Best Pull Apart Sourdough Monkey Bread Recipe

If you have never had sourdough monkey bread before, you are in for a delicious treat. Usually baked in a bundt pan, these bite sized balls of caramel-drenched dough are the simplified version of cinnamon rolls. I grew up eating the unfermented kind all the time. Anytime my mom would make bread or buns, she’d save a little bit of the dough and make a small loaf of monkey bread for us. Sourdough was not a thing back then. Without social media, how should my mom have known how unhealthy it is not to ferment your dough? 😂

I make this delicious sourdough monkey bread quite often, not only for special occasions. It is adapted from one of my sourdough bread recipes, and I even used to bake it in bread pans. I saw someone else bake it in a bundt cake pan, and I thought it was genius. I’ve had trouble with the center pieces being underbaked while the outside gets too well done. Baking it in a bundt pan is the best way to ensure even baking. 

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• “It’s healthy, cause it’s sourdough.” I’m making fun of myself here, thinking I can slap the label ‘healthy’ on everything that’s sourdough and not feel guilty eating it. Well it’s sort of true, I can feel less guilty. Although I don’t think anyone eating sourdough monkey bread expects it to be healthy, it is a plus that it has some nutritional benefits. 
• There are different variations as far as toppings for this recipe that you can use to be creative. You could add some chopped pecans, switch out the caramel for a cream cheese frosting, etc. 
• Sourdough monkey bread is the easier version of cinnamon rolls. If you love cinnamon rolls but find them hard to make, this recipe tasted just like cinnamon rolls and is just easier to make.  

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Dough Ingredients

• 275 grams active starter-This is starter that has been fed 4-12 hours before starting the recipe and is super bubbly. Since there is no other yeast being used, discard will not work.
• 120 grams water- filtered
• 60 grams milk- I always use whole milk, but 2% should work too.
• 1 tbls butter- melted
• 1 tbls honey
• 280 grams all purpose flour- unbleached
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients to coat the small pieces of dough:

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar- brown sugar works perfectly fine
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tbls melted butter

Brown sugar caramel ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp vanilla
• salt

How to make this recipe:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together all the ingredients for the dough, minus a cup of the flour. Start at medium-low speed until the flour is incorporated, and let it mix for a minute. 
2. When that is nicely mixed, switch out the paddle attachment for the dough hook attachment, and add the remaining flour. Start it slow so the flour doesn’t go everywhere, then turn it up to medium-high and let it mix for 3 minutes. 
3. Place dough in a large greased bowl, cover and let the dough rise at room temperature for 6-8 hours, until it has doubled in size. Rise times vary. Depending how warm it is, it could take less than 6 hours. 
4. Melt butter (4 tbls) in a small bowl. Mix the cinnamon together with the brown sugar in a separate small bowl. 
5. Grease your bundt cake pan. 
6. After the dough has doubled, dump it on to a work surface. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough into small 1 inch pieces. 
7. Dunk the dough pieces into the butter first, then the brown sugar mixture, and layer the pieces into the bundt pan. 
8. This step is optional, you can drizzle some of the caramel over the small dough balls. It will get enough caramel after baking too, but this just helps it be a little more gooey. 
9. Cover with a wet towel or plastic wrap. Allow it to rise for another hour or 2. Again, the time this takes depends on the temperature of the setting it rises in. If the dough balls have doubled in size then it’s ready to bake. 
10. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
11. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. You can check the internal temperature with a thermometer if you’re unsure about it looking ready, it should read 195 degrees F. 
12. Remove from oven and flip onto a serving tray or large plate. Let it rest and cool for 20 minutes before topping with caramel sauce. 

How to make caramel:

1. Cook the butter and the brown sugar together in a small sauce pan for 2 minutes.
2. Add the heavy cream and let it cook for another 3-5 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat and add salt and vanilla. This will thicken as it cools. 
4. Lather over baked monkey bread. 

Monkey Bread Schedule Example:

3 PM (the day before) Feed your sourdough starter. (equal parts starter and flour, and half the amount of water)

9 PM (the day before): Feed your sourdough starter. (equal parts starter and flour, and half the amount of water)

8 AM, next day: Mix the dough as directed, cover and let rise.

3 PM: Dump dough on counter, cut in pieces fill bundt pan. Cover and let rise. 

5 PM: If doubled, preheat oven and bake.

FAQ’S:

Can I make my own sourdough starter?

Yes! I have a blog that teaches you how to do this. I will advise you to get an established starter from someone if you have that option, just because I know how I didn’t enjoy wasting all that discard until my starter was strong and established. 

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yes. My bread schedule example plays out to have this ready around dinner time, so if you wanted this recipe for like a special breakfast, you can follow the same schedule up until the second rise. Mix the dough and let it bulk ferment and then refrigerate, or you can shape and coat the little dough balls and refrigerate those. Take it out of the fridge like 2 hours before you want to bake it and let it come to room temperature and almost double in size before baking. 

Other delicious sourdough recipes you’ll love:

Overnight Sourdough Pancakes

Sourdough Pumpkin Donuts

Sourdough Monkey Bread

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 10 hours hrs

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

Ingredients you’ll need for dough:

• 275 grams active starter
• 120 grams water filtered
• 60 grams whole milk
• 1 tbls butter melted
• 1 tbls honey
• 280 grams all purpose flour unbleached
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients to coat the small pieces of dough:

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tbls melted butter

Ingredients for Brown sugar caramel:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp vanilla
• salt

Instructions

 

How to make this recipe

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together all the ingredients for the dough, minus a cup of the flour. Start at medium-low speed until the flour is incorporated, and let it mix for a minute.
• When that is nicely mixed, switch out the paddle attachment for the dough hook attachment, and add the remaining flour. Start it slow so the flour doesn’t go everywhere, then turn it up to medium-high and let it mix for 3 minutes.
• Place dough in a large greased bowl, cover and let the dough rise at room temperature for 6-8 hours, until it has doubled in size. Rise times vary. Depending how warm it is, it could take less than 6 hours.
• Melt butter (4 tbls) in a small bowl. Mix the cinnamon together with the brown sugar in a separate small bowl.
• Grease your bundt cake pan.
• After the dough has doubled, dump it on to a work surface. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough into small 1 inch pieces.
• Dunk the dough pieces into the butter first, then the brown sugar mixture, and layer the pieces into the bundt pan.
• This step is optional, you can drizzle some of the caramel over the small dough balls. It will get enough caramel after baking too, but this just helps it be a little more gooey.
• Cover with a wet towel or plastic wrap. Allow it to rise for another hour or 2. Again, the time this takes depends on the temperature of the setting it rises in. If the dough balls have doubled in size then it’s ready to bake.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. You can check the internal temperature with a thermometer if you’re unsure about it looking ready, it should read 195 degrees F.
• Remove from oven and flip onto a serving tray or large plate. Let it rest and cool for 20 minutes before topping with caramel sauce.

How to make caramel:

• Cook the butter and the brown sugar together in a small sauce pan for 2 minutes.
• Add the heavy cream and let it cook for another 3-5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add a sprinkle of salt and vanilla. This will thicken as it cools.
• Pour over baked monkey bread.

Notes

Monkey Bread Schedule Example:

3 PM (the day before) Feed your sourdough starter. (equal parts starter and flour, and half the amount of water)

9 PM (the day before): Feed your sourdough starter. (equal parts starter and flour, and half the amount of water)

8 AM, next day: Mix the dough as directed, cover and let rise.

3 PM: Dump dough on counter, cut in pieces fill bundt pan. Cover and let rise. 

5 PM: If doubled, preheat oven and bake.