Air Fryer Sourdough Discard Monkey Bread
Soft, cinnamon-sugar-coated dough pieces baked together in the air fryer using sourdough discard. They bake as a cohesive loaf with caramelized, sticky edges and a tender crumb. A quick, impressive dessert that tastes like it took hours.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 14 min
- Wait
- 10 min
- Total
- 49 min
- Makes
- 1 loaf (24–30 pieces)
Steps
Before you start
- Preheat air fryer to 350°F (175°C)
- Have sourdough discard and milk at room temperature (warm milk helps bind the dough)
- Gather all ingredients and measure them before you start mixing (mise en place helps with timing)
- Choose a 7–8 inch (18–20 cm) round air fryer-safe baking pan or cake pan that fits your air fryer
Mix the dry ingredients
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 tsp (5 g) baking powder, and ¼ tsp (1.5 g) salt until evenly combined with no lumps.
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Ready when: Ingredients evenly distributed; no visible lumps
Combine the wet ingredients
- In another medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup (120 ml) room-temperature sourdough discard, ¼ cup (60 ml) room-temperature whole milk, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract, and 2 tbsp (30 g) melted unsalted butter.
- Whisk until smooth and well combined.
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Ready when: Smooth, homogeneous wet mixture
Combine dough and rest
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold or stir gently with a spatula until just combined into a shaggy dough.
- Don't overmix or the dough will become tough.
- The dough will be slightly sticky, and that is fine.
- Cover the bowl loosely and let rest at room temperature for 5 minutes so the flour fully hydrates.
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Ready when: Dough is tacky but holds together; no dry flour visible
Tip: Don't overmix; a slightly shaggy dough is better than a smooth, overdeveloped one
Prepare coating and cut pieces
- While the dough rests, mix 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar and 1½ tsp (4 g) ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Once the dough has rested, use a knife to cut or pinch it into 24–30 pieces each roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm) across.
- The pieces do not need to be uniform or perfect—rough chunks work great.
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Ready when: 24–30 dough pieces cut; cinnamon-sugar mixture made
Coat dough pieces
- Check that the 2 tbsp (30 g) melted butter for coating is still warm and pourable; if it has solidified, reheat it gently for 10–15 seconds.
- Toss the dough pieces in the warm melted butter, stirring to coat all surfaces.
- Then add the pieces to the cinnamon-sugar mixture and toss until each piece is well coated.
- The mixture should look like cinnamon-sugar-covered lumps.
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Ready when: All pieces uniformly coated in butter and cinnamon-sugar
Tip: Work quickly so the coating adheres well; cold butter won't stick as effectively
Layer in the air fryer pan
- Pour the coated dough pieces into a 7–8 inch (18–20 cm) round air fryer-safe baking pan or cake pan.
- Arrange them in a loose single layer if possible, or stack them gently if the pan is tight.
- They do not need to be perfectly organized—they will stick together as they bake.
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Ready when: All pieces arranged in the pan
Make the caramel sauce
- In a small saucepan, melt 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter over medium heat.
- Once melted and foaming, add ½ cup (100 g) packed brown sugar and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture is smooth, bubbly, and caramel-colored.
- Remove from heat.
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Ready when: Brown sugar fully dissolved; mixture is smooth and bubbling
Tip: Stir constantly so the brown sugar dissolves evenly and doesn't scorch on the pan bottom
Air fry the monkey breadOven 350°F / 175°C
- Drizzle the warm caramel sauce evenly over the dough pieces in the pan, allowing it to pool slightly.
- Place the pan into the preheated 350°F (175°C) air fryer and cook for 12–15 minutes.
- The pieces should turn golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into a piece should come out mostly clean (a bit of caramel sticking is fine).
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Ready when: Golden brown on top; toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean; caramel bubbling at the edges
Cool and serve
- Remove the pan from the air fryer using oven mitts—it will be very hot.
- Let the monkey bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- The pieces will firm up slightly and the caramel will set just enough for easier handling.
- Serve warm directly from the pan, or run a thin knife around the edges and invert onto a plate for a more elegant presentation.
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Ready when: Cool enough to handle but still warm to eat
Tip: For an extra-gooey center, serve after just 2–3 minutes of cooling; for cleaner pull-apart pieces, cool 5–10 minutes
Good to know
Tips
- Sourdough discard doesn't need to be freshly fed. Discard from an active starter that's at room temperature works perfectly. If your discard is cold from the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 15–30 minutes before mixing.
- Drizzle the caramel just before air frying so it caramelizes on the dough and glues the pieces together as they bake. If drizzled too far in advance, the caramel may sink to the bottom.
- Air fryers vary in temperature and air circulation. If your monkey bread isn't golden after 14 minutes, add 1–2 more minutes. Watch closely to avoid over-browning.
- For maximum stickiness and pull-apart texture, serve after 2–3 minutes of cooling. For firmer, cleaner pieces, allow 7–10 minutes of cooling.
Make ahead
You can prepare the dough up to 4 hours ahead. After mixing it, wrap tightly and refrigerate. Let it come to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before cutting and coating. You can also coat the pieces up to 2 hours in advance and keep them chilled until ready to air fry—add 2–3 minutes to the cooking time if the pieces are cold.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature (up to 2 hours): Cover loosely with foil or a kitchen towel. Refrigerator (up to 3 days): Store in an airtight container. Reheat in an air fryer at 300°F (150°C) for 3–5 minutes or in a 350°F (175°C) conventional oven for 8–10 minutes. Freezer (up to 1 month): Cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat as above.
Substitutions
- active sourdough discard → ½ cup (120 ml) plain Greek yogurt plus 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract, and reduce baking powder to ½ tsp (2.5 g). The result will be denser but still tender and tangy. Greek yogurt adds moisture and protein.
- vanilla extract → ¾ tsp (3.75 ml) almond extract. Omit vanilla and use almond extract instead. Pairs beautifully with cinnamon and brown sugar for a different but classic flavor.
- packed brown sugar → ½ cup (100 g) white granulated sugar plus 1 tbsp (15 ml) unsulfured molasses, mixed together. This mimics the molasses content of brown sugar and creates a similar caramel flavor.
- unsalted butter → Clarified butter or ghee, same amount. Ghee will brown slightly more in the hot air, but will not burn. It adds a rich, nutty flavor.
