This sourdough discard monkey bread is soft, gooey, and tastes like a cinnamon roll center with cinnamon sugar and a rich brown sugar glaze!
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Soft, pillowy pull-apart bread coated in cinnamon sugar and drenched in a buttery brown sugar glaze—this sourdough discard monkey bread is what cozy mornings are made of.
Whether it’s a holiday morning, a special brunch, or just a good way to use up discard, this recipe is a crowd-pleaser every time.
My son says each bite tastes like the inside of a cinnamon roll, and honestly? He’s right. It’s warm, gooey, and downright addictive. If sourdough cinnamon rolls had a bite-sized cousin, this would be it.
And the best part? No yeast, no rise time, and no waiting. The baking powder does all the leavening, so you can mix, coat, and bake without the hassle of a first or second rise.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy: No active sourdough starter required! Just grab your sourdough discard and get baking.
- Great Way to Use Discard: If you’re swimming in sourdough discard, this is a great recipe to use it up!
- No Special Tools Needed: Just a large mixing bowl, a bundt pan, and a wooden spoon.
- Tastes Like a Cinnamon Roll Center: Every bite is soft, sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth good.
- Fresh-Milled Friendly: Includes tested adjustments for baking with freshly milled flour.
Recipe Tips
- Butter Your Bundt Pan Well: Coat every nook and cranny with butter to keep the bread from sticking.
- Coat the dough pieces thoroughly: Make sure each piece is fully coated in the cinnamon sugar mixture so every bite has that classic monkey bread flavor.
- Let the monkey bread cool before flipping: Let the pan rest for about 10 minutes after baking. This helps the glaze set slightly and prevents the bread from falling apart when you turn it out.
Ingredients
Dough
- Whole milk: Adds richness and moisture, making the dough soft and tender. Using warm milk helps everything mix together smoothly.
- Granulated sugar: Just enough sweetness to balance the tang of the sourdough discard and enhance the cinnamon-sugar coating.
- Egg: Helps bind the dough and adds a bit of structure, giving that soft, pillowy texture.
- Sourdough Starter: Adds depth of flavor and a slight tang without needing an active starter. A great way to use up extra discard!
- All-purpose flour: The base of the dough, giving it structure while keeping it light and fluffy.
- Salt: Balances out the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the dough.
- Baking powder: Since this recipe doesn’t use commercial yeast, baking powder provides the lift, making the bread rise beautifully in the oven.
- Vanilla extract: Infuses a warm, slightly sweet flavor that complements the cinnamon and brown sugar.
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor, making every bite soft and buttery. I always used salted butter, but you could use unsalted, too.
Cinnamon Coating
- Granulated sugar: Creates that sweet, slightly crunchy coating around each little dough ball.
- Ground cinnamon: The heart of that classic monkey bread flavor! Warm, spicy, and cozy.
Glaze
- Butter: I use salted butter. Melts into the dough while baking, making it soft, buttery, and irresistibly gooey.
- Brown sugar: When mixed with butter, it forms a sauce that seeps into the bottom of the pan, making each bite perfectly sticky and sweet.
Fresh Milled Flour Version
This recipe can be made with fresh milled flour with a few small adjustments. Because fresh-milled flour contains the bran and germ, it absorbs more liquid and benefits from a short hydration rest before rolling.
To make this sourdough discard monkey bread with fresh milled flour:
- Replace the all-purpose flour with 500 g freshly milled hard white wheat flour (Mill 500 g hard white wheat berries)
- Use 2 eggs total instead of 1
- Add 2 tablespoons additional milk
- After mixing the dough, let it rest for 20 minutes before rolling
- Gently fold the dough 5–6 times to help it come together before rolling it out
The dough should feel soft and cohesive, not crumbly. When cutting the dough into pieces, gently press them into shape so they hold together well during baking.
These small adjustments help the dough bake up soft, tender, and pull-apart, while still keeping the buttery biscuit-style texture that makes monkey bread so good.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Monkey Bread
1. Make the Dough
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, (1/4 c) sugar, and baking powder until well combined.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, sourdough discard, and vanilla.
Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in the cold (grated or cubed) butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until a shaggy dough forms.
Gently fold the dough over a few times until all the flour is incorporated. You should still see small butter pieces in the dough—don’t knead it or over mix.
Roll out the dough until it’s around ¼-inch thick.
Use a pizza cutter, sharp knife, or bench scraper to cut the dough into 1 “x1” pieces—these will be your little dough pieces for the monkey bread.
