Pull-Apart Bread w/ Cheese, Herbs, & Seeds

There's something so irresistible about bread that is pieced together like a patchwork quilt, beckoning you to pick off a hunk of golden bread and pop it into your mouth. Whether you call it pull-apart bread or monkey bread, the theory is the same. Dunking bread in a fat of some sort, and then rolling it in any sort of toppings.

In my house, we all love a sticky-sweet ring of monkey bread. We probably like it far too much. The bread that my youngest son requests the most is cinnamon-sugar pull-apart bread. One has dough balls that you can pluck off one by one, the other has dough sheets that can be peeled and enjoyed. Both are entirely irresistible.

Occasionally I'll make a savory pull-apart like I did today to fit this month's #TwelveLoaves theme, HERBS. But to make it even more fun, I wanted to use more than just herbs, so I added seeds and a couple of different kinds of cheese for interest.

Sugar and Spice Monkey Bread

Sweet Thang told me that he doesn't like this bread.  He loves it! Ha ha ha...from the mouths of babes.  I mean, you expect that sometimes when it's coming from an adult, but he was so serious.  It shocked me that he didn't "like" it since he asks me weekly to bake a loaf of the cinnamon-sugar pull-apart ricotta bread that he craves.  And yes, this is along the same lines. He totally gets his sense of humor from me. {wink, wink}  In all seriousness, though...the actual taste, texture, and consistency of the actual bread hiding inside that glimmering layer of cinnamon-sugar goodness is to die for.  It's substantial, yet soft...enriched with eggs and butter...and would make a great base for many sweet breads.  Do I need to tell you that this was gone in much less time that it took to make it?  I thought not.

Sugar and Spice Monkey Bread
adapted from The Artisan Bread Machine
yield: 1 loaf

dough:
½ c. sugar
¾ tsp. fine sea salt
2 large eggs, beaten
⅔ c. lukewarm buttermilk
⅓ c. unsalted butter, softened
3½ c. bread flour
1½ tsp. instant yeast

topping:
scant ¾ c. granulated sugar
1 heaping Tbs. ground cinnamon

½ c. unsalted butter, melted

Add the dough ingredients, in order listed, to pan of bread machine (ending with yeast).  Select the dough cycle and press start.  When the cycle is finished, turn dough out onto work surface and punch down gently.  Divide dough into 20 equal pieces.  Form each piece into a ball between your palms.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping in a small, wide dish/bowl.  Dip each of the dough balls into the melted butter, then roll each in the cinnamon-sugar.  Arrange them in a silicone (or well-greased) bundt pan in even layers.  Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise for ~30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350° F during last 15 minutes of rise time.  Slide remove plastic, slide into oven and bake until lightly browned on top and 190° F in center, ~35-40 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack for ~15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

There are many theories as to why monkey bread is called monkey bread.  Once you've made it, all suspicions will be confirmed.  The scent of the loaf baking will start to drive the little monkeys mad.  They will all be eagerly awaiting the moment it can be turned out onto a serving plate.  And it will be totally irresistible sitting there beckoning from its perch.  Hands will reach out and in the seconds that follow,  you will hear "ooooh...ooooh...aaaah" as those tender fingers try gingerly (yet madly) to pull steaming bits of sticky bread from the loaf sitting in front of them.

I am sharing this post with:
*Yeastspotting!

Cinnamon-Sugar Pull-Apart Ricotta Bread

 This bread conjures up childhood memories and comfort food.  When I was little I loved toasting up a couple slices of soft, white bread then spreading them with butter and sprinkling them with cinnamon and sugar.  This is the the totally sophisticated way of doing the same thing. It's actually reminiscent of a cinnamon roll at the same time...sans icing.  Thin layers of soft, white bread that were brushed with a nutty, fragrant browned butter and then coated...literally, coated...with a cinnamon and sugar mixture flecked with freshly grated nutmeg.  Cinnamon-Sugar toast's big sister.  It's far too easy to keep pulling warm, inviting slices from the loaf and washing them down with coffee.  Or cold milk.  The kids also love it...both helping to make it and helping to eat it.  Me thinks this is a fantastic hostess or housewarming gift, if you can plan accordingly.  I mean, imagine opening the door to a warm, soft loaf of Cinnamon-Sugar Pull-Apart Ricotta Bread...the intoxicating smell calmly making itself at home the minute it goes through the door.  Oh. Yes.

Cinnamon-Sugar Pull-Apart Ricotta Bread

inspired by and adapted from both The Bakers Guide & Joy the Baker 
yield: 1 loaf

Dough:
200 g. (¾ cup) water, lukewarm     
100 g. (½ cup) milk, lukewarm
20 g. (1 Tbs.) instant yeast
250 g. (~1½ c. + 2 Tbs.) unbleached all-purpose flour + extra for kneading
250 g. (~1½ c. + 2 Tbs.) unbleached bread flour
30 g. (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temp.
150 g. (~¾ c.) ricotta, at room temp.
10 g. (1½ tsp.) fine sea salt

Filling:
1 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
2 oz. (4 Tbs. / ½ stick) unsalted butter

Dough: Combine dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl, the bowl of a stand mixer, or a bread machine. Mix to combine, then knead the dough (either by hand, in stand mixer) until the dough is soft and smooth and very elastic (~15 minutes by hand or ~10 in mixer).  Or stick it in the bread machine on dough cycle and let it do its thing.  The dough will be slightly sticky.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, ~1-1½ hours.  In bread machine, it will beep at you when it's done.

Filling: Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Melt the butter until it begins to brown and smell all nutty and amazing. Grease and flour a loaf pan (~9" x 5" x 2"-ish).  Set everything aside.

Putting it all together: Deflate the risen dough and knead ~2 Tbs. of flour into the dough.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic and let rest for 5 minutes.  On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out.  The dough should be ~12" h x ~20" w.  No worries if your rectangle isn't exact.  My edges were a bit rounded and shorter, but I think that adds to its rustic charm.  Use a pastry brush to spread all of the browned butter across the top of the dough, edge to edge.  Sprinkle with all of the sugar, cinnamon, & nutmeg mixture.

Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips.  Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six "equal" slices once again.  You'll have six stacks of six squares.  Layer the squares of dough in the loaf pan.  Place a towel or some plastic wrap over the loaf pan and allow to rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.   Preheat oven to 375° F during last 15 minutes of rise time.

Slide loaf onto center oven rack and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is a deep, golden brown.  Don't be tempted to take it out to early or the center will still be doughy.  If you think it's getting burnt, slide a sheet of tinfoil over the top.

Remove from oven and cool in pan on rack for ~30 minutes.

 Slide a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread, then invert it onto a clean board.  Place a serving plate or another clean cutting board on top of the upside down loaf, then quickly and carefully flip it so that it's right side up.

This is most definitely at its best when it's still warm from the oven, but it can be kept at room temperature for a couple of days if wrapped or covered.

I am sharing this post with:
*Bread Baking Day (BBD) #40: Bread w/ Curd hosted at Kochtopf
*Yeastspotting!