Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Brunch!

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I love my family. I really do, but when we are all home, crammed into the house and have only each other for conversation (or argument) for 2 weeks, it gets a little crazy. So, Christmas is both a blessed and INSANE time of year in our household. Blessed because I'm grateful that I can still see my family frequently and spend time laughing, talking, cooking and eating with them. Insane, because, between those pleasant and memorable moments, there are certainly trials that must be overcome.

            This year has been especially troublesome. My brother has been away studying out of country, so we rarely get to see him. My sister is experiencing a whirlwind of change as she starts a new job, moves to a new (further away) city, and shares an apartment with her boyfriend for the first time. My mother has spent her time trying to accomplish a million different things, such as taking care of her kids, maintaining the home, caring for the pets and managing the affairs of her parents. My dad, as usual, continues to strive for the fragile balance between work and family that never seems to work as seamlessly as he wishes it would. And I, I’m just trying to survive school and prepare for med school, one assignment and application at a time. BUT, the biggest hiccup of this holiday season has become my grandmother’s deteriorating condition. Much to her and our dismay, she spent Christmas in a hospital bed. And now, through a painful yet fairly collective decision, she is being moved into a nursing home where she will finally receive the everyday care she desperately needs. As is expected, she was reluctant to leave her home and all its organized disorder. It was painful to hear her cry about leaving her home as I recalled my own experience of having to leave my home to move into a tiny, dorm room. Hopefully, as time passes, she will settle into her new environment and even ENJOY her time.

Despite these trials, it is truly the small family pleasures that define the holidays for me; the loud family Christmas Eve dinner where the conversation is as endless as the foods, the baking of cookies in the warm, bustling kitchen to the sound of Christmas songs, and the opening of presents on Christmas morning with a room filled with genuinely smiling faces. This year, I especially enjoyed sitting around the table Christmas morning to a spread of fruits and cookies, talking with my family while we waited for my grandpa to return from church. Despite the stresses that we all carried to the table, the mood was light and the words flowed gently and easily. My humble contribution to this early brunch was a fresh loaf of Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread.

This is a recipe I have wanted to try for a while. The idea of a whole batch of cinnamon rolls in a single loaf pan was mouthwatering. The loaf, despite its unique presentation, was easy to put together. After the yeast was proofed and the dough was made and risen, the bread was simply rolled out, slathered in butter and cinnamon, and cut into roughly 36 pieces. Because I made the bread late and wanted it to be freshly baked in the morning, I allowed the bread to proof outside overnight. Unfortunately, the bread froze outside and when baked, the outside cooked more quickly than the inside resulting in a doughy inside and a very browned crust. Luckily, doughy seemed to go over well with me family. Also, due to the quick browning, I had to tent the loaf with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes to prevent burning. The full instructions can be found at Joy the Baker.

 

For the Dough:

3  cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 ounces unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1/4 cup water

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

For the Filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted until browned

 

* I followed the instructions on Joy the Baker's site and proofed the yeast first.

In a large mixing bowl (I used just the bowl of my stand mixer) whisk together 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Set aside.

Whisk together eggs and set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt together milk and butter until butter has just melted.  Remove from the heat and add water and vanilla extract.  Let mixture stand for a minute or two, or until the mixture registers 115 to 125 degrees F.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula.  Add the eggs and stir the mixture until the eggs are incorporated into the batter.  The eggs will feel soupy and it’ll seem like the dough and the eggs are never going to come together.  Keep stirring.  Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and stir with the spatula for about 2 minutes.  The mixture will be sticky.  That’s just right.

Place the dough is a large,  greased bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel.  Place in a warm space and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  *The dough can be risen until doubled in size, then refrigerated overnight for use in the morning.  If you’re using this method, just let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes before following the roll-out directions below.

While the dough rises, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for the filling.  Set aside.  Melt 2 ounces of butter until browned.  Set aside.  Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch  loaf pan.  Set that aside too.

Deflate the risen dough and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel 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-inches tall and about 20-inches long.  If you can’t get the dough to 20-inches long… that’s okay.  Just roll it as large as the dough will go.  Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across all of the dough.  Sprinkle with all of the sugar and cinnamon mixture.  It might seem like a lot of sugar.  Seriously?  Just go for it.

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 dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book.  Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Place loaf in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown.  The top may be lightly browned, but the center may still be raw.  A nice, dark, golden brown will ensure that the center is cooked as well.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.   Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread and invert onto  a clean board.  Place a cake stand or cake plate on top of the  upside down loaf, and carefully invert so it’s right side up.