Mix together the ripe sourdough starter with flour and water. Cover and let sit in a warm, 78 degree F place for about 10-12 hours until bubbly/ripe/doubled in size and has a slight sour aroma. Note: If you already have ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter, you can use that in place of mixing a levain in this recipe. Or if you prefer to make the levain the morning of mixing the dough, mix together 75 grams ripe sourdough starter/75 grams water/75 grams flour and let sit in warm 78-80ºF place for about 3-4 hours before proceeding with the recipe.

Knead the Dough: To the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together ripe levain, whole milk, unsalted butter (melted), sugar, bread flour and salt. Knead for about 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and tacky. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes until smooth and cohesive.

Bulk Fermentation: Remove dough from the mixer, place in a container and cover. Set the dough in a warm place (78 degrees-80 degrees F) for about 4 hours. The dough will puff up and look like it's risen a bit by the end of 4 hours. If you want a more sour flavor in your monkey bread, let the dough ferment another hour or two.

Cold Bulk Fermentation: Place the dough in the refrigerator overnight for a cold bulk fermentation. This dough can stay in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. If you prefer to bake the monkey bread the same day, skip the cold bulk fermentation and move straight to shaping the dough.

Prepare the Pan: Prepare a 10 inch bundt pan by brushing melted butter all over the pan-into every crevice of the bundt pan. I use the melted butter from the topping.

Topping: Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Shaping Monkey Bread: Turn the dough out of the container. It will be cold but as you work with it, it will warm up a bit. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the monkey bread into 8 sections. Cut each section of monkey bread into 6-8 pieces (depending on how large you like the pieces). Roll each piece into a ball shape with your fingers and then dunk into the butter and then the topping mixture. Coat each ball completely in the mixture and place in the bundt pan. Continue until all the balls of dough are covered and the bundt pan is filled up with monkey bread bites. Pour any leftover melted butter/topping over the top of the monkey bread.

Proofing the Dough: Cover and let the monkey bread rest in a warm place for about 3-4 hours. I set my bread proofer to 82 degrees F. If you don't have a bread proofer, use your oven with the light on to monitor the temperature of your dough. After about 3 hours, gently touch a dough ball. It should feel airy and light (no longer cold at all). If you press in on the dough ball it should spring back just a little bit. The dough should have puffed up but won't necessarily rise to fill the bundt pan. If your dough is showing all of these signs, go ahead and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. If it's not showing these signs, let it continue rising for another half hour to hour. If you want more sour flavor, leave the dough to ferment even longer--another hour or two.

Bake: Put the sourdough monkey bread in a preheated 350 degree F oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. The monkey bread will puff up while it bakes and the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture will make a delicious coating all over the monkey bread. Pull the sourdough monkey bread out of the oven and let rest for about 5-10 minutes before turning it out onto a large plate.

Icing: Mix together powdered sugar and whole milk. Drizzle over the top of warm sourdough monkey bread if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!