Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread with Marinara

Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread is buttery and garlicky and has just enough crisp on the edge to offset the pillow-soft center of the buttermilk biscuit pieces. Serve it with this homemade marinara recipe and you may never make it to the main course.

The Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread doesn't even NEED a dipping sauce because it packs so much flavor in one little bite, but it takes it to a delicious new level.

How to Roast Garlic

First things first, using roasted garlic in this recipe is a must. It's sweeter than sauteed garlic, fragrant, and it tastes amazing on any type of bread. Here's the easiest way to roast garlic with a result you can count on.

• Slice off the entire top of a head of garlic. Don't cut too far down, you want to preserve as much of the cloves as possible.
• If you are using a baking sheet, loosely wrap the head in aluminum foil. If you have a tightly sealing baking dish you can use, be sure the cover is properly seated when it goes in the oven.
• Drizzle the head with olive oil. This will give the roasted garlic a spreadable texture and help retain moisture/softness as it roasts.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes at 375 degrees
• Start checking it around 40 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn

The garlic cloves will be a dark golden color when they're ready. While the head is still warm, use a knife or spoon to scoop the (6) good sized cloves out of the head and gently mash them in a small bowl. Set aside and lower the oven temperature to 350°F for baking the Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread.

Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread with Marinara Video:

Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread with Marinara

Prepping the Bundt Pan

Spreading softened butter around the entire inside of the bundt cake serves two purposes: it's functional and it's delicious. Use a pastry brush to spread the softened butter in a thin, but well-coated layer around the entire inside of the pan. This will not only grease the pan, but it ensures the monkey bread is dressed in butter around the entire exterior and not just on the bottom when you turn it out of the pan.

Prepare and Toss: Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread

One of the best things about making monkey bread is the tried and true method of seasoning it. This method is the easiest way to evenly season each piece.

First, prep the bread/biscuit dough:

• Cut each biscuit into quarters on a plate. The pieces will look small but will expand a lot as they bake. Set aside.
• Measure the seasonings (grated parmesan cheese, oregano, sea salt flakes, fresh chopped parsley, granulated garlic, and fresh chopped basil) into a bowl and stir together to combine.
• Once the seasonings are combined, pour the mixture into a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Seal the bag and shake it to make sure all seasonings are well distributed.
• Add 10-20 pieces of dough into the Ziplog bag with seasonings. Seal and shake the bag, moving the biscuit dough around until it is well coated in the seasonings.
• Next, remove each piece of biscuit dough from the Ziploc bag and shake off the excess.

Assembling Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread Layers

• Place the seasoned biscuit dough pieces in the bottom of the bundt pan in a single layer.
• Before continuing to season more pieces, prepare the melted butter/roasted garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, melt butter and then stir into the roasted garlic. Drizzle over the first layer of seasoned biscuit pieces, lightly brush over the biscuit layer to evenly distribute, and reserve the balance for the next couple of layers.

After drizzling over the first layer, season the second layer of biscuit pieces by tossing in the Ziploc bag. Now, place the second layer on top of first layer and drizzle again with the melted butter and roasted garlic mixture, and then brush again. Repeat these steps until all biscuit pieces have been used, and then, pour whatever remains of the butter and roasted garlic mixture evenly around the top of the bundt pan. If any of the seasoning mixture remains, then also sprinkle it evenly over the top of the monkey bread.

Place the Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread on the middle rack of your oven and bake at 350°F for 20-22 minutes. The monkey bread should be a deep golden brown and have an internal temperature of 205°F-210°F (the deep golden brown color will be a good indicator that it's ready).

As the Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread bakes, begin preparing the marinara sauce.

My Go-To Homemade Marinara Sauce

Having a really, really good homemade marinara sauce is a fantastic ace card to have in your pocket. This recipe was a collaboration with my sister who also loves to cook, married an Italian guy, and is frequently with his Italian family that does a lot of cooking. We drew from a lot of different recipes, between family and friends, and we both agree that this one is the go-to. It's easy, it's quick, and it's fantastic. I served it with the Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread and the first comment I got was "ooh, can we have this with pasta too?" You can add a few more ingredients to it to make a great vodka or Suprema sauce because it's so versatile and it's so good.

*NOTE: I went very light on the garlic in the marinara because it was being used as a dipping sauce for the Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread. Normally, I would also saute fresh garlic in olive oil before adding the balance of the ingredients.*

Preparing the Marinara

San Marzano tomato products, in my opinion, are the easiest tomato products to use with the most consistent results. This is because San Marzano tomatoes are sweeter and richer than other tomatoes and because they are lower in acidity. Typically, sugar is used to offset the acidity when San Marzano tomatoes are not used, but that adds a whole new variable to the consistency of your results.

For this recipe I used crushed San Marzano tomatoes and a small can of sauce to add a richer base.

Since we are not using the fresh garlic in this instance, add a heavy drizzle of olive oil to a sauce pan (enough to coat the bottom of the pan) and then follow it with the small can of tomato sauce. Allow the tomato sauce to warm up, and then follow with adding the crushed tomatoes, sea salt, parsley, basil, granulated garlic, and stir in the tablespoon of chicken soup base. Because the soup base packs so much flavor in one little critical tablespoon, it needs a little time to fully work its magic. Simmer this mixture on low heat for approximately 15 minutes. The sauce will be hot and bubble a bit on the edges, but keep the temperature low and do not bring to a full boil.

Simmer for at least 15 minutes, but you can simmer longer for even better results. Remove the sauce from heat and give it a few minutes to cool down. Serve the marinara dipping sauce very warm with the warm Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread.

Finishing Touches for the Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread

Remove the bundt pan from the oven and give the monkey bread a couple of minutes to cool. After about 5-7 minutes, place a plate over the top of the bundt pan (covering the bread). Using oven mits, hold the plate and outer edge of the bundt pan together and flip it over so the plate is on the bottom. The Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread will easily drop out of the bundt pan, but also hold its shape. Serve it warm, and as a full loaf with marinara dipping sauce in the center. Pieces should be pulled off of the monkey bread as needed to keep it from getting dry. Enjoy and know that you'll probably be able to ward off vampires after eating this.

Tools you'll need:

• Bundt pan
• Gallon bag or large bowl
• Pastry brush (optional, but super convenient)
• Knife to chop fresh ingredients and biscuit dough, or kitchen sheers
• Sauce pan (for the marinara)

Looking for another Pillsbury biscuit recipe?

• Check out this Buttermilk Biscuit Peach Cobbler!

ENJOY!

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