Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch as our family of 6 learns to eat on $6/day. Menu and shopping list up. Also my sister-in-law wanted a record of what we eat each day, so you'll find more on what the whole family eats this month in Jean's Food Journal.

A recipe of my own (or at least an adaptation of my own) has finally worked for me this week. Halleluiah. The only problem is that it's another bread recipe. We will all soon perish of carbohydrate overload. At least we will die happy.

For a yeast bread, this is surprisingly easy and quick to make. It took me only a few minutes to mix and knead while regular loaf breads take me probably twice as long.

It's also infinitely adaptable. Whatever fillings you usually like in cinnamon rolls (apples, chocolate chips, brown sugar, etc.) will work wonderfully in this bread.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread
Adapted from sweet-as-sugar-cookies
Makes 1 loaf
Prep time: 10 minutes
Rise time: 2 hours
Cook time: 30 minutes

1/4 C butter, melted
1/3 C milk
1/4 C warm water
1/4 C sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
2 3/4 C flour

Filling:
1/4 C butter, melted
1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Heat milk and butter in microwave or on the stove until the butter melts (30-45 seconds in the microwave.) Add water (if the milk/butter is very hot, use cooler water; if not, use warm water--you want it to be about 110 degrees when the liquids are all added).

Mix in sugar, then yeast. Add eggs (it's helpful if you've beaten them before you add them). Add vanilla.

Stir in 1 C flour. Then add the second cup. I turned mine out here to knead. If yours needs a little more flour to be firm enough, add a little more flour. Add about 1/2 C flour and knead it in. Your dough will be slightly different than regular bread dough due to the high butter content of the rolls. When it's ready you'll be able to make a nice impression with your hands in the dough and your fingers won't get dough stuck to them when you pull it out. It'll be a nice soft, slightly oily ball of dough.

Put it in a bowl and let it rise till doubled, about an hour.

Once it's risen, pull it out, punch it down and then put it on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about 12x20 inches.

It should end up a few milimeters thick.

Now add your 1/2 C of melted butter and smear it around evenly with your fingertips. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it about evenly. If you'd like add several tablespoons of brown sugar as well. I will not tell your dentist.

Then you're going to cut it into five 12x4 inch strips.

Stack these strips on top of one another.

Mine kind of stretched this time (they didn't last time) I think because I didn't flour my surface and because I let the bread rise too long while I ran errands this morning. I just squished and patched as necessary and all was well. 

Then cut your log of strips into 6 equal chunks.



And place these in a greased 8x5 inch bread pan with the cut sides up.



Let rise till doubled--40 minutes or so. The slices will get nice and cozy and touch all the sides (sorry I forgot this picture--too eager to get mine in the oven I guess.)

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out on a serving platter and frost the top. You can also frost the individual hunks as though your frosting were butter, but I'm not sure I can recommend that in good conscience. I used maple frosting a la pioneer woman, though a cream cheese one would be awesome too, or whatever is your favorite. 

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Need any more inspiration for sweet treats this weekend, check out sweet-as-sugar-cookies Sweets for a Saturday. There are LOTS to choose from. Need inspiration for bread, check out Cupcake Apothecary.