Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread

 I needed the perfect opportunity to make this, and believe me, when you're in the middle of exams, you need some of this cinnamon goodness to pull you through the next two weeks.This really is perfect. It's extra cinnamony and the swirled dough means pulling the bread apart is even more fun!

Mmmm, just look at those coils of pillowy soft dough, uncurling as you pull apart each layer...

The satisfaction of doing that is well worth having to wait for it to rise.  I thought I might as well brush on a vanilla glaze too, just for the heck of it. Oh and for leftovers (ha, probably no chance of that but...), can you imagine how good this bread would be for french toast!? Any excuse to eat this for breakfast, and I'm in. Just look at it, come on, you know it's your destiny to eat this. 

Anyway, you don't need me distracting you from baking this right. now. Get mixing!

Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread
adapted from Flo Braker's 'Baking for All Occasions' 
and Inspired by Joy the Baker's Cinnamon-Sugar Pull apart bread

2 3/4 cups (13 oz / 360g) all purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp dried active yeast
1/4 cup (2 oz / 55g) sugar
1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
1/4 cup (2 oz / 55g) butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling
2/3 cup (5.3 oz / 150g) dark brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch

1/4 cup (2 oz / 55g) butter, melted

For the Glaze
3/4 cup (3 oz / 85g) powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
hot water

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, place the cornstarch, sugar, yeast, salt and 2 cups (9.2 oz / 260g) of flour.

Heat the milk and butter together in a small saucepan until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add the water. Let this cool for about a minute, then add the vanilla, and pour all the liquid into the bowl with the flour. Stir this all together until all the dry ingredients are moistened.

Start the mixer on a low speed as you add the eggs one at a time until they're just incorporated. Stop the mixer and add 1/2 cup (2.3 oz / 65g) more flour to the bowl. Mix again at low speed for about half a minute. Add 2 more tbsp of flour and mix in on medium speed until you get a smooth, slightly sticky dough (about 45 seconds).

On a work surface sprinkled with 2 tbsp of flour, knead the dough until it's not sticky (about 1 minute). Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl and cover it with cling film. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it's doubled in size which should take about an hour.

While the dough rises, make the filling by combining the dark brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch in a small bowl.

Once the dough is ready, lightly flour your work surface and gently tip the dough onto it, sprinkling a little more flour on top of the dough. Roll the dough out into roughly a 40 x 40 cm square, then brush about 2/3 of the butter over the entire surface of the dough. 

Sprinkle 3/4 of the filling mixture evenly on top of the butter on the dough, then roll the dough tightly into a log. 

Place the log horizontally on your work surface. Take a piece of thread and then follow the instructions below to cut the dough: 

On a piece of baking paper, use a rolling pin to flatten each slice to 3-4 mm thick. Brush the top of each flattened slice with a little of the remaining melted butter, ans sprinkle on about 3/4 tsp of filling mixture. Place them on top of each other so you have 4-5 stacks each containing about 5 slices.

Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place your stacks of dough into the greased loaf pan, cover loosely with clingfilm, and leave to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Bake the bread for 25-35 minutes when it should be golden brown on top. Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Meanwhile make the glaze by stirring the vanilla then the hot water, a little at a time into the powdered sugar in a small bowl until you get a slightly runny icing.

Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and gently tip the loaf out onto the wire rack. Put the bread the right way round again and then brush with the glaze.