Savory Monkey Bread

The generally accepted origin of the term "Monkey Bread" is that it was so-named because it is eaten with your hands, the way a monkey would.  This explanation inspires incredulity because what bread exactly isn't eaten with one's hands?  Some say it came from a pejorative Southern expression "monkey food," which strikes me as asinine and wholly untrue but believable if one thinks everyone in the South is racist. Allegedly, the dish originated from 19th century Hungarian immigrants who called it arany galuska, meaning "golden dumpling" which doesn't sound anything like "monkey bread."

There is, in fact, a gourd from the baobab tree that grows in areas of Africa, Madagascar and Australia that is sometimes called Monkey Bread but no one seems able to make a logical leap from a gourd grown on the other side of the globe to 1950s American cookbooks in which recipes for this sweet coffeecake seemed to have flourished.  It was popularized in the 1980s when Nancy Reagan made it a staple White House holiday treat.  And that's the thing; Monkey Bread is generally considered sweet.

To be sure, there are any number of savory versions of this recipe on the Internet, most of which seem overly complicated.  I took the recipe preparation of a sweet version from the Taste of Home website and simply substituted its sweet ingredients with savory ones to create my interpretation of Monkey Bread.  It made a fun addition to a steak-bites dinner served family style.

Ingredients
2 tubes (16.3 oz each, eight count) Pillsbury Grands Buttermilk Biscuits
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp dried marjoram
2 tbsp ground rosemary
2 tbsp dried thyme leaves
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (like, Kraft Green Can)
2 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 cup butter (one stick), melted
non-stick butter flavored spray (like, Pam Butter Flavor)

The Recipe
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the onion powder, marjoram, rosemary and thyme.  Use a whisk to thoroughly mix and evenly distribute the seasonings.

Spray a 9" to 10" Bundt cake pan liberally with the butter flavored spray.  Sprinkle half the shredded cheddar cheese along the bottom of the pan.  This will end up on the top of your Monkey Bread once it's baked and turned over.

Cut each buttermilk biscuit into quarters and using the palms of your hands, shape into balls. Put your seasoning mixture on a paper plate for easier rolling, then roll each biscuit ball in the seasoning mixture to thoroughly coat.  Arrange them evenly in the Bundt cake pan. 

When you're half way through filling the Bundt pan, sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the tops of the biscuit balls, then continue.

Discard any remaining unused seasonings.  You may be tempted to just sprinkle the remaining seasonings on top of the monkey bread but it will end up making a big mess when you turn over the Bundt pan to remove the bread.

Combine the melted butter with the garlic powder, Parmesan cheese and parsley; pour over the top. 

Place the Bundt cake pan in the oven on a baking sheet.  Bake until the bread is golden brown and cooked through, about 40 - 45 minutes.  Wait five minutes before turning the Bundt pan over onto a serving plate.  Serve while the bread is still warm.