Sourdough Monkey Bread

Instructions

1. Feed your starter around 5-6 hours before you plan to start. Let it rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size. 
2. Once the starter has risen, add flour, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, and active starter in the stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook attachment. Turn the mixer on low and combine until it forms a thick and shaggy dough. Mix this dough on medium-low speed for around 5 minutes to begin developing the gluten. 
3. Add the softened butter to the bowl of your stand mixer, a little bit at a time.
4. Turn the mixer on medium speed and keep it mixing for around 15 minutes until the sticky and soft dough strengthens, comes together, and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
5. Once finished mixing, leave the dough to rest for a few minutes, then grab a piece and see if you can stretch it out thin so it’s almost see-through, without tearing. This is called the 'windowpane' effect and shows proper gluten development. 
6. Once the dough is kneaded, shape it into a smooth ball and place it into a large greased bowl. 

Bulk fermentation

1. Cover with a damp tea towel, compostable plastic wrap, or lid. Place the dough in a warm spot, ideally around 25°C / 76°F, and let it rise. It won’t fully double in this first rise but should bulk out by at least 60%. This will take around 4-6 hours, but the rise time will change depending on the temperature.
   You can create a warm and humid proofing spot by placing a large mug of boiled water in a turned-off oven and putting the dough in there. Replace the water with freshly boiled water if it cools down.
2. Once risen, place the dough in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Shaping and baking

1. After the refrigerator proof, deflate and pull the cold dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Form it into a rectangle, around 7x8 inches.
2. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut the dough into around 40 small pieces. Roll each piece into a small ball.
3. Melt some butter in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and cinnamon.
4. Dip the balls in butter, then coat them in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Alternatively, you can add all the small dough balls to a large container with a lid and shake over cinnamon sugar to stop them from sticking together. Shake the container to coat all the dough pieces in the cinnamon sugar mixture, then drizzle over the butter and shake again to coat. 
5. Grease a 9.5- to 10-inch bundt pan, and layer the coated little dough balls in the pan.
6. Cover the bundt pan with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise again until about doubled in size, around 3-4 hours.
7. When the dough has finished rising, preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C.
8. Melt brown sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for around 3 minutes, whisking constantly.
9. Take off the heat, then stir through salt and vanilla. Drizzle this brown sugar mixture all over the risen dough. 
10. Bake the monkey bread for 35-40 minutes until deeply browned. If the top is browning too fast, lay a piece of aluminum foil on it.
11. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a serving plate. Don’t let the monkey bread stay in the pan much longer, or the sugar will stick. The monkey bread should come out in a beautiful, caramelized, sticky loaf.
12. Serve the sourdough monkey bread when it's warm, not hot, or at room temperature.
13. On the following days, leftover monkey bread is best when gently warmed in the microwave to soften it. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.