Strawberry & Lime Monkey Bread - Sourdough Surprises February

I was really excited about this month's Sourdough Surprises. I made a sourdough monkey bread once before but it was savoury. And while it's written up somewhere, I never got around to posting it. I tried the loaf-style pull-apart bread some time ago too. That flopped. My dough just wasn't enough to fill the pan and it didn't rise much. And so, I actually chickened out of trying that loaf-style one here.

This monkey bread was supposed to be a strawberry lemon one. That is, until I started thinking about evenings spent at Flanigan's and their delicious (and CHEAP!) strawberry daiquiris. And then I thought - well, why not use lime instead? I was nervous - really nervous. Would there be too much lime? Too little?

I need not have worried. It was simply perfect. I finished making this late one night. And I really wanted to wait until morning to take pics. But I realised that there was no guarantee that I would be able to resist grabbing pieces throughout the night. It was best to take the pics right then and if possible, take more in the morning.

Strawberry & Lime Monkey Bread

9 oz sourdough starter, 166% hydration
3 oz water
3 oz sour cream
0.5 oz oil
1 tablespoon sugar
15 oz all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lime zest
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
1/2 cup strawberry preserves


Mix together starter, water, sour cream, oil and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Add flour then mix at medium speed for two minutes then allow to rest for 20 minutes. After resting, add salt and knead for four minutes. Cover the dough and allow to bulk ferment for four to six hours or until doubled.

While dough is resting, rub the lime zest into the cup of granulated sugar and set aside.

When dough has doubled, take a bundt pan and spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of strawberry preserves onto the bottom. Combine the melted butter and lime juice in a small bowl. Pinch off approximately 2 tablespoon-sized pieces of dough and roll into balls. Dip each ball into the melted butter mixture and then roll into the lime zest-sugar. Place each ball into the bundt pan. Top each layer of dough balls with approximately 2 tablespoons of strawberry preserves.

When all the dough balls are in the pan, pour over any remaining  melted butter, sugar and preserves. Cover the bundt with a damp towel and and allow to proof for 2 - 3 hours.

Bake in a preheated 400 F oven for 50 minutes. If the top (later bottom) is browning too quickly, cover with foil. The dough balls at the bottom will take a bit longer to cook. Use a thermometer to check if the bottom balls are at approximately 205 F.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before inverting on a serving platter. The syrup is HOT (and delicious). Be careful.

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