Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread Recipe – Laura Vitale

Ingredients

    For the Dough:

•     2-1/4 tsp of Active Dry Yeast

•     1/4 cup of Water, warmed up to 115 degrees

•     4 cups of All Purpose Flour

•     1 tsp of Salt

•     1/4 cup of Granulated Sugar

•     3/4 cup of Whole Milk

•     1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

•     1 Egg

•     1/4 cup of Unsalted Butter, melted

    For the Filling:

•     1/4 cup of Unsalted Butter, softened at room temperature

•     1/2 cup of Brown Sugar

•     1 cup of Pumpkin Butter

•     For the Glaze:

•     4 oz of Cream Cheese, softened at room temperature

•     2 cups of Powdered Sugar

•     1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

•     About 3 Tbsp of Whole Milk

Preparation

    1) In a small bowl, combine the warm water and 1 tsp of the granulated sugar, sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

    2) In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the flour, sugar and salt, add the yeast mixture along with the egg, butter, milk and vanilla, turn it on medium speed and let it knead for 3 to 4 minutes until you get a nice smooth ball of dough.

    3) Oil a large bowl with some vegetable oil and set aside. Take the dough out of the mixer and pull it together with your hands to form a ball, place it in the oiled bowl, turn it over to make sure it’s oiled on both sides, cover with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot to rise for about an hour or so.

    4) Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about a 15″ x 9” rectangle, spread the butter evenly over the top, followed by the pumpkin butter and sprinkle over the brown sugar.

    5) Cut 4” strips lengthwise, stack them on top of each other, then cut 3” squares out of each stack.

    6) Place the stacks standing up in your prepared pan, cover loosely with some plastic wrap, place a kitchen towel on top and let that rest for about 30 minutes.

    7) Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350, bake the bread for 40 minutes or until deeply golden brown, allow it to cool for about an hour.

    8) To make the glaze, mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla, slowly add the milk and continue mixing until you reach your desired thickness. Drizzle over the bread and dig right in!