Monkey Bread

In a large mixing bowl stir together 1 cup of the flour and the yeast. In a small saucepan heat and stir milk, the 1/4 cup butter, the 2 tablespoons sugar, corn syrup, and salt just until warm (120 degree F to 130 degree F), and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to dry mixture. Stir in banana and egg.

Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes). Place in a greased bowl; turn once. Cover; let rise until double (about 1 hour).

Generously grease ten 3-1/4-inch (jumbo) muffin cups or one 10-inch fluted tube pan. Sprinkle about half of the pecans in the bottoms of the 10 cups (about 1 teaspoon per muffin cup) or in the bottom of the tube pan; set aside. Stir together the 1 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough from center to edges, forming a 10x6-inch rectangle; cut rectangle into sixty 1-inch pieces. Gently pull each portion of dough into a ball, tucking edges beneath. Roll each ball in the 1/3 cup melted butter, then roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Arrange 6 balls in each prepared muffin cup, smooth side down, or all the balls in prepared tube pan, stacking gently. Cover; let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (for 30 to 40 minutes).

Sprinkle remaining pecans on top. Stir together caramel topping and maple-flavored syrup; drizzle on top.

Bake individual breads in muffin cups for 25 to 30 minutes or until dough is light brown. Or, for whole loaf in fluted tube pan, bake 35 minutes or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap the top with your fingers.

Let stand for 1 minute. (If breads stand for more than 1 minute, the loaves will be difficult to remove from the muffin cups or tube pan.) Invert onto individual plates or a serving platter. Spoon any topping and nuts remaining in the cups or pan onto rolls or loaf. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 10 servings.