Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Here’s a shocking turn of events: a bread product I think is delicious! This cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread would be great to have at a brunch, as everyone can just wander by and pull off a few slices between grabbing other things. Even better for brunching, you can start the dough the night before.

You start off by basically combining the dry things in one bowl, the wet things in another, putting them together and then stirring in eggs.

Add more flour, and then let the dough rise for an hour.

This is probably a weird thing to say, but this is a nice feeling dough. Not too sticky, not too dry, just a good consistency to work with. Knead in a bit more flour, and then roll the dough out to a roughly 12X20″ rectangle.

Brush it with brown butter and then cover with cinnamon sugar. I already had a thing of cinnamon sugar with tiny bits of chocolate in it leftover from another recipe, so I just bumped that up a bit to fill out the amount required.

Cut the sugared dough into 6 in each direction, or in 6, and then layer your strips and cut the piles in 6 then.

When you're mixing your cinnamon sugar it may seem like a ton, but in the finished product it's definitely not too much.

Stack ’em up!

And then cram them into a greased and floured bread pan.

Tight squeeze...

Let it rise again.

And then bake!

Bam!

It pulls apart!

The original recipe said definitely try to eat it that day, but it’ll keep, tightly wrapped, up to 2 days. I actually thought the texture was a bit nicer the second day, so if you don’t have enough friends over/stomach space to kill it the first day, don’t worry about it!

Adapted from Joy the Baker

For the Dough:

• 2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Filling:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted until browned

In a large mixing bowl whisk together 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Set aside.

Whisk the eggs a bit in a small bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt together milk and butter until the butter has just melted.  Remove from the heat and add water and vanilla extract.  Let mixture stand for a minute or two, or until the mixture registers 115 to 125 degrees F.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula.  Add the eggs and stir the mixture until the eggs are incorporated into the batter. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and stir with the spatula for about 2 minutes.  The mixture will be sticky.

Place the dough is a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Place in a warm space and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  *The dough can be risen until doubled in size, then refrigerated overnight for use in the morning.  If you’re using this method, just let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes before following the roll-out directions below.

While the dough rises, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for the filling.  Set aside.  Melt 2 ounces of butter until browned.  Set aside.  Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch  loaf pan.  Set that aside too.

Deflate the risen dough and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes.  On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out.  The dough should be about 12-inches tall and about 20-inches long.   Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across all of the dough. (I don’t have one right now, but was able to spread it fine with a rubber spatula.)  Sprinkle with all of the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips.  Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices once again.  You’ll have six stacks of six squares.  Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book.  Cover and rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Place loaf in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown.  The top may be lightly browned, but the center may still be raw.  A nice, dark, golden brown will ensure that the center is cooked as well.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.   Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread and invert onto  a clean board.  Place a cake stand or cake plate on top of the  upside down loaf, and carefully invert so it’s right side up.