James made this delicious Bubble Bread last year for Easter brunch and it was a huge hit! It's a lot of work, but worth it.
Ingredients
For the Bubble Bread
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Cinnamon Sugar
Coating
1 1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
and cooled
Make the Bubble Bread
Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch
Bundt pan with non stick cooking spray.
In a small saucepan, warm your milk to
slightly above room temperature, then remove it from the heat, add the yeast,
and whisk to dissolve. ( Do not warm it beyond 110 degrees F or you will kill
the yeast).
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with
the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, and salt until combined.
In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork
and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined.
Keeping the mixer on low, slowly stream in
the milk until combined. Add the melted butter and mix until the dough
comes together. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook
attachment. Continue to mix on medium speed until the dough becomes silky
and tacky,but not sticky, 8-10 minutes. The dough should mound together
and easily come off the bottom of the mixing bowl. ( If the dough is too
wet, add some flour. If it is too dry, add a tiny bit of water. )
Spray the bottom and sides of a large bowl
with cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and roll it around to
make sure it is completely covered in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic
wrap or a dish towel and let it rest in a warm area until the dough has doubled
in size, approximately 1 hour.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Use your clean hands to push down and
deflate the dough. Remove it from the bowl and pat it into a rough circle
approximately 8 inches diameter. Use a bench knife or serrated knife to
cut dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces ( about 1/2 oz each )- alternatively, use
your hands to pinch apart the dough. Roll the pieces into balls ( they
don't have to be perfectly round). Place the balls on the sheet pan (you
will get about 60 pieces in all). Cover the balls lightly with plastic
wrap.
Make the Cinnamon Sugar
Coating
In a small bowl, stir together the sugar
and cinnamon. Place the melted butter in a separate bowl.
Assemble the Bread
Remove the plastic wrap from the dough
balls and dip one ball in the melted butter. Let the excess butter drip
back into the bowl, roll the ball in the brown sugar mixture, and place it in
the Bundt pan. Continue this process with each ball, until you have
several layers, arranging them as if you are building a brick wall.
Wrap the Bundt pan tightly in plastic
wrap. Set it in a warm area of the house for about 1 hour, or until the
dough balls have doubled in size and appear puffy.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove the plastic and bake the Bundt until the top layer is deep brown and the
caramel coating begins to bubble around the edges, about 30 minutes.
Cool the bread for 5 minutes, then turn it
out directly onto a platter and serve warm. Should you have any leftovers
( this is rare), simply reheat them in a 300 degree oven until warm to the
touch.
Baked Notes
You do not need an icing or topping for this
bread-too sweet. Second, you can make the dough ahead of time. Once
the dipped dough has been placed in the pan, wrap it tightly, refrigerate it,
and bring it back to room temperature to "proof" the dough before
baking. Lastly, this is one of those breads that exists to be eaten warm
straight from the oven. Once the caramel begins to cool, reheat the bread
in the oven before serving. Enjoy!
