Pumpkin Spice Caramel Pecan Monkey Bread

Kind of late post today, but it's been hectic. If you've been following my blog, you know by now that I dabble a little bit in making my own recipes, but mostly try others recipes. And a few day ago Jenny Flake, from Picky-Palate, asked if I would be interested in posting one of my own recipes as a guest post. First, total excitement hit, followed by panic. I want to start making more of my own recipes, but that hasn't been a huge priority since there are so many recipes I've been wanting to try. So, yesterday was crunch time. Time to make an amazing recipe that would wow everyone. No pressure.

And for all of those who haven't tried to make a recipe, just know it's not horribly easy. Isn't not greatly difficult ether. It just takes a good amount of creativity, but there is a lot more that goes into it then just going by someone else's recipe. A lot of trial and error. Plus after figuring out your ingredients and how to make whatever it is you are making, you have to compose directions to go with your ingredients, and this all needed to get done quickly so I could get back to Jenny and let her know if I even had a recipe I wanted to feature on her blog. Needless to say, it was a long day. Above is the aftermath of nonstop cooking.

But, can I just express for a second how hugely excited I am about this recipe. While trying to figure out what it was I wanted to create, it hit me that I've been wanting to feature a Monkey Bread recipe for a while, and it's fall, so the thought pumpkin something kept rolling around in my head. So put the two together and you have Pumpkin Spice Caramel Pecan Monkey Bread. After playing around for a while, it was finally time for the final taste test. Apprehensively I took a bite... My first thought was, "Wow!! It turned out amazing. Yay!!" But then I was like, "After all this hard work, I'm bias." so I need someone else's opinion who is just as picky as me. My mom!! I'm not gonna lie, I was even more nerves to have her try my concoction then I was to try it, but she loved it too. She thinks I should submit it for a recipe contest, but we'll figure that out at a later time. But for now, not to toot my own horn, but this recipe is 100% amazing!! Hope you like it! Enjoy!!


Pumpkin Spice Caramel Pecan Monkey Bread
     1 package quick rise dry yeast
     1/4 cup warm water
     1/4 cup warm milk
     1 cup solid-pack pumpkin
     1/2 cup butter, melted
     1/4 cup sugar
     1 teaspoon salt
     1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
     2 eggs, beaten
     4 1/2 - 5 cups all-purpose flour

Caramel
     1/4 cup butter
     1/2 cup heavy cream
     1/2 cup packed brown sugar
     1 tablespoon light corn syrup
     1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Assembly
     3/4 cup chopped pecans
     1 1/2 cup sugar
     1 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
     1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
     1/2 cup butter, melted

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, pumpkin, butter, sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

Beat in eggs...

and dissolved yeast mixture.

Mix well.

Add 2 1/2 cups of flour and mix until just combined. Add the remaining 2 - 2 1/2 cups flour until dough is no longer sticky.

At this point either change to the kneading attachment on your mixer or turn onto floured surface.

Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes.

Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat entire surface of dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make caramel by combining butter, heavy cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla in a medium saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, continuously stirring, until caramel has reach 210-215 degrees F (about a minute after boiling).

Pour half of caramel into a greased 10-inch fluted pan. Sprinkle half of the pecans over caramel.

Punch down dough and shape into 40 balls (about 1-inch diameter). In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Place melted butter in another bowl. Roll balls in butter, then roll in sugar mixture.

Place 20 balls in the pan over the caramel.

Top with remaining caramel and pecans.

One more close up for effect. Yum!!

Roll remaining balls in butter and sugar and place over balls in tubed pan. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Place fluted pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool bread in the pan on a wired rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.

Serve warm.

Yum!!

Printable Recipe

A Food Snots Original Recipe.