Summary of "John Torode’s Monkey Bread | This Morning"

John Torode’s Monkey Bread (This Morning)

Source

Presented by John Torode on This Morning. He refers to the full recipe/quantities on the This Morning app/website.

No-churn ice cream

Frozen bananas
Tub of coconut yogurt (blend most of the banana/yogurt mixture, then fold in remaining yogurt and a swirl of caramel)

Notes on quantities

Exact ingredient amounts are not given in the subtitles; John refers viewers to the This Morning app/website for precise measures.
Target yield: “around 36” small dough balls (he demonstrates dividing the dough into quarters then into eight pieces each).

Stand mixer (John says you “probably do need a mixer”)
Saucepan to warm milk and butter
Mixing bowls
Pastry cutter or small cutter/portioner (to help shape/portion)
Bundt/tube pan or bun tin with a hole in the middle (tin must have a hole so the dough cooks through)
Oven preheated (see baking temperatures below)
Freezer-safe tray or container for the ice cream

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl (flour, custard powder, yeast and other dry elements per the recipe).
Warm milk and butter together on the stove; combine with the eggs.
Mix the wet into the dry in the mixer on medium. The dough will look sticky at first — keep mixing; the cornflour/custard powder will absorb liquid and the dough will come together.
Once mixed, put the dough into a bowl and let it prove/rise (John says it rises in about an hour).
After rising, portion the dough into small balls — aim for roughly 36 small balls (divide into quarters then into small pieces and roll into balls).
Prepare the coating: melted butter in one bowl; in another bowl combine caster sugar + brown sugar + cinnamon + ginger (or other spices as desired).
For each dough ball: roll in melted butter, then roll in the sugar-spice mixture.
Place coated balls into the tube/bun tin, stacking them; fill the tin about three-quarters full. The balls can be placed loosely/stacked — no precise arrangement required.
Bake:
- Start at 200°C for 20 minutes,
- Then lower the oven to 180°C and bake for another 20 minutes.
After baking, pour jarred salted caramel sauce over the finished monkey bread (John has a co-presenter pour the caramel on camera).

Blend frozen bananas with most (but not all) of a tub of coconut yogurt until ice-cream-like.
Pour that mixture into a bowl, then stir in the remaining coconut yogurt.
Stir in a little jarred salted caramel to create swirls.
Freeze in a tray/container until set. Serve alongside the monkey bread.

Custard powder in the dough: John learned this from a donut baker — custard powder (cornflour + vanilla + sugar) helps take up liquid and gives a better, donut-like dough texture.
Don’t worry about yeast: use instant yeast and mix/prove as directed — John stresses it’s easy and people overcomplicate it.
Dough can be sticky initially — keep mixing on medium; it will come together and prove.
Use a tin with a hole in the middle (bundt/tube) so the dough cooks through.
Make the balls small for a proper “tear-and-share” effect.
Coating spices can be varied — cinnamon and ginger give a Christmassy flavour, but you can use whatever you like.
Jarred salted caramel is a convenient shortcut for the sauce and for swirling into the ice cream.
Serving idea: serve tear-and-share monkey bread warm with the coconut-banana no-churn ice cream, or pour spiced rum over and flame as an alternative to Christmas pudding.

Serve as a tear-and-share: guests pull off individual sugared balls.
Recommended accompaniment: coconut-banana no-churn ice cream swirled with salted caramel.
Alternative: pour spiced rum over and light as a flambé-style finale (as suggested by John).

Spice mix: swap/add spices to the sugar coating (nutmeg, cardamom, etc.).
Different sauces: use salted caramel, chocolate sauce or jam.
Ice cream flavours: replace the coconut yogurt/frozen banana base with other frozen-fruit + yogurt combinations or different yogurts as desired.