Pumpkin Pecan Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup milk (i used almond)
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
- Carbohydrate 55.7895896362318 g
- Cholesterol 20.87125 mg
- Fat 13.3129335462942 g
- Fiber 4.38675841114851 g
- Protein 5.12009063046486 g
- Saturated Fat 5.46012872959922 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (109g)
- Sodium 562.214917302099 mg
- Sugar 51.4028312250832 g
- Trans Fat 1.0426534795203 g
- Calories 357 calories
Step-by-step
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown the 2 tablespoons of butter. When it’s lightly browned, remove it from the heat and pour it into a medium sized bowl to cool. In the same saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk until it bubbles. Remove it from the heat and pour it into the bowl with the butter. Let these cool until they’re about 100-110°F (use a candy thermometer to check).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 1½ cups all purpose flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and yeast. Add in the butter-milk mixture when it’s between 100-110°F. Fit your stand mixture with a dough hook and mix these together until combined. Add in the pumpkin puree and remaining flour. Mix until combined. Dough should be only slightly sticky - add more flour (a little bit at a time) if necessary. Let knead in stand mixer on low-medium speed for 5 minutes, until the dough is silky and smooth.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour until it doubles in size (you can put it in the fridge overnight to use it in the morning after it rises! Let the dough sit out for half an hour before rolling if you do).
- While the dough is rising, whisk the sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a small bowl. Toward the end of the rising time, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter for the filling in the saucepan over medium-high heat and brown it as directed above. Put it in a small heat-safe bowl to cool for use later.
- Grease and flour a 9†x5†loaf pan and set aside. Knead a sprinkling of flour (about 1 tablespoon) into the dough, deflating it, and recover it. Let it sit to relax for 5 minutes. Flour a large work surface and turn your rested dough out onto it. Roll it out to a 20 inch long and 12 inch wide rectangle, lifting corners periodically to make sure it’s not sticking. If it seems to be snapping back, cover it with your damp towel and let it rest for 5 minutes before continuing.
- Spread the browned butter over the surface of the dough with a pastry brush and then sprinkle the sugar mixture and chopped pecans over the top, pressing it in as best you can.
- With the long edge of the rectangle toward you, cut it into 6 strips (do this by cutting the rectangle in half, then cutting each half into equal thirds. I used a pizza cutter). Stack these strips carefully on top of one another, trying to keep the sugar on top, and cut the resulting stack into 6 even portions. Place these portions one at a time into your greased loaf pan, pressing them up against each other to fit them all in. Sprinkle any cinnamon sugar and pecans that may have fallen out over the top of the loaf. Cover the pan with a warm damp cloth and place it in a warm place for 30-45 minutes to rise.
- While dough rises, preheat oven to 350°F (or 325° if you have a glass loaf dish instead of a metal pan). When the loaf has risen, place it in the center of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until dark golden brown on top. Cool for 20-30 minutes on a cooling rack in the loaf pan. Store tightly wrapped.
Why does the dough refuse to rise, or why are the centers dense and gummy? Working with an enriched yeast dough containing pumpkin puree introduces variables that demand precise control over temperature and technique. Without careful monitoring, the heavy fats and dense squash puree easily overpower the leavening agent.
- Monitor the milk and browned butter temperature carefully. The liquid must register between 100°F and 110°F on a candy thermometer before contact with instant yeast; anything hotter kills the microorganisms.
- Respect the dough relaxation periods. If the rolled dough snaps back while being shaped into a 20-inch rectangle, cover it with a damp towel and wait five minutes to let the gluten strands relax.
- Adjust the oven temperature based on cookware material. Glass loaf dishes conduct heat differently than metal pans, requiring a reduction to 325°F to prevent the exterior from burning before the center bakes completely.
- Control the sugar-to-flour ratio closely if substituting almond milk for dairy milk, ensuring the dough remains only slightly tacky before kneading for five full minutes until silky.
Proper cooling in the pan for 20 minutes ensures the stacked layers set structurally before slicing. Store the finished loaf tightly wrapped to retain moisture.
