Neiman Marcus Monkey Bread with Strawberry Butter

By MJH

Ingredients

• Strawberry Butter:
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup strawberry preserves
• Neiman Marcus Monkey Bread:
• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active-dry yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm milk (no hotter than 125 degrees)
• Scant 3 1/3 cups (14 ounces) flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

Details

Adapted from cookbookcherie.wordpress.com

Preparation

Step 1

Strawberry Butter:
Whip butter in a bowl with electric mixer until fluffy.
Fold in strawberry preserves.
Return to refrigerator and allow butter to solidify.


Neiman Marcus Monkey Bread:
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl, drizzle the yeast over the warm milk, stirring to combine.
Set aside for a few minutes to hydrate the yeast.

Meanwhile, in a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt.

Using the paddle attachment with a stand mixer, or a hand-held mixer, beat the softened butter into the yeast mixture.
With the mixer running, add the flour mixture until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed (as the dough thickens you may need to do this by hand).
Continue to mix on medium speed until the dough appears sticky but becomes smooth to the touch when you roll a small piece into a ball, about 2 minutes.

Form the dough into a disc and transfer it to a lightly greased bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour (time will vary depending on the temperature in the room).

After dough has risen, turn out onto lightly floured work surface.
Punch down and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut into 2″ diamond shaped pieces.
Dip each piece in melted butter.
Arrange in a 4″ pie pan, 4 or 5 overlapping pieces per loaf.
Allow to rise for 1/2 hour.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until brown.
Remove from oven and brush with more of the melted butter.