Sourdough Monkey bread

5 from 2 votes

Sweet and fluffy sourdough monkey bread coated in cinnamon sugar and baked until golden. A cozy breakfast or brunch favorite.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Rise Time9

Total Time10 15

Servings:

Author: Emily Christensen

Equipment

Ingredients

Sourdough Starter or Levain

20 grams active sourdough starter heaping 1 Tablespoon
100 grams all-purpose flour ¾ cup
100 grams water ⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon

Dough

310 grams milk, warm 1¼ cups
57 grams butter, melted ¼ cup
1 large egg 50 grams
100 grams granulated sugar ½ cup
5 grams salt 1 teaspoon
200 grams active sourdough starter scant 1 cup
650 grams all-purpose flour 4⅔ cups

Coating

227 grams butter, divided 1 cup
265 grams granulated sugar 1⅓ cups
12 grams cinnamon 1½ Tablespoons
165 grams brown sugar ¾ cup

Icing

120 grams powdered sugar 1 cup
30 grams milk 2 Tablespoons
5 grams vanilla extract 1 teaspoon

Instructions

Day 1

Feed starter: About 10 hours before making the dough, make a levain or feed your sourdough starter and leave it covered at 72℉ to double or more in size and get bubbly.
Skip this step if your starter is already activated and ready to bake with.
20 grams active sourdough starter, 100 grams all-purpose flour, 100 grams water
Mix dough: In a stand mixer bowl or mixing bowl, mix room-temperature milk, melted and slightly cooled butter, egg, sugar, salt, active sourdough starter, and flour until combined.
310 grams milk, warm, 57 grams butter, melted, 1 large egg, 100 grams granulated sugar, 5 grams salt, 200 grams active sourdough starter, 650 grams all-purpose flour
Knead dough: Mix the dough with a dough hook attachment on the lowest speed in a stand mixer for 4-5 minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl and is pliable.
The dough will be a little sticky and stick to the bottom of the mixer; this is normal. If it is extremely sticky and sticking to the sides of the bowl, slowly add more flour until it comes together.
Alternatively, place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes by hand or until the dough forms a soft, smooth dough ball. If it is extremely sticky, slowly add more flour until it comes together.
First rise: Place the dough in a medium-sized bowl or 2-quart straight-edge container. Let the dough rise covered overnight at a temperature of 68℉-72℉ for about 8-10 hours or until doubled in size.

Day 2

Divide dough: Once doubled the next morning, punch down the dough and divide it into 3 sections.
Roll out: Roll each piece of dough into a long rope by pressing your palms down and gently rolling back and forth to stretch it until it reaches 15 inches in length.
Cut dough balls: Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into 1-inch sections, about 15, although it doesn’t have to be exact. Repeat with the other 2 sections.
Make caramel sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine ½ cup butter with brown sugar until a slightly thickened sauce forms. Let cool slightly but not too long that it no longer is pourable.
227 grams butter, divided, 165 grams brown sugar
Prepare coatings: Prepare two small bowls, one with ½ cup melted butter and the other with sugar and cinnamon mixed together.
227 grams butter, divided, 265 grams granulated sugar, 12 grams cinnamon
Coat dough balls: Working with a handful of dough pieces at a time, toss the pieces into the butter. Then coat the pieces in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Note: If you prefer a more uniform look, roll the dough balls into circles before dipping. I usually only reshape the ones that are very oblong.
Arrange in pan: Grease a 10″ bundt cake pan with non-stick spray or brush generously with oil.
Add all the coated pieces to the greased bundt pan. Pour the brown sugar caramel sauce evenly over the top.
Second rise: Cover and let the dough balls rise in a warm spot for another 1–2 hours, until the dough balls are puffy.
Bake: Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF for 40-45 minutes. Set a rimmed sheet pan on the rack below as a precaution for any drips. The internal temperature should reach 190ºF or higher, and the top should be lightly browned.
Cool and flip: Let cool for about 10-15 minutes to let the caramel sauce slightly thicken. Don’t wait too long though or it will be hard to get out of the pan.
Place a large plate on top of the bundt pan and flip the sourdough monkey bread onto the plate.
Make icing: Mix icing ingredients in a small bowl if you want an icing on top.
120 grams powdered sugar, 30 grams milk, 5 grams vanilla extract
Drizzle icing: Drizzle icing over the prepared monkey bread and enjoy!

Notes

Grease the pan well: To ensure the monkey bread does not stick to the bundt pan it needs to be well greased. Heavily spray a bundt cake pan with non-stick spray ensuring to get the inner and outer rims. You can brush oil on the pan instead but I wouldn’t recommend greasing the pan with butter, as the milk solids can act like glue.
Don’t flip immediately: If you flip the monkey bread right away, the caramel sauce will be very runny and slide right off (trust me, I’ve done it). Let the caramel cool slightly so it thickens and stays on the bread.
Same day schedule: This recipe can be made start to finish in one day if desired. For timing and tips, see the sample schedule in the blog post above.
No bundt pan? This recipe can be made in a 9×13-inch pan.
Make-ahead instructions: Once the monkey bread is assembled in the Bundt pan, cover it and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. About 2–3 hours before baking, remove it from the fridge and place it in a very warm spot to come to room temperature and puff up. Bake as directed. Alternatively, you can complete both rises before refrigerating. When you’re ready to bake, remove the monkey bread from the fridge and let it sit in a warm spot for about 30 minutes before baking as directed.

Nutrition