One of my favorite tv shows to watch is The Great British Baking Show. I first watched it on PBS, but it is now on Netflix. Now in its 25th season, it has been renewed for 2026. In Britain it is called The Great British Bake Off but had to be renamed for the USA due to the Pillsbury company having the rights to “Bake Off”.
GBBO is a British television baking competition in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, attempting to impress two judges with their baking skills. The three rounds include a signature bake, a technical bake, and a showstopper bake. One contestant is eliminated in each episode, and the winner is selected from the three contestants who reach the final.
I have always liked programs that showcase other countries and how they do things.
Britain has a different food culture than the US, so the challenges are quite different. Their biscuit challenge (cookies) includes types I have never heard of but are common there.
This week I watched an episode which “Monkey Bread” was the theme. Savory monkey bread to be precise. One contestant was told her monkey bread was “too sweet” and she was given low points. I have never had savory monkey bread. My monkey breads have always been sweet, like the Christmas Sharing Bread I wrote about in 2023. My bubble up recipes are savory and baked in a casserole so I don’t consider them to be monkey bread. I started to research recipes and found a slew of them.
According to the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, monkey bread has Hungarian roots as aranygaluska, meaning “golden dumpling,” brought to the U.S. by immigrants in the late 1800s. It gained widespread popularity after appearing in women’s magazines in the 1950s and was further popularized by Nancy Reagan in the 1980s, who made it a staple of the Reagan White House Christmas. The name “monkey bread” likely refers to the communal, finger-food style of eating it, where pieces are pulled apart like a monkey picks at food.
This week I am sharing some recipes for savory monkey bread. I am no baker, so I don’t make my own bread, I use biscuits or rolls ready to go. On GBBO the bakers had to make, knead and proof their own bread before baking. While I don’t enjoy that kind of stress, some people think making bread is relaxing. You do you Boo!
Customizable Savory Monkey Bread
Ingredients
2- 16 oz. cans of 8-count each refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
½ cup salted butter, melted
3 garlic cloves, very finely minced
More Different Herbs and/or Cheeses as Coatings:
For my recipe I used fresh chopped parsley, chopped pine nuts, dried cranberries (chopped a little) with fresh black pepper, poppy seeds, shredded cheddar, grated Parmesan with paprika. Change your seasonings and cheese depending on the menu. Change out of few options and add taco seasoning to your cheese plus some red pepper flakes for a Tex Mex option. Fresh or dried basil and oregano add an Italian flare.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Very generously grease a 9- or 10-inch Bundt pan with butter. The good amount of butter is going to give the rolls a nice golden color and extra flavor. I used a dark non-stick Bundt pan and 350F degrees was perfect, so don’t feel you need to lower the temperature unless your oven runs hot. Place your desired herbs and cheeses into small dipping bowls. I used about ½ cup of each. Again, see below for tips and ideas for delicious herb and cheese options. Stir 3 minced garlic cloves into melted butter. Cut each biscuit in half and roll into a ball. Complete this step before you start dipping in butter because if your hands are greasy, the rolls won’t stay intact. Dip each biscuit ball in butter and garlic mixture. Some of the garlic should adhere to the rolls as you do this. As you start to run low on the butter, more of the garlic will stick, so don’t worry if it doesn’t get as much at the beginning. Roll each ball in desired coating and arrange the biscuits in the pan so the various coatings are alternated. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until biscuits are done and surface is golden. I highly recommend laying a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the biscuits at around 25 minutes to prevent the top from getting too brown too fast. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run a thin, soft rubber spatula around the edge and down the sides of the pan to loosen any stuck cheese, if necessary. Invert it onto a plate, then lay serving platter on top and flip bread over onto serving platter. Recipe Tips: You can assemble the monkey bread up to a day ahead of serving. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and then remove from refrigerator while oven is preheating. Any type of refrigerated dough can work here, like flaky version rolls. Just make sure the total amount used is 32 ounces.
Savory Breakfast Monkey Bread
Ingredients
6 tbsp Unsalted butter, divided
6 large Eggs
3 tbsp Half-n-half
kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp Chopped fresh chives
2 16oz Cans store-bought biscuits
2 tbsp Everything bagel seasoning
1/2 lb cooked breakfast sausage
2 cups Shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat a large nonstick skillet to medium heat and melt 1 tbsp of butter. In a small bowl mix together eggs and half-n-half. Add the eggs to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium-low. Slowly drag the eggs with a spatula to create curds. Remove the eggs from the heat when they are almost done cooking. Season with salt and pepper and fold in chives. Next, cut the biscuits into quarters and then roll into balls. Transfer the balls to a large bowl. Melt the remaining 5 tbsp of butter and pour the butter over the biscuit balls. Add the everything-bagel seasoning and toss to combine. Next, add in the scrambled eggs, cheddar, and cooked sausage. Transfer the mixture to the prepared bundt pan. Bake until golden brown, for about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool before turning out onto a platter and serve warm.
