Pull-apart pancake bread

 

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A post shared by Woolworths TASTE Magazine (@wwtaste) on Oct 11, 2020 at 1:44am PDT

1. To make the dough, combine the yeast, lukewarm water and 1 t sugar in a small bowl and stir. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Once it starts bubbling and looking thick and foamy, it’s ready to be used.

2. Beat all the butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until soft and pale in colour. Gradually add the sugar and salt and beat for 3–5 minutes at a medium speed (scraping down the sides of the bowl every 2 minutes). Beat in the eggs, milk and lemon juice, then pour in the yeast mixture.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and swap the paddle attachment on the mixer for a dough hook.

4. Knead the dough for 5 minutes at a medium to high speed and let it come together – this should take 5–10 minutes.

5. Place the dough in a large bowl greased with olive oil or cooking spray, cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to double in size (about 1 ½–2 hours).

6. Meanwhile, make the filling. Mix all the ingredients using a metal spoon until well combined.

7. Once the dough has doubled in size, place the dough on a floured surface and knead roughly for about 2 minutes. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 2 cm thick and spread the filling on 3/4 of the rectangle. Leave the last 1/4 of the dough empty.

8. Cut the dough into 5 strips lengthways, then place them on top of one another (the empty piece will be on top) so you have one log with layers. Use a pizza cutter to cut the strips if you have one.

9. Divide the log into 6 equal parts. Grease an 18x 9 cm loaf tin, then place the dough squares into the tin with the layers facing upwards – spread them out evenly as they will expand when they rest again. Cover with clingfilm and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

10. Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake the loaf for 35 minutes or golden brown and cooked through. Enjoy warm with ice cream or butter.

Cook’s notes: This pancake bread is a winner in every possible sense of the word. The bread is made in such a way that it pulls apart as you remove it from the tin. The layering of the dough creates a layered look that is just so tasty.

This is such a cinnamon and maple syrup dream bread, and it goes perfectly with a blob of butter and honey. I find that it can be enjoyed as breakfast but it’s just as good toasted for a midday snack. The dough is very pliable but it needs to be properly rested to get a nice soft bread.

Because this bread has no preservatives, it lasts for about 2–3 days and still feels and tastes very fresh. If you are storing it in the fridge in an airtight container it will get hard quite quickly. Toast it if it’s getting a little hard.

Find more bread recipes here.