Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread

Hi Y'all!

 

Can you feel it? Can you smell it?

 

 Supposedly fall is here.. And by here, I mean every where but the great state of Texas! Yeah sure, it's not 100 degrees outside anymore, but there are no pretty leaves falling. If anything the trees are looking greener, the grass is still growing and even the garden started growing again!

 

So I ask again. Can you feel the cool crisp bite in the air that signifies fall being here? Can you smell the changing weather in the air? This is my favorite time of year, and It feels like spring here!

 

My solution?

 Make my home smell like fall! That means lots of baking with pumpkin!

 

I have decided to try again with my pumpkin challenge.

 Last year I challenged myself to try and bake only pumpkin items through out the month of October.

 

 Ha!

 

 I did not get very far with that..

So, this year, I'm going to try and just do one pumpkin recipe a week, and still do other stuff.

 I think I will be able to see this challenge through better than last years. (we'll see about that..)

 

To start with, I have this yummy, amazingly wonderful, cinnamon sugar pumpkin pull apart bread.

 

When I say its amazingly wonderful, I mean its OMG  this is so freaking amazing! This bread did not survive the afternoon, it almost didn't survive the photo shoot..

 

You have to go make this NOW! Go on..

 

 

 

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Pull-a-part Bread:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Buttered Rum Glaze:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp rum

In a saucepan, brown 2 tablespoons of butter over med-high heat, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown. Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through. Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer and allow to cool.

Once it has reached a warm temperature, add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar. Allow to proof, this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy. Then add the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Using your dough hook attachment, stir until combined, then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well. Making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9×5 loaf  pan or a bunt pan and set aside.

When the dough is done rising, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle. The recipe I followed said to roll it into a 20x12 rectangle... I’m pretty sure mine was not 20x12, so don’t worry about that part… Just as long as it’s in a good sized rectangle, all is good!

Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Then cut those strips into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. If you are using a bunt pan, I just stuck the pieces in there all willy nilly like, and loved how my bread turned out...

 

 

See? All willy nilly like!

Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes and pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is a very deep golden brown.To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and powdered sugar. While your bread is still warm, drizzle the glaze over the top of it.

 

Eat and Enjoy!