Sweet & Savory German Monkey Bread With Sausage, Apple & Rice Pudding

Have you ever tried monkey bread before? Soft, fluffy, sharable, tearable, and super delicious – we're absolutely bananas for it! And this recipe for a sweet & savory German version takes this classic pastry to the next level! From its sweet apple, cinnamon, and rice pudding filling to its savory baked sausage topping, this monkey bread brings together all of the best flavors of Germany in a creative new way. Now this is the kind of monkey business we can get behind! 

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 80 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy

You'll Need:

For the yeast dough:

•  4½ cups flour
• 1 tbsp dry yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
•  ⅔ cup lukewarm water
•  ⅔ cup lukewarm milk
• 1 egg
• ¼ stick butter, softened

For the apple rice pudding filling:

• 2 cups pre-made rice pudding
• 4 red apples, cored
• ¼ cup water

For the monkey bread:

• yeast dough
• apple rice pudding filling 
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 5 sausages
• vanilla yogurt for serving

Here's How:

1. For the yeast dough, stir together the lukewarm milk and water, then add in the dry yeast and sugar. Stir everything together until combined, then let the mixture sit for 10 minutes in a warm spot. Once it has rested, knead together the flour, egg, butter, salt, and yeast mixture until a smooth dough forms. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes, or for a fluffier texture, transfer the dough to the refrigerator and let it rise overnight. Once the dough has risen, knead it again briefly, then roll it out. Place the cored apples on a pot on the stove, add in the water, then cover the pot. Let the apples cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes until they have cooked down, then mash them with a potato masher. Mix in the pre-made rice pudding, stir everything together, then let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 325°F, grease a bundt cake pan, and mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Use a glass to cut 16 circles out of the dough, then spoon a portion of apple rice pudding in the center of each one. Roll each portion of dough into a ball, sealing the filling in the center, then coat each ball with cinnamon sugar.

3. Place the coated balls of dough in the greased bundt cake pan, then place the filled bundt cake pan on the middle rack in the oven.

4. String the 5 sausages on a large wooden skewer and hang the wooden skewer on the highest track in the oven so that the sausages all hang directly over the bundt cake pan. Bake everything at 325°F for 25 minutes. Once everything has baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 30 minutes.

5. Flip the bundt cake pan over onto a serving platter, then grate the cooked sausage over the top of the monkey bread. Place a small bowl of vanilla yogurt in the center of the monkey bread for dipping, and dig in!

Apples, sausage, and rice pudding might not seem like the most natural combination of ingredients at first glance, but once you try this amazing monkey bread recipe, you'll be convinced. This tasty treat is definitely not monkeying around!