Orange Marmalade-Cranberry Pull-apart Loaf ~ We Knead to Bake

Many a times I've been asked by fellow bloggers and bakers why I haven't yet joined Daring Bakers,probably due to the amount of baking I do,it is a mystery to them.But I have a reason.I do not consider myself a master baker and some recipes still intimidate me.I am scared if I find a recipe too difficult I might not even try to attempt it.It is unlike me to commit to something and not do it,so the best bet is not to join :)

But I am not doing the WKtB bread of the month,which is sort of making me twist my fingers in agony.There are a few reasons why I am not baking Pretzels this month.The primary one being,ignorance.I have not tasted a Pretzel yet,so I have no clue if I will like it.Second one is the description,Hard Pretzels,I yearn to achieve a super soft consistency in my breads and this one would turn out hard?Nope,not my thing at all!

I couldn't just let the posting date go without attempting something.So I chose a previous WKtB bread,and till date my favorite,did a sweet twist and posting it today.When we did the savory pull-apart and Aparna suggested a sweet version with the same recipe,I was delighted.Making a Cinnamon-sugar pull-apart loaf was something I wanted to do since a long time.

The making of the pull-apart bread though,was a comedy of errors from the beginning.As I was measuring out the flour,I realized I had only about 2 cups of flour,so I decided I'd add atta/whole wheat flour.One thing I usually do when baking with atta is to add wheat gluten and as I reached out to get the box of gluten,it toppled down on the flour making the kitchen a floury mess.As I finished up cleaning and kneaded the dough(in the food processor),I was surprised seeing the dough very batter-like.I wondered what went wrong then reality dawned that I forgot to add the final 1 cup of flour or atta,in my case.

Added the atta and kneaded the dough with hand.Left it to prove and set about getting things ready for the filling.I remembered a similar filling on PW's blog,so kept out Orange Marmalade,Butter and Cranberries.As I shaped the dough and finished smearing marmalade,adding cranberries and sugar,I saw the butter.Then smeared it over and cut the dough into strips,then I saw the cinnamon.Oh God..I was relieved when I put the dough to prove and then pre-heated the oven.

It wasn't about to end so soon.The power went off just when I switched the oven on and didn't return for another half an hour.Finally after baking and seeing the beautiful results,I heaved a sigh of relief:)

The marmalade I used was slightly bitter so I was worried if the taste would be too strong.But the brown sugar and cinnamon and small bites of cranberries in between,all sort of balanced out the taste.As a last minute addition,I poured over a simple sugar glaze on top of the bread as soon as it came out of the oven,which I believe took it to another level.
Orange Marmalade-Cranberry Pull-apart Loaf
Recipe idea - TPW;Original recipe here

Ingredients

For the dough

Warm milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 tsp
Active dry yeast - 2 tsp(I used Mauripan Yeast)
All purpose flour - 2 3/4 cups to 3 cups*
Salt - 1 tsp
Butter - 25 gms,soft at room temperature
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Milk - 3/4 cup + a couple of tbsp to brush over the bread

For the filling

Melted butter - 15 gms
Orange Marmalade - 5-6 tsp
Brown sugar - 1/3 cup
Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
Dried cranberries - 1/4 cup

For the glaze

Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup
Melted butter - 1 tsp
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder - a pinch
Milk - 3 tbsp

Method

 
In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and the yeast in the 1/2 cup of warm milk. Keep aside for about 5 minutes till the yeast mixture bubbles up.

 
Put 2 3/4 cup of flour, salt, softened butter and sugar in the food processor bowl (or a large bowl) and pulse a couple of times to mix. 

 
Then add the yeast mixture and the 3/4 cup of milk and knead till you have a soft, smooth and elastic/ pliable dough which is not sticky. Add a little extra flour if your dough is sticking, but only just as much as is necessary.

 
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat it completely with oil. Cover and let it rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until almost double in volume.

Dust your work surface lightly with flour. Deflate the dough, shape it into a square and roll the dough out into a larger rectangle that is about 12’ by 15”.  
Brush the surface of the square with the melted butter,marmalade,brown sugar and cinnamon.Sprinkle the cranberries all over.

 
Use a rolling pin to very lightly press the topping into the dough to ensure the topping doesn’t fall off when you are stacking the strips.

 
Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough from top to bottom into 6 long and even strips – they do not have to be perfect. Lay each strip on top of the next, with the topping facing upwards, until you have a stack of the strips.

You can put the 2 strips cut from the sides in the middle of the stack so it looks neater. Using a pastry scraper or a sharp knife, cut straight down through the stack dividing it into 6 equal pieces (6 square stacks).

Grease and lightly flour a 9” by 4” (or 5”) loaf tin.Layer the square slices, cut sides down into the loaf tin.

 
Cover the loaf tin dough with a towel and allow the dough to rise for an hour. Lightly brush some milk over the top of the loaf.

Bake the dough at 180C (350F) for about 30 to 40 minutes until it is done and the top is golden brown. This recipe bakes one 9” by 5” loaf.I used two smaller sized loaf tins.

 
Make the glaze by mixing together all the ingredients mentioned.Pour over the bread as soon as the bread is outside the oven.Let it sit for a while till the glaze sets.

Yeastspotted

Notes

• *I used 2 cups of APF and 3/4 cup of atta/whole wheat flour and 1 tsp of vital gluten.
• I like slightly bitter marmalade hence used that but the brown sugar and the final glaze kind of masked the bitter flavour.
• The initial process shots of making the dough are from the original post here.