Bread that you tear off with your hands? Love it! It's fun. It's interesting. And perhaps, best of all? It's a delicious experience. There's no doubt that lots of people love the idea of Monkey Bread, but did you know that Monkey Bread isn't always sweet? It can be savory too—just like Nancy Reagan's semi-famous loaf. (It can also be chocolate-y, pizza-licious, and pretzel-like; we've got tons of different Monkey Bread versions.)

This version of Monkey Bread has a crispy crust that's infused with parmesan and garlic. The soft and fluffy interior is a perfect counterpart with its airy goodness. There's so much flavor in this bread that you won't need any butter ... unless you want it.

One thing I've noticed about traditional Monkey Bread recipes is that they yield huge loaves that couldn't possibility be consumed by small groups, so I set out to make this one a more manageable size. It yields enough to serve eight people. And leftovers? They're fab.

Ingredients

• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 2 ½ cups bread flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup butter, melted

• ½ cup grated parmesan
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• bundt pan

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the water and yeast. Set aside. It should bubble and dissolve

2. 

   Sift together the flour and salt in a large bowl

3. 

   Add the olive oil and the yeast/water mixture to the flour mixture. Stir to combine (the mixture will be crumbly)

4. 

   Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Knead for 4 - 5 minutes with clean floured hands, until the dough gets smoother (it will be very sticky)

5. Place the dough into a large lightly greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and set in a warm (not hot!) place to rise for one hour

6. After an hour, remove the towel and punch down the dough. Knead lightly for two minutes

7. Form the dough into a roughly 1 foot log (if it's easier, you can also form it into 2 - 3 smaller logs). Cut the dough into 1" pieces

8. Place the melted butter into one bowl. In a second bowl, add the parmesan, garlic powder, basil, and salt. Stir together

9. Spray a bundt pan lightly with cooking oil spray

10. 

    Dip the dough pieces alternatively into the butter and then into the cheese mixture. Arrange the pieces in the bundt pan

11. Repeat until all of the dough is used

12. Cover the bundt pan with a towel and set in a warm place. Allow to rise for one hour

13. Cover the bundt pan with a towel and set in a warm place. Allow to rise for one hour

14. 

    After an hour, remove the towel from the bundt pan. Slide the pan into the oven and cook for 40 - 50 minutes, until golden brown

15. 

    Let the bread cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then, invert onto a plate. Serve immediately

Tips

This develops a tasty crust, but it can be hard to get the first piece out. If that happens, loosen the bread slightly with your hands before serving.