Cinnamon & Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

I saw this on pinterest a while back and had to try it! I had to go get a rolling pin first though, which I finally did last night at IKEA. By the way, if you haven't been there yet, you need to. It is my new favorite store by far! They have everything there, my sister and I didn't want to leave.

Anyways, I was about to start the bread when I discovered that my water heater is leaking and apparently has been for several days. The carpet in our downstairs hallway is soaked! I have some towels on it and several fans blowing on it. Hopefully that helps and we've got someone coming Monday to fix it. What a week! First my car dies (easy fix though, luckily I only need a new battery) and now the water heater! I definitely need a special treat to end this week on a high note.

But the story continues. I finished the bread and it looked amazing. It was perfect but I wanted the sugar on top to melt a little so I turned off the timer and put it on broil. Bad idea. I was making dinner at the time and forgot all about the bread until I saw smoke coming out of the burners. I had burned the entire top of the bread. Smoke filled the house and all the fire alarms were going off. I almost started crying but was more mad than anything. So instead of accepting defeat, I quickly started another batch and ta-da! Victory! Perfection! And it tastes just as good as it looks. What began as trying a recipe to have a good dessert turned into a battle and I was determined to succeed and I did.

So now that you know all that, here is the recipe and this is the blog that I got it from (on the blog there are pictures for every step if that helps):
http://iheartfoodandsocanyou.blogspot.com/2011/11/cinnamon-sugar-pull-apart-bread.html

Dough:
2 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup water
2 eggs (@ room temperature)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
4 Tbsp. butter, melted until browned

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Put aside.
2. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and milk. Once the butter is completely melted take it off the burner and and the water and vanilla. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
3. Pour the milk mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well. Whisk together the eggs and add to the batter. Keep mixing. Add 3/4 cup of flour and mix well. The dough will be very sticky which means it's perfect.
4. Place the dough in a medium greased bowl. Cover with wrap and let it sit in a warm place to rise for 30-45 minutes.
5. Once the dough has doubled in size, knead in 2 Tbsp. of flour. Cover the dough for another 5-10 minutes.
6. While the dough is rising you can start the filling. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside. Brown the butter in a small saucepan about 5-8 minutes. Once browned, take of the heat and set aside.
7. When the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface into a rectangle. Brush it with the butter and add the sugar mixture. Cover everything.
8. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into six equal strips lengthwise. Stack the strips on top of each other and cut into six equal squares.
   
9. Place square side by side in a bread pan and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover the dough for another 10-15 minutes to rise more.
10. Bake for 30-35 minutes. (Put a small pan on the oven shelf under the bread because the sugar may start to boil over.) When it's done the outside of the bread will be a dark golden brown. It's best served warm.
    

There you go! It is kind of a process but totally worth it. The smell of it cooking is so fantastic and it tastes amazing too. Good luck in all your cooking ventures and I wish you much success and many victories!