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Monkey bread is a knotty-looking loaf of sweet bread made from balls of dough coated with cinnamon, sugar and melted butter. It’s traditionally served warm so that the sticky baked pieces can be pulled apart.

The name “monkey’’ refers to how you eat this sweet treat — with your hands. Your grandchildren may also have as much fun making the bread as eating it.

Monkey Bread

Servings: 8
Start to finish: 2 to 3 hours (Active time: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Vegetable oil spray
1 pound pizza dough, room temperature
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons milk

In small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place melted butter in second small bowl. Spray 8-inch round cake pan with vegetable oil spray.

Spray counter lightly with vegetable oil spray. Place dough on greased counter and pat into 6-inch square. Use kitchen shears to cut dough into 36 pieces approximately 1-inch square.

Roll each piece of dough into a ball. Dip each ball in melted butter to coat, roll in brown sugar mixture, then place in greased pan. Cover bottom of pan with dough balls in a single layer.

Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until dough balls are puffy and have risen slightly (about 1/2 inch), 1 to 2 hours.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 F. Remove plastic. Place pan in oven and bake until top of monkey bread is light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Use oven mitts to remove monkey bread from oven (kids should ask an adult to help). Place pan on cooling rack and let monkey bread cool for 5 minutes (but no longer).

Place large plate on top of pan. Carefully flip out monkey bread onto a plate. Remove pan. Let cool for 10 more minutes before glazing.

In third small bowl, stir confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth. Use spoon to drizzle glaze over monkey bread. Serve warm.

Nutrition information per serving: 280 calories; 90 calories from fat; 10 g. fat (6 g. saturated; 0 g. trans fats); 23 mg. cholesterol; 443 mg. sodium; 43 g. carbohydrate; 1 g. fiber; 18 g. sugar; 3 g. protein.

— America’s Test Kitchen via AP