When my sons were very young, they were early risers. This was true on regular days, but on Christmas morning they took the tendency to the extreme. By the time we gathered around the table at 10 a.m. forChristmas Day brunchwith my in-laws, the children had been awake for five-ish hours—and they would be utterly ravenous.
Enter Christmas Bread, which wasn’t a bread exactly, but a biscuit-meets-foccacia tray-baked wonder.
Modestly rich as far as biscuits go, it began as a buttermilk bread. I’d sleepily measure the ingredients the night before, in between wrapping presents and watchingIt’s a Wonderful Life.Then, on the big day, before any gifts—and while my husband kept the boys occupied discussing Santa’scookiehabits—I readied the dough, patted it into a pan, and popped said pan into the oven. By the time the stockings were emptied, the bread was baked, and blocky slices were deployed to stave off hunger pangs.
Upon the arrival of the grandparents, I would rewarm the remaining biscuits, either in the oven or, better yet, split and griddled in a pan, to partner with platters of scrambled eggs and ham.
Although my lads no longer wake at such an ungodly hour, Christmas Bread remains a compulsory tradition, now exclusively served with brunch. Befitting the move to the main event, the bread (biscuits, really) became correspondingly that much more festive, with the addition of sour cream and a boost of butter.
Our standard Christmas Bread is a mottledbiscuit with Gruyėre and spinach, which grants a sense of accomplishment for getting a vegetable into my children before noon. But this is a recipe that begs to be riffed on. A chili-cheese rendition is high on my to-do list, employing charred jalapeños and poblanos and sharp cheddar or melty-gooey Monterey Jack (possibly both), maybe with some crumbled chorizo. For the vegetarians in the family, I’ve bulked the biscuits up with cubes of roasted delicata squash and a handful of feta crumbled across the slab, approaching the assembly much more like a focaccia or pizza. (If following my example, keep the greens in the dough. Aim for a generous cup of cooked squash or other veg and up to the same with grated cheese. For feta or blue cheese, err closer to ¾ cup of crumbles, because they pack a punch.)