Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread

So, I saw this recipe on Pinterest weeks ago, and thought it would be perfect for a Christmas morning breakfast, but I wanted to give it a dry run before then.   I knew I would swap out the regular sugar/cinnamon mixture in the recipe for the sugar/cinnamon mixture that Cinnabon uses– brown sugar and cinnamon, which I really prefer in things like cinnamon rolls/bread and this is pretty much what this is.

This is a delicious, yeast bread covered in butter, cinnamon and sugar, and it pulls apart like monkey bread but is so much prettier and more elegant looking than monkey bread.  Of course, it’s a lot more work too. 

I couldn’t find the dough hook on my Kitchenaid mixer (I can only assume my toddler has stuck it in some odd place) so I used my paddle attachment for the initial mixing and then I did the kneading by hand.  The 5 minutes of kneading is the only real work involved, the rest of it is just patience and time.

I will definitely be making this again and again.  Not only did I love it, but it was a hit with my husband and daughter as well.

Recipe adapted from Smells Like Home:

Step by step photo directions on Annie’s Eats

Ingreients:

For the Dough:

2¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
¼ cup granulated sugar
2¼ tsp highly active/instant yeast
½ tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk (I used half and half)
¼ cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs

For the Filling:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:
Combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Combine the butter and milk in a small saucepan and heat just until the butter is melted. Set aside and let cool briefly, until the mixture registers 115-125˚ F on an instant-read thermometer. Add the milk mixture, water, vanilla and eggs to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until a cohesive dough forms. Continue to knead until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour as needed 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is tacky but not sticky. Knead about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. (After the dough has doubled, it can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before proceeding.)

While the dough rises, add the butter to a small saucepan and melt until browned. Set aside. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix well.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate. Roll the dough into a ball, cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

Roll the dough out into an approximately 12 x 20-inch rectangle then brush the dough with the browned butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the dough in an even layer. (Don’t skimp here – use all of the mixture because you’ll lose a little as you move through the next couple of steps.)

Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Slice the dough vertically into 6 even strips. Stack the strips on top of each other and again cut again into 6 equal slices. Stack all the squares on top of each other and set into the prepared loaf pan. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place, 30-45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Transfer the loaf to the oven and bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown. (If the top seems to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil at the end of baking.) Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan 20-30 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen and carefully turn the loaf out, transferring to a serving plate. Serve warm.