you would think there would atleast be some bananas involved.

i just got over a terrifying presentation at work.  it probably wouldn’t be terrifying to any normal person, but for some reason i cannot handle performing in front of a crowd in any capacity.  (it was quite the trick that i survived 10 years of chorus performances.)  and now that i have checked myself over and determined that yes, indeed, my heart is still beating and i am not a puddle of goo on the floor, i realized what better way to utilize this high from public speaking survivalthan to post about one of my latest baking adventures?  thank all that is mighty that it is my lunch break,  (as i would never ever consider blogging while not on a lunch break.) as now i have the opportunity to regale you all with my tales.

so what we have here is monkey bread.  i was pretty confused as to why it is called monkey bread, because it doesn’t really have any monkey-like qualities.  it doesn’t have a tail.  it doesn’t swing from trees.  it isn’t particularly mischievous.  you would at least think there would be bananas involved.  but nope- it is pretty much just a bunch of blobs of dough rolled around in cinnamon sugar and squished into a cake pan.  melted butter on top.  sprinkled brown sugar. baked all together.  ooo shiver.  yum.  alright. we need to focus here. the point is that it is very un-monkey-like, and this concerns me.

i did some research so that i would be able to sleep easier at night.  according to wikipedia, it is also known as hungarian coffee cake and bubbleloaf, the latter of which i personally approve of.  this bread thingamajig seems much more bubbly, than monkey…ey.  other fun fact: it first appeared in american women’s magazines in the 1950’s. 

this particular recipe is so easy your average 12-year-old could make it.  literally.  this recipe is from my little brother’s 6th grade home-ec class, which actually also coincidentallywas the class my across-the-street neighbor growing up taught.  so this is her recipe.  and for the sake of keeping in theme with the rest of my nick/code names for my friends, we will call her mrs. r.  i wanted to make this recipe for two reasons: 1. mrs. r designed and embroidered a very pretty achy bakey themed apron at my mother’s bidding for my birthday, so i wanted to make something that i learned from her as a thanks, and 2. it was my birthday a week ago (hence the apron) and my former roommate made me his own version of monkey bread for my birthday last year, so it seemed appropriate.  the monkey bread was calling to me. or making whatever sound monkeys make to me.

first let’s ogle the cute apron design:

that would be a baking fairy havin’ a grand ole’ time in a measuring cup. love it. very country home and garden, which i like to pretend i am a part of.

now on to the monkey bread:

what you’ll need: 1 can buttermilk biscuits (she says 10 count can, but i could only find 8 count at the store), 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 tbls margarine/butter

the directions are written so cute and 6th gradery, i am going to reproduce it like she wrote it:

preheat- oven to 350 degrees f.

grease – a round cake pan.

(here i am a grease monkey. har har har.)

cut– biscuits into quarters. i cut them into 8ths to make it seem like i had more, since stop & shop refused to give me 2 more biscuits in my can.  i would probably cut them even smaller next time.

mix– granulated sugar and cinnamon in a medium sized mixing bowl.

(also, let’s ogle this seriously adorable polka-dotted mixing bowl! i love birthdays! i love m who gave it to me!)

toss– biscuit quarters (8ths) in cinnamon/sugar mixture a few at a time, coating them well.

put– coated biscuits in greased cake pan.

sprinkle– with brown sugar.

melt– margarine/butter in microwave.

pour– melted margarine/butter on top of biscuits.

bake– for 15-20 minutes.

let rest– 2/3 minutes before removing from pan.

the verdict: so yummy, and yet so dangerous.  i ate half of this before realizing that i had pretty much just eaten the equivalent of 4 buttermilk biscuits.. covered in sugar…  yikes.  but hey, it was for my birthday. so no judgements!