Holiday Monkey Bread

For dough, warm milk in a saucepan over low heat, or in the microwave, to no higher than 105 degrees F (40 degrees C). Pour warm milk into the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle in yeast; let stand 15 to 20 minutes.

Combine sugar, egg, melted butter, flour, and salt, and knead in the bowl of a stand mixer. Knead with the dough hook attachment on low speed until a soft, smooth, elastic dough forms, about 10 minutes. Add walnuts and cranberries, and knead until evenly distributed, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Cover bowl and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, for cinnamon sugar, stir sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl; set aside.

Butter a Bundt pan generously; set aside. Butter a work surface, and set dough on top. Press and stretch dough into a 15x15-inch square; brush generously with melted butter.

Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 64 squares. Roll each piece into a ball, and then roll in cinnamon sugar. Transfer dough balls into the greased Bundt pan, without pressing them together.

Cover and let proof for about 35 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Meanwhile, for sugar syrup, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar, and wait for the mixture to just start to bubble slightly, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and whisk in orange zest. Continue to whisk until a smooth caramel-like sauce forms. Pour sauce over top of dough balls, coating evenly. 

Bake in the preheated oven until a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. To be safe, place a sheet pan on the rack below the Bundt pan in the oven to catch any dripping syrup. Let monkey bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes; turn out onto a plate. Let cool to just warm before serving.