Chocolate Whiskey Pecan Monkey Bread

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, divided


• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast


• 1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)


• 1/2 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°)


• 2 large eggs, room temperature


• 3 tablespoons E.M. Walton’s Corn Whiskey


• 4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour


• 1-1/4 cups sugar, divided


• 3/4 teaspoon salt


• 2 semisweet baking chocolate bars (4 ounces each) plus 1 ounce, broken into 1/4-ounce pieces (36 pieces total)
  WHISKEY CARAMEL:


• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar


• 1/4 cup butter, cubed


• 1/4 cup E.M. Walton’s Corn Whiskey


• 1 cup chopped pecans
  WHISKEY CHOCOLATE GLAZE:


• 1 semisweet baking chocolate bar (4 ounces), chopped


• 1/4 cup E.M. Walton’s Corn Whiskey

Directions

• Microwave 1/4 cup butter until melted. Dissolve yeast in warm water and milk; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. In another bowl, combine eggs, E.M. Walton’s Corn Whiskey and melted butter; stir in 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, salt and yeast mixture. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.


• Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover; refrigerate overnight.


• Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into 36 rolls. Flatten rolls into circles; place 1 chocolate piece in center of each. Fold dough over filling; pinch edges well to seal. Melt remaining butter; pour into a shallow bowl. Place remaining sugar in another shallow bowl. Dip balls in butter, allowing excess to drip off, then roll in sugar.


• For whiskey caramel, bring brown sugar, butter and E.M. Walton’s Corn Whiskey to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir 3 minutes. Pour half of the caramel into a greased 10-in. fluted tube pan; layer with half the pecans and half the dough balls; repeat. Cover with a kitchen towel; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.


• Preheat oven to 350°. Place a sheet of foil on bottom oven rack. Bake on middle oven rack until golden brown, 50-55 minutes. (Cover loosely with foil for last 10-15 minutes if top browns too quickly.) Cool in pan 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Meanwhile, for whiskey chocolate glaze, melt chocolate in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from heat; stir in E.M. Walton’s Corn Whiskey until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm bread.

• You can make this beauty in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish if you don't have the right size tube pan.


• Chocolate pieces can be wrapped in dough ahead of time and frozen in a single layer. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight before assembling the following day.