Nutella Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

  Let me give you a quick rundown of how my Wednesday went.

6:00 AM- alarm goes off, I roll into the shower.

6:30 AM- I begin chocolate chip nutella pancake preparations, because it's my mom's birthday, and birthday mom's deserve naughty pancakes.

8:00 AM- The academic studies begin.

11:30 AM- I finish ridiculously early, because I'm homeschooled and school is light this semester.

12:00 PM- I suddenly realize that I should really make something to blog about this week, because it's likely the only day I'll have to do so.  I might've done the pancakes...but dude, 7:00 AM lighting in our kitchen?  Not gonna happen.

1:30 PM- after spending way too long browsing my reader for inspiration (AKA finding a recipe in which I already have all the ingredients on hand...always and adventure.), I give up and amble up to my room.

1:45 PM- My attempted nap is a fail.  I have a brain full of food.

2:00 PM- NUTELLA PULL-APART BREAD.

  Welcome to the crazy thought processes of my mind.  It's how I roll.

  Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread is something that I'd first seen on both of my go-to blogs, and already made a couple times with up-and-down success.  This thing was all over the blogosphere for a while.  And for good reason, it's pretty much amazing.

  I'm just trying to bring that amazing-ness back!

  Adding nutella seemed like such a no-brainer.  I mean, I've seen it done for cinnamon rolls...why not pull-apart bread? (P.S. The forks pictured above were pretty much used only for aesthetic reasons.  This is a dig-in-and-tear-apart-with-your-face kind of bread.)

  This thing was everything I hoped for.  The combination of chocolate and cinnamon made it slightly reminiscent of a Mexican hot chocolate, but with dialing down the spices a bit, the nutella was still able to shine through.  Although, a little extra drizzle on top certainly didn't hurt...

 
  The best thing about this recipe?  I got to combine nutella, and brown butter.

  HEAVEN.

  This isn't meant for your dainty brunch spread of mini quiches and fruit kabobs.  This is a deep, dark loaf that should be set (still warm) in the center of the table and greedily pulled apart by many hands.

  It's a mess, but a beautiful one.  And I will fight you for the last piece.

  
Nutella Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread
Yield: one 9x5 inch loaf

Ingredients for dough:

• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

Ingredients for the filling:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup Nutella
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:
To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Combine the butter and milk in a small saucepan and heat just until the butter is melted.  Set aside and let cool for a couple minutes, or until the mixture registers 115-125˚ F.  Add the milk mixture, water, vanilla, and eggs to the mixer bowl.  Mix on low speed until a cohesive dough forms.  Continue to knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes (mine took a bit longer), adding additional flour as needed 1 tablespoon at a time.  Dough should clear the sides of the bowl, not stick to the bottom, and be tacky, but not sticky.  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.  (After the dough has doubled, it can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight.  Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before proceeding.)

While the dough rises, place the nutella in a small bowl.  Add the butter to a small saucepan and melt until browned.  Immediately pour the butter over the nutella, and stir together until well-combined.  Yeah, you just combined brown butter and nutella.  Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix well.

Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate.  Roll into a ball, cover with a clean towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

Roll the dough out into an approximately 12 x 20-inch rectangle.  Spread the nutella/butter mixture onto the dough.  Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the dough in an even layer. (Use all of it!  Yeah, I'm talking to you.)

Cut the dough vertically into 6 even strips (Hopefully you're better at scoring than I am...).

 Stack the strips on top of each other and cut into 6 equal slices, thus creating six stacks of squares.

Stack all the squares on top of each other and set into the prepared loaf pan.  Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place, 30-45 minutes, or until almost doubled in size (I let mine rise a wee bit too long!  I actually had some slices puff out while baking and fall to the bottom of the oven.  Trust me, this thing wants to grow.)

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Transfer the loaf to the oven and bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown.  The top may appear lightly browned and cooked, 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 let rest in the pan 20-30 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen and carefully turn the loaf out, transferring to a serving plate.  Serve warm with additional nutella and/or some powdered sugar, if desired.

Sources: adapted from Joy the Baker and Annie's Eats