It is always difficult to come up with new and interesting recipes for yontif meals, especially for break the fast when family and friends need to be fed NOW! This year make something absolutely delicious and perfect for grabbing and popping into your mouth just as soon as the 26 hours are up. Consider making monkey bread.
Monkey bread (AKA bubble bread) is a truly American dish that first showed up in women’s magazines and cookbooks in the early 1950s. The bread is comprised of yeast dough rolled into balls (frozen bread dough is most often used) baked in a cake pan (bundt pan) after being coated in butter, cinnamon, sugar, chopped nuts and various other kinds of “stuff.” It’s typically a dairy dish and best eaten warm with everyone grabbing at it with their fingers sort of like monkeys grabbing coconuts, hence the name monkey bread.
The following recipe can be tweaked to utilize whatever coating and toppings you prefer. Monkey bread can be made a day ahead and heated just before serving.
RHODES BUTTERSCOTH BUBBLE BREAD (dairy)
24 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
1⁄2 box butterscotch or vanilla pudding mix, non-instant
1⁄2 cup pecans, chopped
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
1⁄2 cup butter or margarine
Preparation: Grease a bundt pan very well. Place the pudding mix in a shallow bowl. Cut the rolls in half and then roll them in the dry pudding mix. Place half the rolls in the bottom of the greased bundt pan, alternately with pecans. Repeat with the remaining rolls and nuts. Sprinkle the remaining pudding mix over the top and set it aside.
In a microwave bowl combine the brown sugar and butter. Microwave until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture evenly over the top of the coated rolls. Let the dough rise until double in size or the dough is even with the top of the pan. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cover the top with foil and then cook for another 15 minutes. Check to see if the top is golden. If not, cook an additional 5 to 10 minutes without the foil. Remove from the oven immediately after baking. Cool for 5 minutes, using a knife loosen the bread from the sides of the pan and invert the bread onto a serving plate. Serves 8 to 10
Modified from my files from a Rhodes recipe.
