After a long time of looking and for easy and all around bread recipe, I finally got one. And guess what? I just cannot stop using it! It’s so easy and simple to make that I actually stopped buying my bread at the grocery. It is truly amazing that I can use this simple bread dough recipe into almost anything I want, including this cheesy Garlic Herb Monkey Bread.

I have no idea why this is called Monkey Bread, but I love it. This like a pull apart bread baked in bundt pan. It can be sweet and savory like this one. This is the kind of bread I like to make for friends because it’s really nice for sharing, and I love pulling them apart to see the melted cheese inside. I can play with different variation like adding some meat stuffings, adding some pasta sauce and more!

Since I love cheese and herbs bread, I thought ok making this one first before I do the others. I am really excited about this, and I cannot wait to make other variations. But for now, let us just focus and enjoy this cheesy Garlic Herb Monkey Bread.  Let’s get started!

Tips for a Successful Soft Homemade Bread

1. Liquid Temperature – Yeast grows in temperature between 105 – 110F, so its important to have the water that you are using to “proof” it in this range. If you go lower or higher, the yeast might not proof properly. That means the bread will not rise as much, resulting to a flat and tough bread. 
2. Check Yeast Expiry a Date – you might be wondering how come the bread did not rise when you followed exactly the recipe. Well, first thing first, make sure the yeast is not yet expired. Expired yeast is the common reason for flat and dense bread. If your bread did not expand or rise during the rest period, it is most likely that the yeast is not fresh or the water temperature is too hot or cold.
3. Amount of Yeast – Just because you want a tall bread doesn’t mean you have to put as much yeast in the mixture. Sometimes adding too much yeast can cause the bread to collapse during the rest period. Just imagine putting more air than what is needed in a balloon, the balloon will explode. The same case with bread. 
4. Right Type of Yeast – We’ve discussed the 3 types of yeast above. Make sure to use the right one for your recipe, and make necessary adjustments if you want to swap one from another. 
5. Rest Period – Yeast bread needs time to rise. There are bread that uses less yeast but requires more rest time, the likes of No Knead Bread or Artisan Bread which usually require 8- 16 hours rest period to get the volume and to develop the flavor. There are 1 hour bread like my Rosemary Dinner Rolls which used this same bread dough. The point is, give it time to rest, don’t touch it just leave it in a warm place. The first rest period will normally tell you if your dough is good or not. If it rise and almost double in size, then your on the right track.  
6. Expiration and Quality of the Flour – The quality of the flour greatly affect the texture of the bread. All-purpose flour could differ from country to country although they are all called as all-purpose flour. Sometimes it depends on the brand too. The closer the flour to expiration date or if it is already expired, the flour could tend to be drier, which means it would require more liquid than mentioned in the recipe. This is a common issue of way sometimes the dough tend to be tough and dry. This is why sometimes you have to add few more tablespoon from the suggested flour measurement to get the right texture. The dough should be soft, smooth and elastic. If it is too wet, add a bit more flour until it is no longer to sticky to handle. If it is too dry, a small amount of liquid helps provide moisture to the dough. A clean side of the bowl, with the dough slightly sticking at the bottom, a soft, smooth and elastic dough is what You are aiming for.
7. Be Patient, Knead no less than 15 minutes – Flour takes times to absorb the liquid so you have to be patient and knead the dough no less than 15 minutes. In my kitchenAid stand mixer, it normally takes between 15 – 20 minutes to get the dough to the perfect texture. If you shorten the time, the dough could still be wet and sticky. After 20 minutes, if the dough is still sticky, this is the time to add a little bit more flour. Do not add additional flour or liquid too soon. You could end up with a tough dough or a too sticky dough. Patience my friend, it is worth it.

These are the 7 common points that I remind myself when making homemade bread. Bear this in mind and you’ll sure to have a nice soft homemade bread.  

How do I Know if I Made the Bread Dough Correctly?

This is not written on the stone, but so far this is how I check if I am on the right track when it comes to the dough.

1. Activating the Yeast –  This is the first thing that you should get right, otherwise do NOT proceed. After 5 – 10 minutes you should see a foam forms on top of the water, this is an indication that the yeast is alive. If you do not get this, either the yeast is old or the liquid temperature is too hot or cold. The temperature should be 100F, lukewarm but not hot.
2. Clean Bowl After Kneading – The sides of the bowl should be clean, while the bottom is slightly sticking to the dough. This means that amount of liquid to the flour is correct. Enough to make a clean bowl and still make a slightly wet dough.
3. Soft Dough – Soft dough means the amount of flour to liquid is enough. Too much flour could make the bread dense and heavy, and too much liquid could make it too wet. Both will affect how the bread rise in the rest period. Try to push your fingers in the dough, it should leave a “dimple” on the dough and should gradually disappear.
4. Smooth Dough Surface – Again, this is a sign of correct flour to liquid ratio. A “bumpy” surface could mean that the dough is dry and tough.
5. Elastic Dough – A soft dough is usually elastic. If your dough is dry and tough, it wouldn’t be as elastic when you pull it apart.
6. First Rest Period – The dough should almost double in size. This is a sign that the activation of the yeast work which is crucial to making a soft and fluffy bread. This also means the yeast is alive (not yet expired) and the liquid temperature is correct. I always use baking thermometer to check the temperature of the liquid.
7. Second Rest Period – The bread dough should be really puff up and should fill in the gaps between each bread. This is crucial and the final state of the bread before baking. If you are able to make it puff-up, that is a good sign that there are air trapped inside which will make the bread fluffy.

