Cardamom Walnut Monkey Bread (Vegan)
This classic monkey bread is enhanced with the flavors of cardamom and walnuts. It’s soft, gooey, and perfect for sharing. This easy, flavorful treat is also dairy-free.
Who doesn’t love that sweet, shareable, yeasted treat that is monkey bread? The soft, fluffy dough is infused with cinnamon and cardamom. The pillowy dough pieces are rolled in an irresistible combination of cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, and finely chopped raw walnuts. When baked, this treat emerges sweet, gooey, and full of flavor, with a slight crunch from the walnuts. Yes, yeasted bread takes some time, but this one is well worth the time and effort.
What you will need:
Cardamom and raw walnuts are a must for this recipe. I used Rapid Rise yeast for this recipe. You can also use Active Rise yeast, just remember to bloom it first. All of the ingredients needed for this monkey bread should be readily found at your local grocery store.
Dough
- bread flour
- plant based butter with salt
- rapid rise yeast
- salt
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- plant based milk
- plant based yogurt
- cane sugar
- vanilla extract
Coating
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- plant based butter with salt
- cane sugar
- coconut sugar
- finely chopped raw walnuts
Glaze
- powdered sugar
- plant based milk
- dash of cinnamon and cardamom
How to:
The first step is to prepare the dough. In a medium bowl, combine the bread flour, yeast, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, and cubed butter. Stir until all the ingredients are well mixed. In a glass measuring cup, add the milk and yogurt, and stir the mixture until combined. Heat it in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds at a time until it reaches a temperature of 105°F to 115°F. Once warmed, add the milk and yogurt mixture, along with the vanilla extract, to the flour mixture. Stir until all the ingredients are combined and the flour is fully absorbed.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface and continue bringing it together before kneading. Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes until it becomes smooth, stretchy, and no longer sticky. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel or use a proofing bag, and leave it in a warm place to double in size. This will take about 1 ½ to 2 hours. I usually place mine in a proofing bag and put it in the oven with just the oven light on. (Please refer to the notes in the recipe card about proofing.)
As the dough comes to the end of it’s first proofing, the coating can be prepared. To a small bowl, add the cane sugar, coconut sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and finely chopped walnuts. Stir to combine and set the bowl aside. A second bowl should contain the melted butter.
Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a rectangle measuring 10 by 12 inches. Divide the dough into 6 strips, and then divide each strip into 10 pieces, resulting in a total of 60 pieces of dough. Be sure to have a 12-cup Bundt pan ready, and grease it well. After you have your 60 pieces of dough, dip each piece in melted butter, then toss it in the walnut mixture. Place the coated piece of dough into the prepared Bundt pan. Repeat this process for all the pieces, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout the pan. Once all of the dough pieces have been dipped and coated, place the bundt pan back into the proofing bag and place the bag back into the oven (with only the oven light on) and let the dough proof for 45 minutes to 1 hour. We want it to double in size. Mine was right at the top of the pan at the end of 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the monkey bread for 25 to 30 minutes; mine was perfectly done at 27 minutes. After removing it from the oven, let the bread rest in the pan for no more than 10 minutes before turning it out onto your serving dish. While the monkey bread is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon, and cardamom. Stir until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Once the bread has cooled slightly, drizzle the glaze over the monkey bread and sprinkle a few finely chopped walnuts on top. Serve the monkey bread the same day for the best flavor. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
So, let’s get started. Please make, bake and enjoy!
Cardamom Walnut Monkey Bread (Vegan)
Ingredients
Dough
- 450 grams / 3¾ cups bread flour
- 9 grams / 2½ tsp rapid rise yeast
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp plant based milk – 105F to 115F
- 3 tbsp / 42 grams plant based butter with salt – cubed and room temperature
- 3 tbsp / 45 grams plant based yogurt
- 3 tbsp / 38 grams cane sugar
- ½ tsp cardamom
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Coating
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ¾ tsp cardamom
- ½ cup / 100 grams cane sugar
- ½ cup / 100 grams coconut sugar
- 10 tbsp / 140 grams plant based butter with salt – melted
- 2 cups raw walnuts – finely chopped
Glaze
- 1 cup / 120 grams powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp plant based milk
- dash cinnamon
- dash cardamom
Instructions
Dough
- To a medium bowl, add the bread flour, yeast, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar and cubed butter; stir until all ingredients are combined.
- To a glass measuring cup, add the milk and yogurt. Stir the mixture well to combine. Heat the mixture up in the microwave – 15 to 20 seconds at a time – until it reaches 105F to 115F. Add the warmed milk/yogurt mixture and the vanilla extract to the flour mixture and stir until all ingredients are combined and all of the flour is absorbed.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface and continue bringing the dough together and begin kneading it. Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes. It should become smooth, stretchy and no longer sticky. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel or place the bowl in a proofing bag (see note below) and leave in a warm place to double in size (takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours). I place mine in a proofing bag and place the bag in the oven with only the oven light on.***see note below for instructions if using a stand mixer***
Coating
- To a small bowl, add the cane sugar, coconut sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and finely chopped walnuts. Stir to combine and set the bowl aside. A second bowl should contain the melted butter.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a 10×12 rectangle. Divide the dough into 6 strips and divide each strip into 10 pieces. The end goal is to have 60 pieces of dough – how ever you would like to accomplish that.Prep a 12 cup bundt pan by greasing it.
- Once you have your 60 pieces of dough, dip each piece of dough in the melted butter and toss the dipped dough in the walnut mixture. Place the coated piece of dough into your prepared bundt pan. Repeat this process for all the pieces of dough; making sure to place the pieces evenly throughout the pan.
- Once you are done dipping/coating the dough pieces, place the bundt pan back into the proofing bag and place the bag back into the oven – with only the oven light on- and let the bread proof for 45 minutes to 1 hour. We want it to double in size. Mine was right at the top of the pan at the end of 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.Bake the monkey bread for 25 to 30 minutes. Mine baked perfectly at 27 minutes. Once out of the oven, let the bread rest in the pan for NO More than 10 minutes before turning it out on to your serving dish. ***remember to remove the proofing dough from the oven before preheating the oven***
Glaze
- While the monkey bread is cooling, the glaze can be prepared. To a small bowl, add the powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon and cardamom; stir until well combined and smooth. Once the bread has cooled slightly, drizzle the glaze over the monkey bread, sprinkle a few finely chopped walnuts over the top of the bread and serve.The monkey bread is best served same day. Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature.
