Ooey Gooey Monkey Bread

Monkey bread has always been one of my family's favorite weekend morning treats, but when Chance was diagnosed with Celiac, it became a thing of the past...until now.
I have made gluten-free monkey bread before, but it had a very eggy taste to it, and we all agreed that while it was not bad, it wasn't close enough to what they were accustomed to. I remained determined to come up with something better.
Fast forward to this morning and this my friends is THE recipe! This bread was soft and chewy, with just the right amount of crunch on the bottom, and wonderful caramel sauce dripping down into all the little nooks and crannies.

Ingredients for dough:
210 g ( 2 1/2 C.)  gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
61 g tapioca starch ( 1/2 C.)
1 TBSP rapid rise yeast
3 TBSP granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 C. instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 C unsalted butter
1/2 C water
3/4 C milk
1 egg, room tempurature
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 TBLS extra light olive oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla 

Ingredients for the cinnamon sugar:
3/4 C granulated sugar
1-2 tsps. cinnamon (varies on your taste for cinnamon)

Ingeredients for the sauce:
1/2 C butter
1 C brown sugar, packed
2 TBLS. real maple syrup
2 Tbls heavy cream (we drink raw milk, so I skim the cream from the top.) Learn how to do that here)
just a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla

 Optional: 1/2 C chopped nuts

Let's get started! 

1. Grease a bundt pan and if you are using nuts, sprinkle them evenly in the bottom. Preheat your oven to 350* F

2. In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, mix the dry ingredients for the dough until combined well.

3. put water and the 1/4 C butter in a glass measuring cup and warm in the microwave until the butter is melted. Stir; add milk, egg, vinegar,oil and vanilla. Whisk to combine.

4. Using the paddle attachment, and with the mixer running on low, add the liquids into the dry ingredients
Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl when needed. 

5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.

6. Pinch of small bits of dough (about 1/2 -3/4 inch), or use a small cookie scoop. Drop them into the cinnamon sugar a few at a time and shake to coat. 

7. Place the coated doughballs into the bundt pan, being careful to not crowd them, (you want the sauce to be able to ooze in between them). When you have used up the dough, if there is sugar mix left, sprinkle it over the doughballs.

8. In a small saucepan, over medium low heat, melt the butter for the sauce. Stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup, salt and vanilla. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Whisk the cream in.
Drizzle over your doughballs. Doesn't that look good? 

9. Put your pan in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for about 25 minutes. I usually leave it on my stove top, covered with a lint-free cloth while the oven warms.

10. Bake at 350* for 30-40 minutes, checking it at 30 minutes to see if it is done.

Let finished bread set up for 5 minutes after removing it from the oven, then place a serving plate over the pan and using oven mitts (because that pan is HOT, my friends!), quickly flip  
the pan upside down onto your plate and remove the pan.
If there is sauce and nuts,  (if you opted for them) still in the bundt pan, you are going to want to get a spatula and scrape it onto your bread, because you won't want to miss a drop.

Isn't that a thing of beauty?!? 

If you can hold yourself back, it's best to let it set up for about 10 minutes, because it is seriously lava hot, and the texture will be better.

Now pour a big ol' glass of milk, or mug of coffee and enjoy!