Vegan Apple Monkey Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup Forager Project Unsweetened Cashewmilk, room temperature
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. divided
• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for flouring surface)
• 3 tablespoons apple pie spice or ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/3 cup Forager Project Vanilla Cashewmilk Yogurt, room temperature
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/4 cup salted vegan butter, room temperature, divided
• 2 large honey crisp apples, diced
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Prep

• Grease a large bowl with cooking or coconut oil and set aside.
• Heat the dairy-free milk to 110ºF. Use a food thermometer to ensure that it’s exactly 110ºF. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar, followed by the yeast. Cover, and set aside to activate for 5-7 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it smells yeast-like and there is foam on the top of the Cashewmilk.
• Add the flour, plus ½ cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of apple pie spice blend, Forager Project Vanilla Cashewmilk Yogurt, applesauce, and the yeast mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment or into a large bowl with a large wooden spoon. Mix on medium (either with the stand mixer or using a large spoon) until it’s combined. Add in ¼ cup vegan butter, increasing the mixing speed to medium-high. Allow the dough to knead for 10-15 minutes.
• Place the dough ball in the oiled bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel and place the dough in a warm area (at least 85ºF) to double in size, about an hour.
• While the dough is proofing, place a piece of parchment paper into a large skillet or grease a large bundt pan. In a large container or in a large disposable bag, add the remaining 1 cup of sugar plus remaining 2 tablespoons of apple pie spice blend. Mix to combine, and set aside. In another small bowl, heat the remaining vegan butter until melted, and whisk in the brown sugar. Slice the honey crisp apples into small squares if you haven’t already.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, lightly punch down the dough, and flour a clean surface. Use a bench scraper or large knife to divide the dough into quarters, and then each quarter into 6-10 dough pieces. Place the dough pieces into the cinnamon sugar mixture, and toss to evenly coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Add in the apples, and toss again.
• Pour the dough bites and apples into the prepared baking pan, and drizzle the brown sugar butter mixture over top. Cover the monkey bread and set by the oven to rest again while you preheat the oven to 350ºF.
• Once the oven is preheated, bake the monkey bread for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
• Remove from the oven and serve warm.