Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
Cheesy Monkey Bread is a loaded pull-apart bread with crumbled bacon – do I really need to say anything else? But there’s more, it has plenty of gooey cheese plus it’s flavored with ranch! This is the BEST savory monkey bread recipe!
I’ve been dreaming about this monkey bread for quite a while now! My family owns a dairy farm so we obviously are huge fans of cheese and butter! And the bacon…what’s not to love about bacon?
To be completely honest I had been planning on making it for Mother’s Day! Whatever I did instead of making Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread really wasn’t worth it! It wasn’t even memorable enough to remember what it was, and this monkey bread isn’t something I’m going to forget anytime soon!
My thoughts on Mother’s Day!
Let’s talk about Mother’s Day for a minute. It’s not my favorite day of the year. How many moms out there would prefer to just skip the day and pretend like it doesn’t exist? Me!
In the back of my mind, I always hope that when I ask Justin what he wants to do for his mom for Mother’s Day he’ll catch the hint and remember he probably should help the boys do something nice for me too.
He’s a boy. My kids are boys. They aren’t super thoughtful when it comes to that kind of stuff. So every year Mother’s Day comes and Mother’s Day goes. I feel a bit like I’m left holding the bag. Should I plan my own day? Should I carry on and make dinner like every other Sunday, or are they actually planning something?
Besides that, if I’m being completely honest I feel selfish when I don’t make dinner for my MIL and her whole family on Mother’s Day because that’s what I used to do. Well, before I started being selfish I made dinner for them. Gah, more guilt! See why I just want to remove it from the calendar completely? Who’s with me?
Anyway, Father’s Day is right around the corner and I’m planning on going all out when it comes to dinner! Justin works hard, takes good care of us and I want to show him how to really celebrate!
Cheesy Monkey Bread Ingredients
You’ll need simple ingredients for this recipe. I’ll walk you through and give you suggestions for substituting. I do a lot of that out here on the farm since running to the grocery store isn’t an option!
- Frozen Dough – Rhodes is my favorite. If you don’t have any you can use a homemade bread dough recipe, pizza dough, or even biscuits. If you use biscuits you won’t need to let the monkey bread rise.
- Cheese –Mozzarella is a great choice because it melts so well! Pepperjack, Monterey Jack, or cheddar will also be great.
- Ranch Seasoning – I always keep Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning {affiliate link} on hand. You can also use 2 teaspoons of garlic salt instead of ranch seasoning.
- Bacon –Check out my tips on baking bacon. Make extra and it will be ready to go! Or this cooked and crumbled bacon {affiliate link} is a timesaver!
How to Make Cheese Monkey Bread
If you haven’t tried savory monkey bread before this is a great place to start! The kids absolutely go crazy about pulling those cheesy, bacon covered, gooey pieces of bread! You should see their eyes when the cheese is stringing for miles!
Since monkey bread starts with Rhodes frozen rolls it’s quick and easy to throw together. Just be sure you plan on the about 2 hours rising time after you assemble it.
I should warn you the rolls are going to stick together after you coat them in butter. They’re going to stick even more after they are coated in cheese and bacon. Not to worry! I use my fingers to toss them and it works best! Dig in there!
You could use any kind of cheese you want. I chose mozzarella because I wanted white cheese and because it’s an awesome melty cheese. Cheddar, Pepper Jack, or Swiss would be delicious too! Adding Parmesan to the top gives it an extra little bit of savory flavor and it bakes up a gorgeous golden brown color!
Step By Step Instructions for making monkey bread with frozen dough
STEP 1: Cut rolls in half so you get more cheesy, seasoned goodness in every bite!
STEP 2: Grease the pan heavily
STEP 3: Wrap the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil to prevent spills
STEP 4: Set bundt pan on a baking sheet to catch drips if they still happen
STEP 5: Bake at 350 degrees so the center of the bread has a chance to bake before the top is overly brown
STEP 6: Check monkey bread partway through baking time. Cover with aluminum foil if it’s getting too brown and the middle still needs to bake.
How to store and reheat leftover monkey bread!
If you happen to actually have any of this savory scrumptiousness leftover it’s good to know you can save it and eat it later!
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator. It should last for about 3-5 days
- Microwave individual servings of leftover bread for about 15-10 seconds. Microwaves vary so much. You know your microwave!
