We have great neighbours—the kind that bring food when new babies are born and carry in groceries when ankles are sprained.
The holiday season provides us with the perfect chance to show our gratitude.
This year, we decided to share our sillier side with warm loaves of Monkey Bread. Besides, I had something pinned to my Pinterest board that I just HAD TO TRY.
It was an ambitious project for a non-baker and no one was more impressed by the warm and gooey goodness that came from my oven than me.
Honestly, this is the first time I've ever kneaded dough or waited for something to rise. I was surprised by the amount of oopmh it took to knead, finger, and scrape this ball of not-too-sticky stuff.
Next came the rolling, cutting, dipping and coating of the tiny timbit-like pieces of dough.
The bread looked great before it even made it into the oven. The recipe recommended using disposable loaf pans, which allowed me to cook all four loaves at once and deliver them to four different homes.
The final step was the drizzling of the icing and after 10 minutes of cooling, I was ready to start wrapping.
Cue: Pinterest. I saw this delightful idea and knew it had to be mine. I *might* have been a bit snippy with the kids when they tried to get their cinnamon-covered fingers involved (sorry, guys), but the final product was well worth the effort.
After posting some photos, I had a few friends ask for: a) the recipe; b) to be added to my list of neighbours. In fact, one of my neighbours sent feedback within hours of receiving her loaf:
My friend, Karma, let me know about her version of the recipe, which she baked in a lovely bunt pan. If you're looking for a great-looking centrepiece for your Christmas breakfast, check it out.
So put the coffee on, sit down with family and friends, and go ahead and stuff your sweet little faces.
Merry Christmas!