Mmmm monkey.

You have mastered many cunning techniques a worldly ninja needs to survive and feed herself: Buddha’s Palm, Poaching Egg, Downward Facing Dog, Béchamel, Bojutsu, Wisk-jutsu, Monkey Fist, Hollow Leg. Below is a most delicious bread for both your Monkey Fist and your Hollow Leg.

Patiently prepare the dough the evening before. Let the rambunctious yeast do their nefarious work under the cover of darkness, letting the dough’s longer, second rise proceed over night.  Go about your morning routine of sword sharpening and coffee making enjoying the smell of freshly baking Monkey…Bread.

Dough*
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (2 tablespoons softened for greasing the pan,  2 tablespoons melted for dough)
1 cup milk, warm (around 110 F degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (also around 110 F degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package or 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for your work surface
2 teaspoons table salt

*For oracular yeast and baking help check out the King Arthur Flour website.

Brown Sugar Coating
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick or 4 ounces), melted

Prep this recipe the evening before, let it rise the second time over night, and bake in the morning.

Make dough:

In large measuring cup, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast.

To make dough by hand, mix flour and salt in large bowl. Make well in flour, then add milk mixture to well. Using wooden spoon, stir until dough becomes shaggy and is difficult to stir. Turn out onto lightly floured work surface and begin to knead, incorporating shaggy scraps back into dough. Knead until dough is smooth, satiny and decides to stop attacking you with its doughy sticky-ness, about 10 minutes. Shape into taut ball.

Coat large bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm place  (60-75°F maybe) or in cold oven (to avoid drafts) until it doubles in size, a minimum of 60 minutes, but up to several hours is fine. This is the first rise.

Nefarious yeast after the first rise.

Make brown sugar coating:

Place melted butter in one small bowl. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a second.

Form the bread:

Flip dough out onto floured surface and gently pat into an 8-inch square. Cut dough into ~1-inch x 1-inch small pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Dip balls in melted butter, then roll in brown sugar mixture and layer the balls in Bundt pan. (A fork works well for the coating.)

Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place warm room (60-75°F maybe) or in cold oven (to avoid drafts) until dough balls are puffy and have risen overnight. This is the second rise.

Your work for the evening is done. Cover, and sleep soundly as the yeast continue to prove their unicellular usefulness.

Bake bread:

In the morning heat oven to 350°F. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes (no longer, or you’ll have trouble getting it out) then turn out to cool.

Do not despair if the Bread For Your Monkey Fist looks more like a Pile of Monkeys when you take it out of the pan. It will still satisfy a council of fierce warriors.

Monkey Pile.

Recipe modified from SmittenKitchen.com (where you can find the non-over-night version with instant yeast, bread machine directions, pictures of the bread that came out of the mold properly and generally more detailed directions).

Ingredients:

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled, then grated or minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1/2 Lb. new potatoes, peeled & halved
1 can of diced tomatoes with juices
1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1 heaping teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
A shake of cayenne (to taste–note that this will gain potency as it warms up)
A shake of cinnamon
Salt
A glug of oil

Method:

Dice, mince, and humble your ingredients for the procedure ahead. In a dry, medium-large sauce pan, add all your dry spices (the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne). Turn the heat to medium and toast for about a minute, stirring so nothing burns. When the smell of the spices has warmed your nose like the first blush of a springtime katana duel, add your oil, onions, garlic and ginger. Stir quickly so nothing sticks and burns and let soften–about a minute (you can add some more oil here, if necessary). Add your potatoes, chickpeas, and the tomatoes with their juices. Stir everything so that nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pan and everything is well mixed. Reduce to a simmer, and cover. For the next 35 minutes the dish will cook itself while you decimate a warlord’s errant army, prank the local sword master, darn your ninja-gi, or whatever it is you spend your time with these days. If you are one of those rare ninja with actual free time, you can give the pot a stir every now and then to make sure nothing is burning, but you don’t have to micro-manage. When the potatoes are done, remove the lid and stir. Let your dinner fill your home with delightful smells for a few minutes, allowing excess moisture to steam away. Check for salt, and serve over rice. Feeds four, and makes fantastic leftovers.

With style.

Ingredients

3 T single-malt scotch
1 1/2 t lemon juice
1 1/2 t corn syrup or honey
1/2 C boiling water
1-3 whole cloves
1 slice lemon or cinnamon stick (opt.)

Method

Combine the first three ingredients in appropriately aristocratic glassware, and blend until smooth.  Add boiling water and cloves and stir.  Garnish with a slice of lemon or cinnamon stick.  Serves one, and who really needs anyone else?