I am at heart a rather lazy cook. I know it may not seem like that, and I can put my shoulder to the wheel when I have to, and often do . . . but basically quick, simple, easy and tasty works for me most of the time. I had been eyeballing a recipe over on Our Best Bites for a Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread for ages and ages. Every so often I would go and look at it again, but to be honest . . . it seemed like far too much work and time and so I would walk away . . . lazy gal that I am.
Then today I looked at it again and I thought . . . I bet I could do something similar to that using my baking powder biscuit recipe and it would be just as tasty, but made in a fraction of a time. And so that's is what I did. I used all butter in my biscuit dough instead of shortening . . . just to up the scrum factor you know.
I tend to believe there can never be too much scrum factor. Anyone who's with me on that put up your hands! I thought so! I also like to use brown muscovado sugar in something like this. It kind of melts with the butter into caramel-like deliciousness. I also added a portion of ground cardamom to the cinnamon because . . . well, can do you ever really get tired of the hint of cardamom in baked goods such as this?? I don't, and I can well imagine you wouldn't either!
They smelled absolutely flippin' delicious when they were baking. My tin was a bit on the large size, so next time I bake this (AND I absolutely WILL) I will use a smaller loaf tin. But they did turn out gorgeous, even in a too large tin!
The glaze drizzle is lightly flavoured with vanilla paste and a drop of cinnamon extract. Have you ever used cinnamon extract??? If not you are missing out on something pretty scrummy indeed. All told this pull apart loaf was probably one of the best things I have baked in recent months, which (if you follow me regularly) says a LOT!
I do hope you will give my version a go! I am sure you will just adore it as we did. I do so love it when one of my experiments turns out well. Don't you?
*Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread*
Makes one loafsoftened butter for spreading
135g of soft brown muscovado sugar (2/3 cup)
1 TBS ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
For the glaze:
130g of icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
drop of cinnamon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
1 TBS warm water as needed
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter a medium sized loaf tin well. Set it aside.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Whisk in the salt. Drop in the butter and cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Using a fork, stir in the milk to make a soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a few times. Roll out to a large rectangle which is roughly 1/3 inch thick.
Spread generously with softened butter. Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. Sprinkle this over the butter evenly, pressing it lightly to adhere.
Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the rectangle in half down the middle lengthwise.. Place one half, flour side down, on top of the other.
Cut into large squares and stack the squares, having the floured side of one on the bottom and the floured side of another on top. Carefully turn on to it's side and place into the buttered tin. Not hard to do really.
Whisk all of the icing ingredients together into a thick drizzle icing. Drizzle this over top of the loaf. Remove from the tin. Pull apart into slices to eat. Fabulous!
Can we talk about butter for a minute here? My butter of choice for baking and just eating has always been Lurpak, the Danish butter. I had never even heard of it before I moved over here to the UK in 2000, but it was love from the very first taste for me. It just tastes consistently good.
My results are also always consistent when I use it in my baking. The salted is not TOO salty in taste and the sweet (unsalted) is just right. I have tried cheaper brands, store brands, etc. but I always come back to Lurpak because that is what I like the best. Just saying is all . . . they haven't asked me to tell you this. I just wanted to share, especially as there is a fair bit of butter in today's recipe. I thought you may want to use the best. Pure and creamy and perfect in every way.
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