2. Coat the Dough
Add the 1 c sugar and cinnamon to a gallon-sized plastic bag. Mix well to combine. Working in batches, add 10-15 dough pieces to the bag at a time.
Hold the top of the bag and shake until the pieces are fully coated in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place the pieces in the bundt pan, layering evenly as you go. Repeat until all the dough is used.
3. Make the Glaze
Melt butter over medium-low heat, then stir in the brown sugar and bring to a boil. Remove the glaze from the heat and pour evenly over the top of the dough in the pan.
4. Bake and Serve
Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then carefully flip onto a large plate.
Store on the counter for 2 days, then refrigerate or freeze.
FAQ
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Sourdough Discard Monkey Bread
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Bench scraper, knife, or pizza cutter
- Pastry cutter
- Bundt pan
- Small saucepan (for glaze)
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4 c all-purpose flour
- 1 c sourdough discard
- 1 c whole milk
- 1 c cold butter (cubed/shredded)
- 1/4 c sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
For the Cinnamon Coating
- 1 c white sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
For the Glaze
- 3/4 c (12 tbsp) melted butter
- 1 c brown sugar
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, (1/4 c) sugar, and baking powder until well combined.
- Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut in the cold (grated or cubed) butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, sourdough discard, and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until a shaggy dough forms.
- Gently fold the dough over a few times until all the flour is incorporated. You should still see small butter pieces in the dough—don't knead it or over mix.
- Roll the dough until it's about ¼-inch thick.
- Use a pizza cutter, sharp knife, or bench scraper to cut the dough into 1"x1" pieces—these will be your little dough pieces for the monkey bread.
Coat the Dough
- Add the 1 c sugar and cinnamon to a gallon-sized plastic bag. Mix well to combine. Working in batches, add 10-15 dough pieces to the bag at a time. Hold the top of the bag and shake until each piece is fully coated in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Place the pieces in the bundt pan, layering evenly as you go. Repeat until all the dough is used.
Make the Glaze
- Melt butter over medium-low heat, then stir in the brown sugar and bring to a boil. Remove the glaze from the heat and pour evenly over the top of the dough in the pan.
Bake
- Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 until golden brown. Let it cool for 10 minutes, then carefully flip onto a large plate. Store on the counter for 2 days, then refrigerate or freeze.
Notes
- Replace the all-purpose flour with 500 g freshly milled hard white wheat flour (Mill 500 g hard white wheat berries)
- Use 2 eggs total instead of 1
- Add 2 tablespoons additional milk
- After mixing the dough, let it rest for 20 minutes before rolling
- Gently fold the dough 5–6 times to help it come together before rolling it out
I’ve been looking for a recipe just like this! Can’t wait to try– it looks amazing!
I have such great memories of having monkey bread as a kid, I can’t wait to try this!
I have to try this! I haven’t had monkey bread since I was a little girl. What a fun recipe!
Such an interesting shape! I’ve heard of it before but have never had it. Looking forward to trying the recipe !
These look so delicious! I cant wait to try them!
Oh this sounds awesome!! I’ll have to try this recipe. I love everything about it, thanks for sharing!
My mouth is watering, printing recipe and making this one. Thanks!
This looks amazing!!
My aunt used to make monkey bread as a special treat when we came to visit. I forgot all about that until now. I’ll have to make this!
This looks delicious! I love monkey bread and I love that this incorporates discard in it. Definitely going to give this a try!
Monkey bread (or any pull-apart, bite-size bread) does not last long in our house! Can’t wait to try this recipe next. Saving for later!
This just looks so tasty that I’m scared to make it and eat it all in one sitting!
Monkey bread is one of my absolute favorite breakfasts! Nice twist with sourdough!
Monkey bread is something I haven’t seen in person before and I’m so excited to give it a go. Maybe this weekend for my birthday!
I cannot wait to try this!! Thank you so much!!
Made this while at a cabin with the family for my birthday and it was a huge hit! Three days later and everyone is still talking about it.
Love hearing this! So glad your family enjoyed it—and thanks for sharing your experience!
Looking for a sourdough monkey bread recipe using fresh milled. Curious why you didn’t use that in this recipe?
Hi Laura! I created this recipe before I switched my blog to focus on fresh milled baking, which is why it isn’t fresh milled yet. If you want to test it now, I’d start by milling 520 grams of soft white wheat and keep everything else the same. I’ll be converting the recipe officially to fresh milled soon!