on pumpkin pull-apart bread...

Tuesdays are by far one of my favorite days! Mainly because it's a day off for me and I mean a real day off! Sebastian goes to preschool for a few hours and I get some time to get things done. No interruptions. No being side tracked. Just me and my list of to do's. Face to face. And ready to party. We all know pumpkin baking was on that very list :) So today I will start out with sharing a recipe that I've been very excited about and a wee bit nervous too. But alas, it turned out sinful! Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread. Ok, time to go put your comfy pants. go. now. 

Oh boy. This sticky & sweet pumpkin bread is simply seductive. Fluffy layered pumpkin dough stuffed with cinnamon, sugar & perfect for a crispy autumn day :) This recipe does require a dough hook on a kitchen aid mixer but I'm sure you can also knead the dough by hand if you don't have one! 

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread Ingredients: 

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup pumpkin puree 

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 envelope)

2 1/2 cup flour

Filling Ingredients: 

1 cup white sugar 

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

First off go ahead and grease your loaf pan and set aside for later. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan. Let it bubble and brown evenly & set aside. Then do the same to milk. I just used the same sauce pan, why dirty others! Let milk heat up and boil & then pour into the same bowl the butter is in. Mix them together. Stir in 1/4 cup white sugar and the 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast into the bowl with butter & milk. Mix and let it sit for a few minutes to settle & cool. Stir in the pumpkin, salt & one cup of flour. At this point put on your dough hook and dump all this in the mixing bowl if it's not already in. I originally just mixed everything in the kitchen aid mixing bowl. Easy peasy. On the lowest setting mix the dough and slowly start adding the rest of the flour--1 1/2 cups. Keep at the lowest speed for about four minutes or until the dough is smooth and bouncy. 
Once done transfer dough into a greased bowl. Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let it sit in a warm area for about one hour. At this time the dough needs to rise double it's size.

While the dough was rising I quickly put together the filling for the pull-apart bread. All you have to do is whisk cinnamon, sugar & nutmeg together in a dish. Take another 2 tablespoons of butter and heat on stove, same way as before. Brown and then set aside for when we brush dough with butter. 

After about an hour and the dough as risen to about twice it's size take it out and place it on a surface that has already been sprinkled down with flour. Knead about 1 tablespoons of flour into the dough to get rid of the stickiness.

Now time to use your rolling pin. The goal is to roll it out to be a 20 inch long and 12 inch wide rectangle. Make sure you are constantly pulling up on the sides to make sure that it isn't sticking to the surface. I had to sprinkle down flour multiply times! I was nervous about this step but it was fairly easy for me. However if you feel like the dough keeps snapping back at you and isn't staying stretched out just place a damp towel over the dough for a few minutes. This will help the process. 

Once you have your rectangle spread the filling on top of the dough. Use all of the cinnamon sugar mixture. I know it seems like a lot but trust me, the more the merrier :) Plus a lot of it falls off... 

Ok, this was my favorite part! Time to cut the dough up. Just use a pizza cutter. Simple. With the long side facing you (like the photo above) cut down the middle making one cut. Then cut two more strips on each side so in the end you have six strips. I was confused when I read the directions for this part so I took photos to make it easier since I wish I had them (and since I'm the best and you love me)! 

 Then stack 'em right on top of each other! This was a bit tough to do. The filling on top tended to just fall off but most of it stayed on and then I just sprinkled the rest right on top. 

Cute zix even pieces once again. Always start down the middle it helps with making each piece equal. 

Next take the bunches of dough and set them in your loaf pan side by side pressing them together so they all fit. 

Damp towel on the loaf pan one last time for another 30-40 minutes in a warm place to let the dough rise again. This time the pieces should rise up the loaf pan a little more. After all you do this set pan in the middle of the oven that has been heated to 350 degrees and bake bread for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. The final product is like so...

 Gooey goodness. Sweet & sticky. Pumpkin & cinnamon. The. Best. Ever. Pull-Apart and have cup of tea while sitting next to the autumn breeze :) Do you love me or do you love me? I wish I can have you all over to pull-apart this gem. But for now you can just gawk at my photos ;)  

♥A.