- Or, you can reheat it in the oven. Wrap in greased aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes. Baking time will depend on how much leftovers you are reheating. It will take longer to cook through a bigger piece of bread.
- You could use the same reheating method used for baking except throw it on the grill.
What to serve with monkey bread!
You are going to fall in love with this monkey bread! It’s delicious served with about any meal.
- Chicken Tortellini Soup – with chicken
- Slow Cooker Tortellini – it’s super cheesy and so easy
- Sweet and Sour Meatballs – can be made ahead of time
- Classic Slow Cooker Roast Beef – packed with flavor
- Mushroom Cubed Steak – a slow cooker meal
- Pizza Salad – everything you love about pizza in a green salad
- Ravioli Lasagna – a classic lasagna shortcut
- Barbecue Pork Chops – in the crockpot
- Instant Pot Chicken Potato Soup – really cheesy
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew – rich and hearty
- Pork Chili – like pulled pork in a soup
What’s happening on the farm!
Today I’m holding a little pow-wow with my kiddos and we are going to plan Father’s Day. I’m hoping to really blow Father’s Day out of the water this year! If I get my way it’s going to be big!
We’ve been in crops all week which means we’ve been working until about 10:00 every night. It’s time for us to take a little break and do something together.
If the crops work out just right, and we finish our harvest on time, we are going to surprise Justin (don’t worry about me spilling the beans, he doesn’t have time to read my blog right now) by kidnapping him and taking him on an overnight adventure. Maybe we’ll hike to some hot springs and soak for a bit. Maybe we’ll go to a dinner theater. We might visit West Yellowstone or Jackson Hole.
I have no idea if we will be able to sneak away for a day, or two. All I know is that he deserves it! There aren’t very many dads that spend as much time with their kids as Justin does. Granted it’s all spent working, but it’s still time together. Like I said, I vote we ditch Mother’s Day, but I’m all about going big for Father’s Day! It’s all about celebrating how much they do for us with manly, meaty food and fun adventures!
Now please pray that it doesn’t rain and that the equipment doesn’t break down so we can finish up on time! Go plan something amazing for your dad or husband! They deserve it! And be sure to include this dang tasty Cheesy Bacon Ranch Monkey Bread! I promise they’ll love it!
Grab my Cheesy Monkey Bread Recipe!
Be sure to check out my other easy bread recipes too! There’s sure to be a bunch you’d love! And I’m guessing you love cheese as much as I do! Check out my guide to storing cheese and don’t miss my Crusted Grilled Cheese or my Dill Pickle Grilled Cheese Sandwich either!
Cheesy Monkey Bread
No ratings yet
Servings 8 -10 servings
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 55 minutes mins
If you haven’t tried savory monkey breads before this is a great place to start! The kids absolutely go crazy about pulling those cheesy, bacon covered, gooey pieces of bread! You should see their eyes when the cheese is stringing for miles!
Ingredients
- 20 rolls
- ⅓ cup butter
- 3 Tbsp ranch dry ranch dressing mix
- 2 tsp dried parsley divided
- 1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup bacon fried and crumbled
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- Ranch dressing or ranch dressing for dipping in.
Instructions
Thaw Rhodes Rolls for about an hour until they are soft enough to cut.
Heavily grease a bundt pan.
Cut rolls in half using a sharp knife or scissors.
Melt butter. Add ranch dressing mix and one teaspoon parsley.
Toss rolls in butter mixture until coated.
Add mozzarella cheese and bacon and toss with fingers. Rolls will stick together a bit. Don’t worry about it too much. Just do your best to get them all coated with cheesy goodness!
Layer in bundt pan. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
Let rise for 2 to 2 ½ hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. You want the rolls to be golden brown and baked all the way through. If the monkey bread is golden brown but doesn’t appear to be baked through cover with aluminum foil and continue baking for 5 more minutes.
After completely baking turn out on a plate.
Dip monkey bread in ranch dressing or marinara sauce.
Notes
NOTE: You can substitute 2 teaspoons of garlic salt for the ranch dressing mix if you'd like. Add dried parsley to get those pretty green flakes!
NOTE: Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, and Cheddar would all be great cheese choices!
Nutrition
Calories: 654kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 1501mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 403IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 163mg | Iron: 27mg
