and Confections, 19 Bloggers will be sharing 65 pumpkin-filled recipes over the course of the week. Be sure to come back every day to see all the delicious creations - from muffins to cakes, cocktails, breakfast baked goods, savory pastas and stews, and gluten-free recipes too. You can also find these great recipes and more on Love and Confections' #PumpkinWeek Pinterest Board!

This is a fairly time intensive recipe - but boy oh boy is it worthwhile! The caramelized butter and brown sugar sauce seeps down into the dough as they bake leaving you with lots of gooey delicious pumpkin spiced bites of heaven. My dough seemed to take a long time to wake up for the first rise, so for me the total rise time was probably around 2 1/2 - 3 hours total.

The color of the dough is gorgeous - packed full of pumpkin goodness and perfectly seasoned with nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon.

I was so excited when I saw it was time once again for #PumpkinWeek - I dug through my Pumpkin Board on Pinterest and made a (long) short-list of all the possibilities. This amazing sounding Pumpkin Bread was at the top of the "to make" list, and so I'm excited to share this one with you today on our first official reveal day for Pumpkin Week this year.

If you visit the original recipe (linked below) you will find further instructions for a cream cheese drizzle, but we skipped it - the glaze this tasty bread is baked in adds plenty of sweet (although I'm sure the cream cheese drizzle would definitely add a touch of "extra special"!)

I'm excited that it's time again for all things pumpkin! This is definitely one of my very favorite times of year - pumpkin is such a versatile ingredient and I am excited to share a variety of dishes from a pumpkin latte to a pumpkin chicken stew this coming week, so make sure to come back every day through Friday!

Get your fix now by checking out some of last year's recipes: Pumpkin Scones, Baked Pumpkin Donuts, Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter,  and Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins!

#PumpkinWeek Day 1 Recipes:
Browned Butter Salty Pumpkin Sugar Cookies from The Spiffy Cookie.
Caramel Pumpkin Cake from Feeding Big and more.
Easy Pumpkin Donuts with Vanilla Cream Sauce from {i love} my disorganized life.
Gooey Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks.
Healthy Cinnamon-Apple Pumpkin Muffins from Simply Healthy Family
Homemade Pumpkin and Sage Pasta from Kudos Kitchen by Renee.
Pumpkin Cannoli from The Redhead Baker.
Pumpkin Chai Baked Donut from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars from That Skinny Chick Can Bake.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Flourless Chocolate Cake Roll from Cupcakes & Kale Chips.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Whoopie Pies from Dizzy Busy and Hungry.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls from Gluten Free Crumbley.
Pumpkin Monkey Bread from Making Miracles.
Pumpkin Muffins from My Catholic Kitchen.
Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Crumby Cupcake.
Pumpkin Snack Cake from Recipes Food and Cooking.
Pumpkin Spice Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
Semi-Homemade Pumpkin Butter from Love and Confections.
Spiced Pumpkin-Bourbon Fizz from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

Pumpkin Monkey Bread from Well Plated

Ingredients

For the dough
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup milk (I used 1%)
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
3 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 standard package) Instant Yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour

For the cinnamon sugar coating
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the glaze:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make the Dough: Combine the butter and milk in a saucepan and heat over medium until the butter has melted into the milk (bring to approximately 120 degrees, then turn heat off and set aside). 
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves together on medium speed. Pour in the warmed milk/butter mixture and mix until combined. In a small bowl, lightly beat together the egg and egg yolk, then add to the flour mixture. Add the yeast, then mix until just combined.
3. Reduce the mixer speed to low, then add 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour. Mix for 5 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and mix until fully incorporated. The dough will be very soft and tacky. Lightly coat a large, clean bowl with cooking spray, then place dough in the bowl, turning once to coat all sides with the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes.
4. Make the Cinnamon Sugar Coating: Place the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, mix to combine.
5. Coat a 10 to 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray. Pinch off walnut sized pieces of dough and roll them into individual balls that are about 1 1/4-inches wide (the dough is very sticky, so handle lightly and carefully). Toss dough balls in the cinnamon sugar and place in rows in the prepped bundt pan until all dough is rolled, dusted in the cinnamon sugar and in the bundt pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled, or about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Place a rack in center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the glaze by melting the 6 tablespoons butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. 
7. Uncover the bundt pan and pour the glaze over the dough. Bake the monkey bread for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown on top and the internal temperature of the dough reads 185 to 190 degrees. Check at 15-minutes and loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil if the bread is browning too quickly. 
8. Once baked, remove from the oven and set on a wire cooling rack - let the monkey bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.
9. Serve warm or room temp - you can cut the bread into slices (and serve like a cake) or let everyone have fun pulling pieces off with their fingers!