Garlic Bubble Loaf

October. Ava is three weeks old and already running the household with the tyrannical efficiency of someone who has no concept of time and absolute power over everyone in a thirty-foot radius. She eats every two hours. She sleeps in forty-five-minute increments. She has a cry that starts at a whimper and escalates to a sound that could peel paint off a wall. She is magnificent.

I've settled into a routine: mornings at Emma's (7 AM to noon — I hold Ava while Emma showers, eats, and does the human maintenance that new mothers forget to do), afternoons at work (consultations, deliveries, the restaurant supply grind), evenings cooking (making the next batch of freezer meals, my own dinner, and whatever Mai needs). The schedule is busy. I am fifty-nine years old and I have more energy than I've had in a decade. Ava gave me that. Purpose gives you energy that sleep alone never can.

Tyler came down from Midland to meet his niece. He held Ava with the careful, terrified hands of a man who has held zero babies in his life and is convinced he will break this one. I told him, "Support the head. She's not a football." He said, "She's smaller than a football." I said, "Exactly. Be gentler." He relaxed after a few minutes. Ava fell asleep on his forearm. He looked down at her and said, "She's so small." I said, "You were that small once." He said, "No I wasn't." I said, "You were. I have photos." He didn't believe me. I showed him. He stared at the photo of himself as a newborn and said, "Huh." Eloquent as always.

Made a big pot of sup măng cua — asparagus and crab soup — which is a Vietnamese party dish that sounds fancy but is actually quite simple: crab meat, white asparagus, egg drop ribbons in a savory broth thickened with tapioca starch. It's silky, warming, and light enough for a woman who just had a baby and heavy enough for a man who just held one for the first time. I brought it to Emma's and we all ate together — Emma, Daniel, Tyler, Ava sleeping in the bassinet. A family dinner. The first one with Ava in the room. The first of a thousand.

The sup măng cua was the star, but no pot of soup is complete without something to soak up the last of the broth — and this garlic bubble loaf was exactly that. I’ve made it a dozen times as a side for soups and stews because it travels well, reheats beautifully, and disappears fast when there’s a table full of people who haven’t eaten a real sit-down meal together in months. Tyler ate three pieces before the soup bowls were even cleared. I didn’t say a word.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb frozen bread dough, thawed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray.
Make the garlic butter. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, minced garlic, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir well and set aside.
Portion the dough. On a lightly floured surface, divide the thawed bread dough into roughly 24 equal pieces, each about the size of a golf ball.
Coat the dough balls. Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball, then dip it into the garlic butter mixture, turning to coat all sides.
Layer the pan. Arrange the coated dough balls in the prepared loaf pan in two layers, staggering them as you go. Drizzle any remaining garlic butter over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Rise. Cover the pan loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot for 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly puffed.
Bake. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil during the last 10 minutes.
Cool and serve. Let the loaf rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack or serve directly from the pan. Pull apart and serve warm alongside soup or stew.

Nutrition (per serving)

Garlic Bubble Loaf — The Bread That Finished Off the Bowl