Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

This recipe is kind of time-intensive, but it's not too labor intensive. You just have to plan ahead a little for all the rising/baking time. Like Annie says, it really does taste like that inner part of a cinnamon roll. Yum!

Original recipe from Annie's Eats via Joy the Baker

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1/4 c. granulated sugar

2 1/4 tsp. yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook (or mix/knead dough with a fork/your hands). Combine the butter and milk in a small saucepan and heat just until the butter is melted. Set aside and let cool briefly until it feels warm but not too uncomfortable to touch (115-125 degrees F). Add the milk mixture, water, vanilla, and eggs to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until a cohesive dough forms. Continue to knead until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour as needed until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and is tacky but not sticky. Knead about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and cover. Let rise until doubled.

While the dough rises, melt 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a small saucepan and cook until browned. Set aside. Combine 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg in a small bowl.

When dough has doubled, transfer to a lightly floured surface and gently deflate. Roll into a ball, cover with a towel, and let rest 5 minutes. Roll dough out into an approximate 12x20 inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the browned butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the butter (it will seem like a lot, but put it all on). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Slice the dough into rectangles--6 down, 6 across. Stack all the squares on top of each other and put into the prepared loaf pan. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise 30-45 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. (That's important! The top of mine looked great but the middle was all goo.) Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan 20-30 minutes. Run a knife around the outer edge and turn out onto a plate. Serve warm.