Monday, March 21, 2011

Orange Pull-Apart Coffee Cake




I absolutely love baking bread. I suppose I'm a little odd, but I take great delight when I see my yeast bubble and foam or a beautiful lump of dough all doubled in size. All these things just hint at the yummy bread that will soon be baking up in my oven.

This time, I decided to try a sweet bread and boy what a sweet bread it was. I've been seeing a recipe for Lemon Pull-Apart Bread and really wanted to try it, but lemons are not exactly on sale right now. I soon got to thinking that an orange version might work. Then, to my absolute glee, that is exactly what appeared on Lizzy's blog, "That Skinny Chick Can Bake." Her pictures were all I needed to see and I decided to proceed, full steam ahead.

I will tell you in advance that this recipe does take a lot of time, effort, and preparation. It also caused me a little stress because I once again decided to try rolling it out on waxed paper. You would think I'd have learned my lesson from when I made cinnamon rolls. Word to the wise, it doesn't matter how much you flour the waxed paper, in the end it will still STICK. A cookie sheet or your counter is probably a much better idea. I also forgot to grease my bread pan, so halfway through the second rising, I began sticking an oiled knife into the sides, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best. Luckily, the bread still popped out in the end.

But, is all of this worth it? Of course it is!!! In the end, you will be rewarded with this soft brioche type bread in which every piece is infused with a delicious orange flavor. And do not even think about skipping the cream cheese icing on top. It is an absolute must!!! It takes everything up to the next level and will truly make your bread the piece de resistance of any table.

Believe me, this is one of the ultimate breads. One bite and you will swoon. You may want to shout about it from the rooftops. Okay, maybe not cause then you'd have to share. But, your tastebuds will definitely do a little happy dance

Orange Pull-Apart Coffee Cake

(adapted from That Skinny Chick Can Bake)

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 c. sugar
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/3 c. fat-free milk
1/4 c. salted butter
1/4 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Filling:
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
3 Tbsp. grated orange zest
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (I just used all orange zest)

Cream Cheese Icing:
3 oz. cream cheese (I used 4 oz. cream cheese)
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. orange juice

Grease a standard loaf pan (8 1/2 x 4 inches).

Heat milk and butter just in microwave or on stove until butter melts. Add water, then allow to cool till just warm (110-115F). Add the yeast and 2 tsp. sugar. Let sit until foamy, about 5 min. Add the vanilla.

Combine the flour and the rest of the sugar. Add to the yeast mixture and mix till flour is just moistened. Add eggs, one at a time, beating till incorporated. Add 1/2 c. flour and mix till dough is smooth. Add 2 Tbsp. flour and mix till smooth.

Lightly flour a work surface and knead dough for about a minute. Add the last 2 Tbsp. flour if dough is too sticky. Place dough in a greased bowl, turn to coat, cover, and let rise in a warm place till doubled, about 1 hour.

Rub the orange zest into the sugar until it is orange and fragrant. Combine with the melted butter and set aside.

Punch down the dough and roll into a 12x20 inch rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the filling on the dough. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 5 strips, each 12x4 inches (use a ruler to get this as accurate as possible). Carefully stack the strips on top of each other, so you have a stack of five 12x4 inch rectangles.

Cut this stack into 6 equal rectangles, each 2 inches wide. Carefully place each of these smaller stacks into the loaf pan, cut side up. Cover and let rise in a warm spot till doubled, about 45 min.

Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 30-45 min. (mine took 30 min.). Cool on rack about 10-15 min., then remove from pan to rack to continue cooling.

Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar till smooth. Add the milk and juice and mix till combined. Ice warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe is linked to:
Recipes I Can't Wait to Try
Rook 17
Full Plate Thursday
Fat Camp Friday
Sweet Tooth Friday
What's Cookin' in the Kitchen
Your Recipes My Kitchen
Let's Break Bread Together
Themed Bakers' Sunday

56 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you enjoyed this, Lisa! Your loaf looks fabulous~

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  2. looks divine Lisa!! this must taste really refreshing and yummy!

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  3. This looks delish!! I can't wait to try it!!

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  4. Oh Lisa, this is my kind of yummy. I have to make this for my orange loving guy! thanks so much.

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  5. Wow! I have this crazy thing about bread too! Love the smell of homemade bread in the house. Your orange pull-apart bread looks fabulous, really soft and delicious. I'm bookmarking this, Lisa. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. This literally looks drool-worthy. The top would be where I would take my first bite..

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  7. Oh my goodness that looks divine! This is on my to do list :)

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  8. Look amazing I really love baking is the best!! love make bread! gloria

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  9. That looks great! It has a lovely rise and a good amount of frosting, which is the best part!

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  10. Looks so yummy! I would love to give this a try!

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  11. This looks so amazing. I cannot wait to try it! Great pictures.

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  12. Ooooooh! Now, that looks yummy and the perfect go-together with a cup of tea!

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  13. Oh I think this sounds wonderful. I would have been perfect to wake up to this morning....a cool crisp raining morning.

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  14. I love the look of this cake! Look at that frosting! Delicious!

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  15. Oh wow! This looks so good! You have such a yummy blog! I am passing my blogger award on to you. If you would like, save the award image and paste it on to your blog: http://deelicioussweets.blogspot.com/2011/03/sisterhood-of-world-bloggers-award.html Happy Spring!

