Twisted Kitchens: Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

I have a thing for bread. It's one of my many weaknesses. I want it. I need it. I love it.

There. I've said it. I love bread. So shoot me. (Ok, please don't. That would be very unpleasant.)

I love baking bread too. Not just eating it. This delightful little recipe I found while I was stumbling. If you don't use Stumble Upon, I highly urge you to do so. But enter at your own risk. For it is addicting. I frequently have to tell myself, Just one more, then TURN IT OFF!

But I digress. Here's the original recipe, here. Go check it out.

Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
adapted by Liz :)
For the dough:

2 3/4 C. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour

1/4 C. sugar

2 1/4 t. (1 envelope) active dry yeast

1/2 t. salt

4 T. unsalted butter

1/3 C. whole milk

1/4 C. water

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 t. vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 c sugar

2 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

4 T melted until browned

To start off, take 2 cups of flour, yeast, salt and 1/4 c. sugar and mix it together in a large bowl. Set this aside. Whisk eggs together, set aside. Heat milk and 4 T. of butter in a sauce pan over medium heat, just until the butter is melted. Add water and vanilla, and set aside for a minute or two, to cool slightly. You should be able to touch it without it being too hot.

Pour mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon.

Now, normally, I would have used my kitchen aid. Cuz I can be lazy that way. And, I just love my kitchen aid. But I felt challenged to do this by hand. So I used my little wooden spoon and my arm muscles and mixed it all up.

Ok, now, add the eggs, and mix. It's going to seem very gloopy and sloppy, and its going to seem like its NEVER going to mix together. Just keep going.

Then add 3/4 C. of flour and keeeeeeeep mixing. It'll all come together, I promise. Stir it all for about two more minutes. It's going to be sticky.

This scared me, I won't lie. When I make bread, I always do the no-no and add just a teeny bit more flour than I'm supposed to, because the thought of a sticky goopy mess is not a good one. But, I left it in its stickiness. I did. Honest.

Then put it in a large, greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let it sit in a warm draft free place for about an hour, or until doubled. I recommend the microwave.

I'm going to insert here...Sarah...those bowls we bought at TJs? This purple one is my favorite. :D

During this time, while you're waiting, go ahead and grease your loaf pan, and lightly flour it. Mix together the sugar/cinnamon/nutmeg and set it aside, and also, go ahead and brown your butter. If you don't know how to do this, don't feel bad, I didn't either. But here's some instructions for ya!

After the dough has doubled, you're going to knead in the remaining 2 T. of flour. Then cover with a dish towel (clean, please) and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Lightly flour your surface and grab your rolling pin. Do not threaten your husband with it. Oh, wait, you don't do that? Never mind then.

Roll out the dough. The original recipe calls for 12" by 20", but, for ease and simplicity, I just rolled it out to the size of my cutting board. And I couldn't find a ruler.

Spread on that browned butter.

Then top it with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Use it all. All of it, I tell you!

Once it has been sugared and cinnamoned, slice it into 6 equal strips. I used a pizza cutter, because it seemed like it would be easier.

Then take those six strips, and stack them, one on top of another.

Then, using a knife, cut those strips into 6 squares.

Take these stacked squares and lay them in your greased and floured loaf pan. My loaf pan is a little larger than normal, so I had to sort of stagger them so it wouldn't be all empty on the sides.