Monkey Bread:

We used to always have a thing called "Wake-up Rolls" for breakfast on Christmas morning. It's a lot like monkey bread. When we first went gluten-free, I tried to make Wake-up Rolls gluten-free, but it just didn't work. This year, I really wanted to try it, so I searched and searched, and came across a recipe that looked amazing, and sounded pretty good. I was nervous about it, though, because the ingredient list was long, the instructions were even longer and nothing was really going right for me while I was trying to make them. Thankfully, they turned out AMAZING!!! I was beyond impressed and excited with how they tasted and how they were surprisingly easy to make! Please try them! I would HIGHLY recommend that you read all the way down through the instructions before starting, just so you can be familiar with everything. It's really not hard at all and doesn't really take that much time either. I hope you try them and enjoy them as much as we did!

Dough:

2 & 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

3 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tblsp. Rapid Rise yeast

3 tblsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (dry)

1 tsp. baking powder

4 tblsp. butter

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup milk

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. cider vinegar

2 tblsp. canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla

The yummy gooeyness:

1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

1/2 cup raisins, optional

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 tblsp. maple syrup

2 tblsp. heavy cream

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. If you choose to use the pecans and/or raisins, place them into the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch baking dish (you could also use a greased bunt pan if you prefer). Set aside. Do not use a pan with a removable bottom, as the syrup would run through and make a huge mess.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix all the dry ingredients from the "dough" list, until well combined. Set aside.
3. Put water and butter in a glass measuring cup and microwave just until the butter has melted. Remove from microwave and stir. Add milk, stir. Add egg, cider vinegar, oil and vanilla; whisk to combine.
4. With the stand mixer running (using the paddle attachment), pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Scrap down the bowl if you need to. Allow to mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon from the "gooey" ingredient list. 6. Form the dough into 3/4″ balls (I just used a cookie scoop) and roll them to coat them fully in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
7. Place sugar coated dough into the prepared pan, on top of the pecans/raisins. Be sure to not tightly pack the dough into the pan, allow gaps between the dough. Repeat until all of the dough has been formed, rolled in the cinnamon/sugar mixture & placed in the pan. If you have any cinnamon/sugar mixture left, sprinkle it over the top of the dough in the pan.
8. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup, salt & vanilla. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream. Pour mixture over the top of the dough.
9. Allow the dough to rise for 20-30 minutes in a warm, draft-free place.
10. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until dough is no longer "doughy" when a ball of dough is pulled apart.
11. When you remove the Monkey Bread from the oven, allow to sit in the baking pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a serving dish or plate.
12. To do this, place the plate upside down on top of the baking pan, and (while wearing oven mitts, just in case), quickly turn the plate and baking pan upside down. Your Monkey Bread should release from the pan without a problem. If there are still pecans and syrup in the baking pan, use a spoon and spoon the mixture over the top of the Monkey Bread. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!