Revisited - Pulled apart cinnamon pumpkin bread

WOW! It has been a LOOONNNGGGG while since I've updated anything here. Oh well, life got pretty busy on the home front these past year. My youngest is already 2 and half (the monster years) and the oldest 5 and 7 months. Big boys now. Sigh...

OK. This post is dedicated to a a new found friend, Louisa in Vancouver. Some of you would have remembered I made this during one of my many weekend baking spree. Well the original post - Sunny Side Up  was kinda difficult for me to understand; English isn't one of my 1st languages, therefore I need to fully understand the whole process virtually in my head. Well in fact, on some sewing tutorials it is the same as well. So I love it when a tutorial be is sewing, baking etc comes in series of photos to show the steps! I know, it is difficult to actually do this but to those who actually did it, BRAVO! 

Here I am just going to share the STEPS I took and what I did but NOT the recipe. Please refer Sunny Side Up for the list of ingredients that you need to make this bread. 

Yummy puree with warm milk & butter mixture.

Now you've all gathered your list of ingredients. The first part of the recipe details that you need to "proof" the yeast (essential little critter for bread making). What I did was melt and brown the butter, then warm the milk BUT I did NOT "proof" the yeast as instructed. Mine I just pour it direct into the flour, with my pumpkin puree, sugar and salt. 

Dough BEFORE double in size

Then I knead and knead until the dough comes out smooth, elastic and slightly sticky. I did had to add in flour 1 tablespoon at a time as I suspected there's too much water in the puree. Then I kept the dough in a lightly oiled container with a clean towel in my rather warm kitchen for about 60 minutes until it doubles in size. 

While waiting for it to double in size, you can put together the cinnamon sugar mix and grease the loaf pan. I used my silicone loaf pan for this, so no greasing needed. :) 

So now here's the "fun" part, where I was sort of stuck reading it a few times until I think I get it right. 

First you punch down the dough and flip it out on a floured surface. You then roll the dough out into a rectangle with about 1/4 inch (0.5cm) thick and about 20x12 inch (50x30cm) in size. 

Press down really well! 

Then you sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix evenly and press down with the palm of your hands. 

Cut into strips like so.

Using a plastic knife/cake cutter etc, cut 6 even strips on the rectangle and then stack them up on top of each other. 

Stack the strips up! 

Cut like so.

Now you have a 6 tier dough, you then cut the dough into 6 even squares. 

Stack like so... 

Notice the not so child free evidence?

Now, get your prepared loaf pan and sort of stack the squares on top of each other but horizontally - like you would arrange books vertically on bookshelves. Get the drift? 

All risen and ready to bake! ;) 

Then cover the pan with the clean towel and let raise for about 30-45 minutes while you pre-heat the oven at 175°C (350°F). Bake the bread for about 30-40 minutes until deep golden brown. I baked mine about 50 minutes. Every oven works differently and plus if you use silicone pan, it takes a little bit longer than steel ones. 

My bread right after its done baking! :) 

I highly recommend that you make the glaze AFTER the bread is done and is cooling down. I made mine with half the sugar as stated in the recipe and I used brown sugar instead of white sugar. The choice is yours if you want it very sweet or less sweet.

My "helper"? More like my little kitchen busybody! LOL! 

As I have a very limited work space on my kitchen counter - if you can call 20 inch work space, between the sink and the ceramic heating element, I had to work ON top of the heating element! Hahaha.... Notice the silicone baking sheet I put on top? Yep, that's my work top. :p On my first time baking this, I worked on the floor, which was vacuumed, moped and child free mind you! My kitchen nowadays aren't child free... Sigh...