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  16. This looks incredible!! I've been seeing pull-apart breads all over the internet but this is one of my faves :) I can practically smell it!

    Sues

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  17. Wow Lisa, this looks great. Love all the icing on there. Need to make this soon. Hope you have a great week.
    -Gina-

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  18. YUM! This looks so good. I also LOVE making (and eating) yeast breads. I made a simple crumb-style coffee cake yesterday, and its so yummy! I will post it soon. :)

    -Marissa
    www.noraisinsonmyparade.com

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  19. I love the idea of using orange flavor in this recipe. It looks delicious!

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  20. Hi Lisa, I am swooning from the pictures alone. A little drool has puddled under my chin (TMI perhaps?). Thanks for also sharing your mishaps because sometimes I feel like I am the only experienced baker who still forgets to grease a pan or has things stick to a board. :)

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  21. Lisa your bread looks absolutely wonderful (once again!) LOVE that this one is sweet (go figure). =o)

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  22. This looks fab - Im going to make this and ruin my diet after day 1

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  23. Wow! That looks incredible, love all that icing :)
    mickey

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  24. I saw the bread On Lizzy's blog and bookmarked it. Now I don't know which one I should try first. Love the icing on top.
    Thanks for sharing Lisa

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  25. I would never skip the cream cheese topping it
    looks way to good!!! YUM YUM YUM I can not wait to try it out! :)

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  26. This looks like something I need to make and take to work. The girls will love it!

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  27. man! this looks just divine. Cant wait to try it.

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  28. OH my goodness does that look divine. I want some with a cup of tea .. NOW!!!!

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  29. hi Lisa! that looks lovely! i think i can smell it all the way from nyc!

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  30. Hello again, I am sharing this wonderful recipe on my Wednesday post. thanks.

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  31. Incredible job on this.....it looks irresistible. I adore the orange flavor.

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  32. This looks awesome! I love the addition of the orange and I can't wait to try the pull apart cake!

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  33. I know exactly what you mean by your "delight" in baking bread. I feel just the same way. This glorious recipe makes me want to run to my kitchen and recreate it. It looks simply incredible!

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  34. This looks AMAZING!! I featured it on my blog today. Stop on by and grab a button!

    http://flexibledreams.blogspot.com/2011/03/featuring-food-that-makes-me-drool.html

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  35. Oh my gosh, Lisa! This bread is over-the-top GOODNESS!

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  36. Lisa girl...don't you know that Coffee Cake is a melt in your mouth recipe. It will be on my table before the week is out. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and please come back!

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  37. Looks absolutely heavenly! Especially with all of that frosting. Mmmmmmmm.

    Thanks for linking up with Sweet Tooth Friday!

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  38. I have seen the lemon version of this all over the blog world and I think it looks and sounds absolutely incredible, but you are right it does seem very labor intensive! I think an orange version was such a great idea. I love all things orange. Good to know it is worth all the effort!

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  39. This is looking absolutely delightful. Very nicely made and presented Lisa...!

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  40. Your bread looks scrumptious! I want to try it, but am wondering if I'll have altitude issues. At 3800 feet, we are just high enough to have problems baking.

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  41. I made this tonight and it was the best thing that has crossed these lips in a long time. And many many good things have crossed these lips. Thanks.

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  42. I fell in love with that pull apart bread over on Lizzy's blog, too. It just looks too yummy! You did a great job with your version.

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  43. Lisa, it sounds incredible and is lovely too!
    I agree, I love the whole almost magical bread baking experience. It's definitely rewarding. I'm looking forward to trying both the lemon and orange version of this recipe!

    Thank you for always sharing something wonderful on "A Little Birdie Told Me..." Tuesday at Rook No. 17

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  44. Oh Lisa, this looks heavenly!!! Thanks so much for linking up on Recipes I Can't Wait to Try!

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  45. Just linked to this amazing bread on my blog, tastycheapskate.blogspot.com. Plan to do a cinnamon sugar version this weekend. Hop on over Saturday and have a look.

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  46. Mmmmm lovely!Thanks so much for linking up!:)

    Cheers!
    Wit,wok&wisdom

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  47. Hey Lisa. I'm hosting the Sweet Rolls linky party every first of the month at sweet-rolls-that-rock.blogspot.com and i would love if you would add this to it. yum yum :P i'm drooling over here.

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  48. Hi Lisa,
    I tried out a cinnamon sugar version. Totally awesome, though the original orange is still nearest and dearest to my heart.

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  49. Oh Yummy :) This looks like it would be WONDERFUL!

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  50. Congrats! You were in the top 6 for this week's Themed Baker's Sunday at Cupcake Apothecary! Make sure to grab your I was featured button on the side of my blog! I hope to see you for this next week's Themed Baker's Sunday where the theme is CHEESECAKE! Submissions start tomorrow, so don't forget!
    http://cupcakeapothecary.blogspot.com/2011/05/themed-bakers-sunday-5.html
    Alyssa

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  51. Okay, this is the second pull-apart bread post I've seen in less than 30 minutes! I think God is trying to tell me I must bake one of these stat!

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