Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread
Ingredients:
- flour - 2 3/4 cups plus 2 T
- sugar - 1/4 cup
- active dry yeast - 2 1/4 t OR 1 packet
- salt - 1/2 t
- butter - 4 T
- whole milk - 1/3 cup
- water - 1/4 cup
- eggs, room temperature - 2
- vanilla extract - 1 t
- sugar - 1 cup
- cinnamon - 2 t
- nutmeg - 1/4 t
- butter, melted - 4 T
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt; set aside. In a saucepan, melt butter and milk. When butter is completely melted, remove from stove, add water and vanilla. Cool for 5 minutes. Pour milk mixture over the dry ingredients; mix well. Whisk eggs and add to the batter. Keep mixing. Add 3/4 cup flour; mix well. (Mixture will be very sticky which means it's perfect.) Place dough in a medium greased bowl. Cover and sit it in a warm place to rise for about 30 - 45 minutes until doubled in size, knead in 2 T flour. Cover dough again for 5 - 10 minutes.
Prepare filling -- in a bowl, mix together 1 cup sugar, 2 t cinnamon and 1/4 t nutmeg; set aside.
When dough is ready, working on a floured work surface, roll dough to approx. 12 x 20 inches. Brush 4 T melted butter over the dough, sprinkle sugar mixture over butter. (Making sure everything is covered.) Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into equal sized strips (about 2 - 2 1/2 inches wide). Then cut the strips into equal sized squares. Stack the squares on top of each other to make 3 to 4 piles. (Bread will come out prettier if the stacked squares are not perfectly aligned.) Stand a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan up on the short side. Place the stacks of dough in the pan. Sprinkle any leftover cinnamon mixture over dough. Cover dough, let rise for another 10 - 15 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 - 35 minutes until outside of bread is golden brown. Remove from oven, let rest for 20 - 30 minutes. For easy removal, run a butter knife around the edge of the pan, to remove, bread invert pan, set loaf right side up to cool, on cooling rack.
