Dutch Oven Monkey Bread: Easy, Sweet & Slightly Crispy
If you haven’t tried Dutch Oven Monkey Bread, you need to change that asap! This is one of those Dutch oven camping recipes that makes a fun breakfast or dessert that’ll make you say, yum!
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Recipe Prep
When you are making easy camping meals on your trips, it’s nice to do a little prep work at home. For this monkey bread, you can measure and mix the dry ingredients at home which will make campsite prep a breeze.
- At home: Measure a quarter cup sugar (white and dark or light brown sugar), a couple tbsp cinnamon and a handful of walnuts or pecans into a gallon size zip top bag.
- At camp: Tear or chop biscuits into fourths or smaller pieces, place biscuits in bag with cinnamon-sugar mixture, close it tightly so it has a good seal before shaking to coat, then bake.
Cooking Methods & Equipment
If you are making this as one of our easy campfire recipes, you’ll need about 25 coals, you can also use charcoal briquettes.
When you are making Dutch oven baked goods with coals, be sure to turn your oven and lid in opposite directions during the cooking process to ensure even baking.
If you want to make this as one of our camp stove recipes, you’ll also need to use a Dutch oven dome and heat diffuser plate to get the heat up the walls and over the top of the oven’s lid for baking.
Dutch Oven Dome & Heat Diffuser Plate
Recipe Steps
Step 1. Prepare your ingredients, heat source and equipment as directed. I like using campfire coals when I’m making winter camping recipes and have a morning fire. Otherwise, prepare 25 charcoal briquettes for baking with a 12-inch Dutch oven.
If you are using a different oven size, check our Dutch oven temperature chart to see how many coals you will need.
Mix sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts in plastic bag. Tear or cut each biscuit into small pieces, then drop into bag, close tightly and shake to coat well.
Step 2. Preheat Dutch oven and melt butter. Place all coals under the oven for bottom heat, add 4 tbs butter to the pot and let it melt.
Step 3. Combine dough mixture with butter. Dump entire contents of bag into oven with butter, stir together and spread into a single layer in the bottom of the oven.
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Camp Cooking Tip: I like the crispy crust that comes from baking the dough directly in the butter in the bottom of the cast iron Dutch oven but you could use parchment paper liners in the bottom of the oven for easier cleanup. We have an entire tutorial on how to use Dutch oven liners and make your own for pennies!
Step 4. Bake at 350 F. Arrange 8 bottom coals in a circle so there is no “center coal” because if there is a center coal, the middle bread pieces will burn. Cover with lid and add remaining 17 coals on top.
Camp Cooking Tip: Turn lid and bottom in opposite directions every 5 minutes to ensure even baking. Dough will be cooked through in about 15 minutes.
Step 5. Serve warm. Remove the coals and let cool slightly before serving warm.
Step 6. Optional topping. You can drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze over the top of the sweet Dutch oven pull apart bread by combining a little powdered sugar and milk.
What To Serve With This Recipe
This is one of my favorite camping breakfast ideas that I serve with hot coffee and cold milk. My husband also likes a side of savory bacon or breakfast sausage too.
I serve leftovers as one of my camping desserts with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Scaling Servings
One batch of monkey bread will feed 6 people. If you want to double this recipe, in addition to doubling the ingredient amounts, you’ll need to work in batches to shake and coat the biscuit bread dough pieces because they won’t all fit into the bag at one time.
You can still use a 12-inch Dutch oven but you won’t be able to get both rolls of Pillsbury biscuits in a single layer so the texture will be more chewy, less crispy. If you want a crispier texture, you’ll also need to increase the size of the oven or just make two separate batches.
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Dutch Oven Monkey Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter (that is 1/2 stick butter)
- 1/4 cup white sugar*
- 1/4 cup brown sugar*
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon*
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts*
- 1 (16 oz) tube refrigerator biscuits
- Powdered sugar glaze optional for drizzled topping (combine powdered sugar with a bit of milk and vanilla extract to make a simple drizzle)
Instructions
- Ingredients marked with * can be measured and mixed at home.
- Preheat Dutch oven to 350 degrees F (25 coals total = 17 top of lid / 8 below bottom of oven).
- Mix white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts in plastic bag.
- Tear each biscuit into small pieces, then drop biscuit pieces into bag, seal tightly so you don’t make a big mess, then, shake to coat well.
- Melt the butter in the Dutch oven.
- Pour entire contents of bag into oven, stir with butter, then spread on bottom of oven to create an even, single layer.
- Cover and bake at 350 degrees F until the dough is cooked, about 15-25 minutes. Coal placement: Make sure to arrange bottom coals in a circle so there is no “center coal” because if there is a center coal, the middle bread pieces will burn.
- Turn lid and bottom of oven in opposite directions every 5 minutes during baking time to ensure even baking.
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly before serving warm.
- Top with powdered sugar glaze, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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