Hands up: how many of you hated lemon growing up? I hear you. My hand is up there, too. As a kid, I thought dessert was chocolate or – well, pretty much just chocolate. It didn’t have to be full-on chocolate. A chocolate chip cookie would be fine. I’d even take an oatmeal raisin (though not if there were chocolate chip nearby). Maybe apple crisp if there was ice cream, or hey, just the ice cream. Speaking of ice cream, I don’t think my mom ever bought chocolate ice cream when I was a kid. I don’t even think I had chocolate ice cream until I moved out of the house (though we’ve always been big fans of going out for ice cream, so luckily I had a little more selection there). My mom was always pretty particular about some things she likes. Vanilla ice cream (or a swirl is acceptable). A certain bun recipe. A certain chocolate chip cookie recipe. A certain double chocolate chip cookie recipe. And I never felt cheated growing up, you know? My mom always made fabulous food, and her homemade buns and cookies are pretty legendary. But now that I’m a somewhat responsible adult, living away from my parents and even doing an all right job at keeping my own kids alive and well, I get to branch out and experiment with some of the things I never had growing up. And maybe even throw a few new recipes in here and there! I’ve also grown to appreciate some new flavours, like lemon, and now I’m totally obsessed. Maybe it’s a lot like sour candies. The sweet and the tangy pair so well together, I can’t get enough. It’s the same thing with rhubarb, right? I hated rhubarb growing up. I wouldn’t touch it. And now? Love it. I like to think my life is better, richer, now that I can enjoy a wider range of desserts. That’s what it’s all about, right? I first made this lemon monkey bread with biscuit dough, and I baked it in a pie plate similar to these Cinnamon Roll Bites. It was pretty good, but I really just wanted to make it again with a great yeast bun dough.
How to make this Lemon Monkey Bread ahead:
I was kind of dreading putting the whole thing together in the morning so I could bake it, and then I realized I actually didn’t have to. You can make pretty much any yeast dough recipe and let it rise in the fridge overnight. The dough doesn’t rise as quickly, so your monkey bread won’t be all over your fridge when you wake up in the morning. Simply prepare up to the point of baking, then cover tightly and refrigerate overnight until ready to bake. Remove from the fridge and let come to room temperature while your oven preheats, then bake as directed.
Variations of this Lemon Monkey Bread:
To make this Lemon Monkey Bread simpler, you could use store bought biscuit or yeast bread or bun dough. Try swapping the lemon zest and juice for orange or lime You can bake in a 9×13″ pan if you don’t have a bundt pan — just keep an eye on it as it may be done sooner
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