It’s holidays here on the farm at the moment. We love the downtime. The kids spend hours on the trampoline, or else tramping around the farm intent on doing something – I’m not too sure what. Despite the lack of rain, the weather has been nearly perfect. Holiday adventures and plans seem to make the kids ravenous, so they return regularly to the farmhouse to refuel.
While the kids have been busy, I’ve been painting the old parts of the farmhouse so that they tie in with the new. I’ve got a long way to go but I can already see a big difference. I’ve also been thinking about the coming seasons and the various foods we need to preserve, and the foods I’d like to have a go at cooking. With a brand new kitchen to break in, I’m always on the hunt for inspiration. It’s been a while since I’ve tackled bread, but with hungry kids, and a roomy kitchen, I had a go at a cinnamon pull-apart loaf.
The loaf is buttery with just a little sweetness – you could drizzle a glaze over the top if you like a sweeter loaf. You could also put some fruit into the swirl. Make the dough the night before and leave it in the fridge to prove super slowly, then pop it into the oven first thing in the morning, and enjoy a delicious holiday breakfast. You could also bake it for afternoon tea and just rip off pieces straight from the hot loaf and scoff it straight down. Less sophisticated, but still delicious!
- ¾ c milk – warmed
- 3T sugar
- 3t yeast
- 175g butter – melted
- 3 eggs
- 4c plain flour
- pinch salt
- 60g butter – softened
- ½c brown sugar
- 2t cinnamon
- Place warm milk, sugar and yeast into a bowl. Stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes while the yeast activates.
- Whisk in the eggs and melted butter.
- Add the flour and bring to a soft dough.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes until it is soft and elastic
- Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until double in size
- Knock the dough back by kneading lightly.
- Roll into a large rectangle 1 cm thick.
- Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar evenly over the dough.
- Roll the dough into a spiral and cut into 1.5 cm thick rounds
- Place the rounds onto a lined baking tray, offsetting each round slightly.
- Allow the dough to rise again for one hour (you can also put it in the fridge overnight and let it rise super slowly).
- Preheat the oven to 180*c
- Brush the bread with a little milk to glaze
- Bake the brioche for 30 minutes or until cooked through.
Like all homemade bread, this is best served warm from the oven. You could drizzle it with a little honey for extra sweetness.
