Sweet and Salty Miso Monkey Bread

Equipment

• Oven
• Cake Pan

Ingredients

• 85 g (3 oz/⅓ cup) salted butter
• 200 ml (7 fl oz/scant 1 cup) full-fat (whole) milk
• 550 g (1 lb 4 oz/generous 3⅔ cups) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2½ tsp fast-action dried yeast
• 50 g (2 oz/scant ¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 125 g (4 oz/½ cup) unsalted butter, plus 2 tbsp for greasing
• 50 g (2 oz) sweet white miso paste
• 225 g (8 oz/scant 1¼ cups) soft light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
• 50 g (2 oz/½ cup) walnuts

Instructions

1. 1Melt the salted butter with the milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a brief simmer. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. 2Whisk the flour, yeast, and caster sugar together in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs into the slightly cooled milk and butter mixture, pour into the dry ingredients, and mix until a dough forms. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
3. 3Knead the rested mixture until you have a smooth and springy dough. This takes about 5 minutes on medium speed in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, or 5 to 10 minutes by hand.
4. 4Melt 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter in a small saucepan. Use a pastry brush to thoroughly coat the inside of a large bowl and a 25-centimeter bundt pan with the melted butter.
5. 5Transfer the kneaded dough to the buttered bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
6. 6Melt the remaining unsalted butter with the sweet white miso paste in a small pan near the end of the rising time. Whisk the soft light brown sugar and black sesame seeds together in a separate medium bowl.
7. 7Pour 2 tablespoons of the melted miso butter into the bottom of the prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the sesame sugar mixture evenly over the butter.
8. 8Scatter the walnuts evenly over the sugar layer in the pan. Tear off walnut-sized pieces of the risen dough, dip each piece into the melted miso butter, and roll them in the sesame sugar to coat.
9. 9Arrange the coated dough pieces in the bundt pan, pressing them gently into the bottom grooves. Continue dipping, rolling, and layering until the pan is evenly filled. Pour any leftover miso butter or sesame sugar over the top.
10. 10Cover the bundt pan loosely with plastic wrap. Let the bread rise a second time for 1 hour, or until the dough is visibly puffed.
11. 11Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Line the middle oven rack with foil to catch potential drips, as the sugar glaze often bubbles over the edges during baking. Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes until it's golden brown and bubbling.
12. 12Let the baked bread cool in the pan for exactly 10 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a serving plate. If you wait too long, the sugar will harden and the bread will stick to the pan. Serve warm.

Recipe Details