Savory Monkey Bread

Total Time: 2 hrs 35 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (10 ounces by weight)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (2 1/2 ounces by weight)
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leave
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt

Recipe

• 1 in work bowl of a stand mixer, combine milk, sugar, all purpose flour and yeast. mix until combined, then cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
• 2 add whole wheat flour and salt and mix until smooth and elastic. add 4 tbsp of butter and continue to knead until butter is incorporated and dough is shiny and elastic. total kneading time is 7-10 minutes.
• 3 coat a clean bowl with oil. form dough into a neat ball and turn in the oil to coat. cover with plastic and let rise at room temperature until double in bulk, about 45-60 minutes.
• 4 meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°f combine garlic, rosemary, thyme and paprika in the work bowl of a food processor (if you have a small one, it is ideal for this). process until garlic is finely chopped, 10-12 one-second pulses. add remaining 4 tbsp butter and salt and process until well-blended, about 10 seconds. set aside at room temperature.
• 5 turn dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface; hand knead for 15-30 seconds. using a bench scraper, divide dough in half. repeat 4 more times to form 32 even pieces of dough. shape dough pieces into balls: place a ball on the work surface, cup the hand loosely with open fingers over the ball and move the hand in a circle so the ball "rolls around" in the cage formed by the fingers. coat each ball in herb butter (use your fingers) and place into a baking dish, cake pan, loaf pan or bundt pan. drop balls in loosely; do not compress them. cover with plastic and let rise until doubled in bulk again, 30-45 minutes.
• 6 bake until loaf is a deep golden-brown color, about 35 minutes. serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.