Instantly Transform Monkey Bread With A Breakfast Staple Already In Your Fridge

Straight from the oven, monkey bread is defined by sweet, buttery flavors and occasionally, a hint of cinnamon warmth. Anything other than that, and you'd have to branch out into other unique ingredients that make monkey bread more irresistible. Of course, you can turn to what's already inside your own kitchen. Just open the fridge and grab that trusty packet of bacon, and all of a sudden, you've got a new, interesting take on monkey bread.

Wherever it goes, bacon brings that salty, smoky intensity that instantly makes the mouth water. In monkey bread, those flavor notes cut right through the sugary sweetness, one bite-sized piece at a time. This contrast does wonders in balancing out the same old heavy, overwhelming richness. All the while, the monkey bread remains true to its decadent nature. Only this time, the aftertaste lingers with savory depth, a little bit of extra complexity that turns out to be incredibly game-changing.

What also makes those flavors so enticing is the texture that comes along with them. We all know how delectable bacon is when it's freshly cooked — sizzling hot and delightfully crispy. Now just imagine that same magic scattered across the monkey bread's fluffy, soft base. There's surprise in every bite, constantly shifting between comforting and exciting.

Adding bacon to monkey bread only requires a few more steps in the process, starting with cooking the bacon with your preferred method. Once it's done, leave it to cool off while you work on the monkey bread. This should give it enough resting time to fully set into a crisp texture. By the time you're finished preparing other necessary components, the pieces will have settled into crumbly, crispy bits and be ready for layering between the biscuits and syrupy glaze.

If you prefer a savory take, consider throwing in other ingredients to continue elevating the bacon monkey bread. Use bacon's typical companions to give your monkey bread a savory makeover. Eggs and cheese, for example, turn the whole dish into a very satisfying breakfast. If you usually take your morning meals with a side of veggies, include them, as well. As a lunch or a game day appetizer, monkey bread can really benefit from spoonfuls of gravy. You can even serve it alongside typical dipping sauces like ranch dressing or buffalo hot sauce for an easy side dish. If you do plan on pairing it with ranch, go all the way by also sprinkling ranch seasoning into the biscuit dough for a cohesive flavor profile.

For a sweet instead of savory take, chocolate chips are the ingredient to use, something that will melt bittersweetness into your bread. What's more, you can make monkey bread 10 times more delicious with a three-ingredient sauce made from bourbon, brown sugar, and butter. And can you ever really go wrong when pairing bacon with chopped nuts and maple syrup? Not likely.