Exuding Deliciousness

A few days ago I pinned a recipe that I could not stop thinking about. I am a sucker for anything cinnamon-sugar; be it toast, snickerdoodles, doughnuts, churros, monkey bread... you name it, I'm there. It is such a delicious combination.

The recipe I pinned is called Cinnamon and Sugar Pull-Apart Bread. I keep calling it Cinnamon-Sugar Pull Apart Bread. Whatever. A rose by any other name...

Anyway, it is from this blog here. She has snazzy pictures that are fun to look at if you prefer that while you are baking. :)

So yesterday afternoon I was sitting in our bed (it was Sunday. It was allowed.) thinking about this bread. I knew I had everything for it so the only thing I had left to do was make it. So I did!

I think it took about... 2 hours-ish start to finish. I really don't know though, I didn't time it. At the end of the process this is the beauty that I pulled out of the oven:

It reminded me of Monkey Bread, only not as syrupy or sweet. Not that this isn't sweet...

The only modification I made to the recipe was to use Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk in place of the whole milk. 

Ryan and I proceeded to eat a lot of it, which led to fruit smoothies for dinner. If you love cinnamon-sugar flavored things as much as I do, you will love this bread. It was easier to make than it looks. If you find yourself confused on any of the steps, I recommend checking out the pictures on the blog with the original recipe. Enjoy!

Cinnamon and Sugar Pull-Apart Bread
recipe from www.foodsnots.com

Dough
2 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup whole milk (I used Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk)
1/4 cup water
2 eggs (at room temperature) - if you don't want to wait for your eggs to come to room temperature, simply place them in a bowl with lukewarm water and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

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

In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Set aside.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and milk. Once the butter is completely melted take off the burner and add the water and vanilla. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.

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 mixture will be very sticky which means it's perfect. Place the dough in a medium greased bowl. Cover with wrap and let it sit in a warm place to rise for about 30-45 minutes. Once the dough has doubled its size, knead in 2 tablespoons of flour. Cover the dough again for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, start on the filling. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.

Once the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface. Brush the melted butter on the dough and add the sugar mixture. Make sure everything is covered. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into equal sized strips (about 2 to 2 1/2 inches wide). Then cut the strips into equal sized squares. Stack the squares on top of each other (make 5 - 6 piles) and place them in a bread pan. Top with any cinnamon sugar that fell off on the counter. Cover the dough for another 10-15 minutes to rise.

While dough is rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place a cookie sheet under bread pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until outside of bread is golden brown.