Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread: July BOM

This bread is “da bom!”  I’m so glad that Phyl (of Cabbages and King Cakes) chose this Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread as the BOM (Bread of the Month) for July for the Facebook Artisan Bread Bakers Group. I mean what’s not to love about this bread?  It tastes like cinnamon toast, but it’s sticky and gooey like monkey bread.

I haven’t had the chance to bake with the Artisan Bread Bakers in a while, but when I saw this bread on the menu, I knew I had to find the time. I had fun making it and even more fun eating it. It’s yummy, sticky and gooey…a great combination!

 

Tracey’s Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

The recipe for this bread is from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures. You can find her version here.  Thanks for the treat Tracey!

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting if needed)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

Filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I added a little more to make it more cinnamon-y)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I used ground nutmeg)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

 

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt.

Add the butter and milk to a small saucepan and heat just until the butter is completely melted.

Turn off the heat and add the water and vanilla to the pan. Let the mixture cool until it registers about 115-120 F on an instant read thermometer.

Add the eggs to the mixer bowl and turn the mixer to low. Slowly stream the milk mixture down the side of the mixer bowl. Continue beating until the dough comes together. It will probably be quite sticky – add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue kneading on low speed until the dough clears the sides of the bowl (it will stick to the bottom). The dough should be tacky, but not so sticky that you can’t handle it.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly then shape the dough into a ball.

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray then add the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the filling by whisking the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a small bowl.

Add the butter to a small saucepan and melt over medium-low heat until it is brown and smells nutty – be patient, it may take a few minutes. Set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press to deflate then cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

Roll the dough into a rectangle about 12×20 inches (the dough will be quite thin).

Brush the dough with the browned butter then sprinkle it evenly with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. It’s a lot of sugar.  I tried to use it all, but I ended up saving some for cinnamon toast.

Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough rectangle vertically into six equal strips.

I cut my strips horizontally instead of vertically so the pieces were really long.  I compensated for this on the next step.

Stack the strips on top of one another and again cut into six equal stacks.

Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray. Layer the dough squares on top of one another and transfer to the prepared pan. Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise for 30-45 minutes, or until the dough is puffy, but not necessarily doubled in size.

 
Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake the loaf for about 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. If the top starts to brown too much, you can tent it with aluminum foil; don’t be tempted to pull the bread too early or the center may still be raw. (I used an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature.)

I should’ve tented my loaf like the instructions suggested.  It got a little bit too browned on the outside edges. That was a little bit disappointing but all was not lost.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 20 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread then carefully turn it out of the pan. Serve warm. 

I discarded the outside piece since it was too browned. The rest of the loaf was fine. It tastes great warm, but we also enjoyed it room temperature a couple of days later and it tasted great.

The only problem I had with this bread was refraining from eating the whole loaf myself.  I solved that problem by only eating a couple of slices and giving the rest away.  My BF was planning a camping trip this weekend with a little buddy of his so I sent this Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread with them for breakfast.

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy