Holy moly, not to be dramatic or anything, but I think this bread is one of the best things I've ever tasted. Also, this is probably the longest recipe I've ever posted, so brace yourself.
I made cinnamon pull-apart bread a few months ago after seeing it on Joy the Baker's blog, but this version with pumpkin, brown butter & spices (not to mention that glaze!) quickly convinced me to add it to the top of my fall baking list.
If I'm being totally honest, I liked the cinnamon pull apart bread that I made earlier this year, but I found it to be a little dry - which was surprising, considering the layers of butter & sugar in it. But when I saw this version, I thought that the pumpkin would add a nice moistness to the bread dough that would prevent the dryness... and it totally does.
In this version, the layers of slightly sweetened yeasted pumpkin bread, browned butter, sugar and spices is seriously delicious. And the glaze is the icing on the cake (literally), but is definitely not necessary, since the bread is good enough to stand on its own.
Here's how you make it:
Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread with Butter Rum Glaze
recipe adapted from here
Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. (1 envelope) active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups flour
Filling Ingredients:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cardamom (optional)
2 Tbsp. butter
Butter Rum Glaze Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. rum
Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown the 2 tablespoons of butter, stirring continuously. When it’s the color of dark honey, remove it from the heat and pour it into a mixer bowl to cool. In the same saucepan (you can use this same saucepan throughout the whole recipe) warm the milk over medium heat until it bubbles. Remove it from the heat and pour it into the bowl with the butter. Let these cool until they’re about 100-110 degrees F, then stir the sugar and yeast into the milk & butter mixture and let it sit for a few minutes.
Stir in the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup flour. If you haven’t already, fit your mixer with a dough hook. Add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time, stirring between each addition. When the dough is combined, knead on low speed with a dough hook until smooth and elastic (about 4 minutes with a mixer).
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour until it doubles in size.
While the dough is rising, make the filling. Whisk the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg & cardamom together in a small bowl. Toward the end of the rising time, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter for the filling in the saucepan over medium-high heat and brown it as directed above.
After the dough has doubled in size, deflate it and let it sit for a few minutes. Flour a large work surface and turn your rested dough out onto it. Roll it out to a 20 inch long and 12 inch wide rectangle, lifting corners periodically to make sure it’s not sticking. If it seems to be snapping back, cover it with your damp towel and let it rest for 5 minutes before continuing.
Spread the browned butter over the surface of the dough with a pastry brush and then sprinkle the sugar & spice mixture over the top, patting it down to ensure it mostly sticks.
With the long edge of the rectangle toward you, cut it into 6 strips (do this by cutting the rectangle in half, then cutting each half into equal thirds. Stack these strips on top of one another and cut the resulting stack into 6 even portions. Place these portions into your greased loaf pan, pressing them up against each other to fit them all in. Cover the pan with your damp cloth and place it in a warm place for 30-45 minutes to double in size.
While dough rises, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 if you have a glass loaf dish instead of a metal pan). When it’s risen, place the loaf in the center of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top - make sure the inside layers are cooked through. Cool for 20-30 minutes in the loaf pan while you make the glaze.
In your saucepan, bring the butter, milk, and brown sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove it from heat, add the powdered sugar and rum, and whisk it to a smooth consistency.
To assemble, use a butter knife to loosen all sides of the bread from the loaf pan and gently turn it out onto a plate. Place another plate on top and flip it to turn it right side up. Drizzle glaze over top. Serve each piece slightly warm with a drizzle of glaze. Enjoy!
