Praline Pull-Apart Bread

I love Christmas, especially Christmas morning waking up to the smell of my mom's cooking. Now, I know we all think our moms' cooking is the best, but my mom's is really the best. The Kimbermama, as we call her, had her own catering business for pretty much my entire childhood. And the woman can cook. And bake. And do pretty much anything else in the kitchen with flair and expertise.


Last Christmas was quite tragic, though. Mostly because my mom broke her ankle on Christmas Eve and we spent Christmas morning in the emergency room getting her checked out and crutched-up. But possibly even more tragic for my family was the fact that they had to live with the food my sister, Katie, and I were able to throw together. My mom had planned on making this glorified monkey bread for breakfast, and so, with her instruction, Katie and I whipped it up.


Needless to say, it turned out great. And I've now made it a couple times when guests were in town and I wanted something tasty to fill their tummies. Jen recently made it, too, for her family when they were all in town, and I hear it was a total success. So here's a delicious breakfast recipe that you can prepare the night before, throw in the oven when you wake up...and enjoy. It's finger-lickin' good.


Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon
3 lb. package frozen white dinner rolls (I use the Rhodes brand)
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar


Directions
The night before:
1. Grease a 10" tube pan (I use Pam Baking Spray).
2. Sprinkle chopped pecans in bottom of tube pan. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, stir together sugar and 3 tsp. cinnamon.
4. In another small bowl, melt the butter.

5. Coat each roll in butter and then dredge in cinnamon/sugar mixture.

6. Arrange rolls in the tube pan in layers so they are tightly packed.

7. Cover with aluminum foil and chill in refrigerator 8 to 18 hours (overnight).

The morning of:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat whipping cream at high speed with electric (or hand-) mixer until soft peaks form.
3. Gently stir in the brown sugar and remaining tsp. of cinnamon.
4. Pour the whip cream mixture over the rolls in the tube pan.

5. Place pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I really wouldn't consider skipping the parchment paper - the pan will ooze and create a sticky mess. The parchment paper makes clean-up a breeze).
6. Bake for 1 hour until golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto a large serving plate, being sure to drizzle any remaining glaze in the pan over the rolls.

And as my Kimbermama says...enjoy!

(Before the Christmas Eve ankle fiasco)