Heat the butter and milk in a small saucepan on the stove or in a small bowl in the microwave until warm, but no hotter than 110 degrees F. If the liquid is hotter than 120 degrees F, it can kill the sourdough starter.

57g (¼ c) unsalted butter, 240g (1 c) milk

Meanwhile, add the bubbly sourdough starter, room temperature egg, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined, then gradually add the warm milk and melted butter.

100g (heaping ⅓ c) active starter, 1 egg, 50g (¼ c) sugar

To the wet ingredients, add the flour and salt and mix again on low speed. Stop to scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the dry ingredients and then continue to mix on low for 1-2 minutes.

450g (3 ¾ c) bread flour, 9g (1 ½ tsp) salt

You can also mix the dough by hand if you're not using a stand mixer.

The dough will look thick and sticky, like a batter. Cover with plastic wrap or what I like to use - a reusable shower cap and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

Knead5. After 30 minutes, remove the cover and knead the dough with the dough hook attachment at medium speed for 10 - 15 minutes. This can be done by hand. Knead the dough for the same amount of time, or until the dough passes the windowpane test.

You'll know the dough has been kneaded when it is smooth and shiny. The dough will completely pull away from the sides of the bowl when it is being kneaded and it will pass the windowpane test. If you notice that the dough is still too sticky, you might need to add a touch more flour. I would add 15 grams (1 Tablespoon) of flour at a time until the dough feels tacky to the touch.

Baking Tip: This means when you stretch a small section of dough into a thin film, the light can pass through without the dough tearing. If this is accomplished, the dough has been properly kneaded.

Remove the dough and place it in a lightly greased bowl. I like to use butter or olive oil. Cover it again.

Bulk Fermentation7. Place the dough in a warm place in your kitchen to double in size. In my 70 degree F kitchen, the first bulk rise takes about 7-8 hours. The bulk fermentation time greatly depends on the temperature of your kitchen. If you have a colder kitchen, the rise time will take longer. If your kitchen runs warm, the first rise will take less time.

Cold Proof:8. If your dough has doubled in size, but you are wanting to bake it following morning, place the dough, covered, in the fridge overnight. If your dough has doubled in size and you are ready to bake, skip this step and continue on to shaping.

Shape9. Just before the bulk fermentation is complete, grease a 10-inch bundt pan with butter. Set aside.

If you do not have a bundt pan, you could also use a greased 9x13 baking dish or 9x5 loaf pan.

113g (½ c) unsalted butter, melted, pinch of salt , 6g (1 T) cinnamon, 200g (1 c) sugar

Don’t overthink this - it isn’t Tetris, just continue to evenly disperse the pieces in the bundt pan. They will stick together when baked.

Second Rise14. Cover the bundt pan with a bowl cover and leave in a warm place until the pieces of dough have puffed up. In my 70 degree F kitchen this took about 2-3 hours. If your kitchen is cooler, this will take longer. If your kitchen is warmer, this will take less time.

If you cold proofed your dough overnight, the dough will be cold and will take longer to return to room temperature and complete its second rise. I placed my covered bundt pan in my oven on the “Proof” setting, which was about 90 degrees F. It took about 1-2 hours for it to puff up. If your oven doesn’t have the proof setting, you could put the dough in an OFF oven with the oven light on. DO NOT rush this step. The dough should looks puffed up and not be cold to the touch. If you rush this step, the dough will bake up dense.

Bake16. Once the dough has risen (it shouldn’t be cold at all and when you poke the dough, your finger print should slowly rise), preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare the butterscotch.

110g (½ c) brown sugar, 57g (¼ c) unsalted butter, 1g (¼ tsp) salt, 4g (1 tsp) vanilla

Cool19. Keep the monkey bread in the bundt pan for at least 10-15 minutes to allow the butterscotch to cool slightly. This will allow it to stick to the dough rather than running off onto the plate.

130g (1 c) powdered sugar, 45g (3 T) milk, 2g (½ tsp) vanilla