Let your imagination run wild with this pizza monkey bread recipe! I have tried some recipes for a fun family snack in the past, but this savory monkey bread recipe had by far the most success.

This pizza monkey bread is one of the most original ideas for a wholesome dish.

You’ll be head over hills for this combination of endless pizza toppings matching everyone’s taste along with the incredible feeling of sharing monkey bread on a festive occasion with friends or family. 

The best thing about this monkey bread recipe remains the effortless cooking process and its all-purpose use! 

Keep reading to find out how to make monkey bread and transform it into a pizza snack! 

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What is Monkey Bread?

You might ask yourself what is monkey bread and why is it called monkey bread.

 Well, this dish comes from Europe, more precisely, from Hungary. It originated by the name of Aranygaluska and was brought to America by Hungarian immigrants in the twentieth century.

It was further popularized in America after Nancy Reagan served it as a Christmas dish at the White House. 

The name of this dish might sound funny at first, but it has a logical explanation! I was really surprised to find out that the name comes from it being a finger food! We pull apart this dish just like a monkey would do! 

The monkey bread pizza is a combination between pizza toppings and ingredients and the idea of a pull-apart festive bread! Although pizza originated in Italy, it spread rapidly throughout the world, becoming one of the most popular and enjoyable dishes in the world.

The pizza interpretation of the classic and festive dessert is not at all unusual, as pizza-inspired dishes are becoming more and more popular.

Let’s give a try to this unique and inventive easy recipe for monkey bread!

Things You’ll Need for Pizza Monkey Bread

This recipe for monkey bread will take you on a flavorful and creative journey! Allow your imagination to run wild and make the best of it. 

I have tried this recipe multiple times since discovering it, and I am still coming up with inventive ideas to boost its savor! It can be garlic monkey bread, pepperoni monkey bread, or even a quattro formaggi monkey bread!

Here are the ingredients for monkey bread and some ideas for pizza toppings:

Ingredients

• 4 cups of all-purpose flour (500 grams) for the dough and additional flour for kneading the dough
• 1 and 2/5 cups of warm water (325 milliliters) 
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons of dry yeast (7 grams)
• 2 teaspoons of salt (10 grams) – or 10% of the flour quantity
• Pepperoni
• Mozzarella
• Marinara sauce 
• Italian seasoning (oregano, basil) -optional

How to make Pizza Monkey Bread – Step by Step Guide

The question is how do you make monkey bread? Monkey bread is usually a dessert and contains sugar.

For this pizza monkey bread, we’ll use pizza dough. It may seem difficult, but you’ll find out that pizza dough is one of the easiest doughs to make! 

I am taking inspiration from a simple pizza dough recipe. You’ll be mesmerized by the best monkey bread recipe with pizza toppings. 

Just follow the steps below and you’ll easily have a snack worth remembering!

Let’s start with the pizza monkey bread dough!

1. Pour the flour into a bowl (make sure that the bowl is big enough so you won’t have to struggle when mixing the ingredients). Mix the dry yeast with the flour and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes (this will allow the yeast to do its magic!). Add the salt and mix the dry ingredients.
2. Add the warm water (avoid using hot or boiling water because it will decrease the yeast’s properties). Try adding it gradually to avoid clumps of flour. 
3. Mix the ingredients until the dough has a compact, non-sticky texture. The quantities might slightly differ depending on the type of flour you use. You can always add more flour or water depending on the consistency of the dough. If your dough sticks to the bowl or hands, add more flour. Don’t add big quantities at once! Do it gradually observing the dough’s texture. If your dough feels hard and non-elastic add more water. It’s the same as before, a small quantity of water goes a long way! 
4. After the dough is mixed and ready, it’s time to let it sit and rest for at least one hour. In this time, the dough should increase in size because of the yeast. Let the dough sit in a warm place (not in the fridge). 

While waiting, you can choose your pizza toppings and put them at hand!

You can use pepperoni and mozzarella with garlic, add mushrooms or onion, different kinds of cheese, or even pineapple! Here is where you can let your imagination run wild.

Here is how I do it: I think about what kind of pizza I would like to eat and which are my favorite ingredients and I just use those. It’s that simple! To spice things up, you can use different toppings for each dough piece!

It’s time to assemble the pizza monkey bread!

1. Preheat the oven at 400℉ (200℃).
2. Spread some flour on the surface where you will knead the dough. Put the dough on the table or countertop and start kneading. This is a very important part. Kneading gives the dough elasticity by forming small air bubbles. Use a stretch and fold technique. This step should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. After you are done kneading, spread more flour on the table and start flattening and stretching the dough. Use a rolling pin or do it with your hands. Try giving it a square shape. The perfect thickness of the stretched dough is about 0.3 inches (1 cm)
4. Cut the dough into smaller squares. They should be about 2 inches long on each side, but you can change the measurements according to your preferences. 
5. Coat the dough squares with marinara sauce, just like you would do with a pizza.
6. Put pepperoni and mozzarella (or other toppings) on each square. Be careful not to add too much topping as it will be harder, or impossible to shape the pizza monkey bread pieces. Wrap up the toppings in the dough by rolling them.

Now, it’s time to arrange the pieces into the pan!

1. Coat a tube pan with cooking spray and start placing the pieces into the pan by applying small amounts of pressure (to stick the pieces between each other). You can add extra seasoning in the pan, such as basil or oregano mixtures, for a plus of flavor. After you are done filling the pan, put it in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the pizza monkey bread has a golden color. 
2. Take it out of the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Take it out of the pan and enjoy!

Here’s a little secret:

You can either roll the dough and make pizza-rolls looking pieces that will give you the classic monkey bread look, or you can make small wrapped squares and bake them individually in a flat pan.

After the squares are baked arrange them on a large plate in a round shape, placing some dips in the middle.

I found it easier to bake them individually and arrange them on a plate, but it works either way.

Substitution of ingredients

Now that you know how to make this pizza dough monkey bread, I can give you some advice on which ingredients can be replaced by what. 

If you don’t have the time to make your own dough, or you find it too time-consuming and difficult, you can always use Pillsbury Grands!™ Flaky Layers Original Biscuits and skip to the toppings. This Easy Monkey Bread with Pre-made Pillsbury Dough will help you save some time!

If you wish for Gluten-Free Monkey Bread, you can always replace the gluten ingredients with gluten-free ingredients.

Furthermore, you can make your own marinara sauce at home! Just mix tomato sauce with Italian seasoning and it’s all done and ready to use.

Tips on Serving Pizza Monkey Bread

Pizza monkey bread is a great snack waiting to be shared. You can enjoy this easy monkey bread with friends or family, or even alone in front of the TV (as I do sometimes).

Treat yourself and others on any occasion. It’s a great party or binge-watching night snack! 

You can enhance its look by sprinkling Italian seasoning on top. 

You can either assemble it in a tube pan, using pizza rolls, or you can bake each piece individually and assemble it on a plate afterward. 

Another serving recommendation is using dips and sauces. You can buy them or you can do some research and do your own. To save time, you can use different nacho dips. 

If you are interested in more monkey bread-related dishes, you should try monkey bread pizookie! It’s a delightful dish.

How to store Pizza Monkey Bread

Pizza monkey bread it’s best served right out of the oven, but you can still store it for 1 up to 4 days. 

It will lose its flavor and the dough will become rough after 1 or 2 days. If you want to store it, you can do it as you would normally store any pizza left-overs.

I usually put the left-overs in the fridge after 1 day, but that’s up to you! 

If you want to try more monkey bread variations, have a look at my easy monkey bread recipe with 1 can of biscuits.

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