Why is My Dough to Wet or Too Dry?

Don’t get frustrated if your dough did not turn out immediately as what you see in the photo or video. Most likely It is not because you did not follow the recipe. When it comes to bread making, the amount of flour and liquid is not always 100% precise. This is way often times you will encounter recipes that says, if your dough is dry, add a bit more liquid. If your dough is too wet, add a little bit more flour. This instructions are not meant to confuse you, they are meant to guide you on how to adjust as you work through your dough. The reason for this is that .

Although the measurement of water and flour are specified in the recipe, it still could slightly vary depending on many factors. For instance, all-purpose flour could very from country to country, or even from brand to brand. Don’t be surprise if you find that some brand tends to require a bit more liquid as the others. On top of this, the amount of liquid is also affected by the state of your flour. How old is the flour that you are using? Older flour nearing expiry tends to be drier and this requires more liquid. Bread making requires patience, and practice. Once you learn how to feel the right texture of the dough, everything will be quick and easy. You can instantly tell if you need to add more water or flour o get the dough in right state. For the meantime, the best thing to do is to add the water gradually so that you can feel and see the dough transform, this way you can stop adding once you noticed it is getting to sticky. The goal is to have soft, smooth and elastic dough that is still slightly sticky but not too much. The sides of the bowl is clean while the dough still slightly stick at the bottom. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup warm Full Fat Milk (110F) – microwave 15 seconds
• 3 tablespoon granulated Sugar (Divided: 1/2 teaspoon for the yeast, remaining for the flour)
• 1 1/4 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast or 1 teaspoon Instant Yeast
• 1 large Egg – room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour (plus 2 tablespoon ONLY as needed)
• 1 teaspoon Italian Herb Seasoning
• 2/3 teaspoon Salt
• 2 tablespoon softened unsalted Butter
• 200g grated Cheddar Cheese
• 4 Mozarella Sticks – cut into 24 pieces
• 3 Large Fresh Jalapeno Peppers – sliced in small portions

Instructions:

1. Activate the Yeast: Microwave the milk for 20- 25 seconds until lukewarm but NOT hot, aim for 110F. If you have a baking thermometer, use it as it is the best way to be sure of the temperature. Hot milk will kill the yeast and the bread will not rise properly. Transfer milk in bowl of stand mixer (Refer to discussion above for other Methods of making this) and add 1/2 tsp of the granulated sugar and stir. Add the yeast and let rest for 10 minutes until mixture is foamy. If the mixture did not become foamy, either the yeast is old or the milk is too hot. Do NOT proceed until corrected, otherwise you will end up with a tough dense bread
   • If using instant yeast, mix the yeast with the dry ingredients. No need to activate it.
2. Add Wet Ingredients: Add remaining sugar (3 tbsp) and egg to the yeast mixture.
3. Add Dry Ingredients: Followed by the flour and salt.
4. Knead the Dough (Speed 2) Using the paddle attachment, mix for about 30 seconds just to bring the mixture together. Replace with the dough/hook attachment and knead for 15 minutes (KitchenAid Speed 2). If the dough is too dry, add 1/2 teaspoon of milk until it reach a smooth, soft and elastic texture. The side of the bowl should be clean, while the dough is slightly sticking to the bottom of the bowl.
5. Add the softened butter and knead for another 15 minutes. When you add the butter, you will notice the dough will break apart and it will look like it is too wet. Do not panic, this is expected. Continue mixing (even if longer than 15 minutes) until the dough comes together completely (it will), the side of the bowl is clean and the dough is slightly sticking at the bottom of the bowl. Do not stop mixing until you get to this stage. It takes time to fully incorporate the butter to the flour mixture, be patient.
   • To Check: The dough should be smooth, soft, elastic and slightly sticking to the bottom of the bowl
6. Rest 1: Trasfer the dough in a greased bowl. Cover and leave in a warm place until double in size.

• Mix in Cheddar Cheese & Jalapeno Pepper: Transfer the dough in a floured surface. Roll and sprinkle 3/4 of the grated cheese and 1/2 of the chopped jalapeno. Set aside the remaining for toppings later.
• Divide into 25 portions. I used my kitchen scale, you can eye-ball it if you do not have one. You can adjust the portions depending on the size of pan you are using.
• Cut mozarella sticks into 25 pieces. Cut 1 mozarella stick into 6 pieces, you will end up with 24 pieces after cutting 4 mozarella sticks. You can also use fresh mozarella or cheddar cheese and cube or dice it.
• Fill the dough: Stuff each piece of dough with 1 piece of mozarella piece and pinch to seal. Roll to form into a ball shape.

• Prepare the Pan: Line a 6-inch pan with parchment paper

• Arrange the bread balls in the pan.
• Sprinkle top with remaining cheese and chopped jalapeno pepper. Feel free to add more cheese and pepper if you want to.

• Rest 2: Leave for 1 hour in a warm place before baking.
  • To help the dough rise better, pre-heat the oven to 110F then turn it OFF. Put the covered dough inside until puff-up and double in size.
• Take out the bread dough from the oven.
• Grate parmesan cheese on top – optional

• Pre-heat oven to 350F.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes. Once the top starts to turn brown, cover with aluminum foil to prevent the cheese from getting too much toasted.

• Let cool slightly before seving. The cooling stage will make the texture of the bread bread.
• Store leftover in airtight container. This could last at least 1 week

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Looking for more homemade bread recipes? I got you covered! I have here 10 of my favorite homemade bread recipes, all with Video or MORE bread recipes HERE

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