I recently remembered eating my mom's pull-aparts. She would take a few rolls of those cheap refrigerator biscuits, pop them open - that was my favorite part. She dipped the dough circles in a mixture of melted butter and orange juice concentrate and "snug them up" in a bundt pan. She'd bake them until the house smelled warm and citrus fresh, then invert the hot pan onto a plate. We were supposed to wait until the stuff was cool, but we couldn't wait. Waiting for food when it is right in front of you is hard for a hungry child! We'd burn our fingers a little bit, pulling apart the gooey rolls. Then we'd burn our mouths a little bit by eating them when they were still oven-hot.
But they were so good and sweet, in spite of the chemically taste of the refrigerator rolls. Hot sweet breads are the best, aren't they?
So this week I made my own, with bits of dough dipped in a butter-orange juice mixture. I didn't have my mother's recipe so I just made it up as I went. I wasn't sure exactly - until they came out of the oven and I saw my own children clamoring to pull apart bits of sticky sweetbread. It was a hit.
After that, I branched out and tried a savory version. I took a round loaf of bread and cut the top in a cross-hatch pattern, but not quite all the way through. Kind of like slices one way and then slices the other way, too. It ended up looking like a bloomin' onion. I melted butter and mixed in garlic salt and other spices and drizzled it over the bread, making sure to get it in every cut. Then I covered it with grated cheese, again getting some in all the cuts. I covered it in foil, baked until the cheese was melted, and stepped back as it disappeared with all my boys around.
It was gone so fast I had to whip up another version with barbecue sauce and mozzarella cheese. It
was gone nearly as quickly.
It's good to have good food to feed my family.And I got to remember my mother for a few minutes. Thanks for loving us, Mom. Thanks for teaching me how to love.
But they were so good and sweet, in spite of the chemically taste of the refrigerator rolls. Hot sweet breads are the best, aren't they?
So this week I made my own, with bits of dough dipped in a butter-orange juice mixture. I didn't have my mother's recipe so I just made it up as I went. I wasn't sure exactly - until they came out of the oven and I saw my own children clamoring to pull apart bits of sticky sweetbread. It was a hit.
After that, I branched out and tried a savory version. I took a round loaf of bread and cut the top in a cross-hatch pattern, but not quite all the way through. Kind of like slices one way and then slices the other way, too. It ended up looking like a bloomin' onion. I melted butter and mixed in garlic salt and other spices and drizzled it over the bread, making sure to get it in every cut. Then I covered it with grated cheese, again getting some in all the cuts. I covered it in foil, baked until the cheese was melted, and stepped back as it disappeared with all my boys around.
It was gone so fast I had to whip up another version with barbecue sauce and mozzarella cheese. It
was gone nearly as quickly.
It's good to have good food to feed my family.And I got to remember my mother for a few minutes. Thanks for loving us, Mom. Thanks for teaching me how to love.
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