Recipe: Lemon Lavender Pull Apart Bread (using yeast or biscuit dough)

LEMON LAVENDER PULL-APART LOAF

"This lemony, not-too-sweet breakfast bread is meant for sharing. Making the dough from scratch is fun and rewarding, and I've given you instructions to do so if you'd like, but there's nothing wrong with using store-bought, if that's more your speed. Either way, please invite me over for brunch. I'm very good at helping "even out" the jagged edges of pull-apart bread, you see. In the name of being helpful."



2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
2 teaspoons dried lavender buds
1/2 cup sugar
2 cans (8 ounces each) store-bought refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough, or DIY Dough (recipe follows)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with a rack in the center position. Grease and flour a standard loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, use the tips of your fingers to work the lemon zest and dried lavender into the sugar, rubbing everything together until the sugar is brightly colored and fragrant.

Remove the biscuits from the package and roll each one out into a flat round about 1/2-inch thick. Lightly brush the rounds with the melted butter and sprinkle a scant teaspoon of the lemon-lavender sugar on top of each, using your fingers to spread it evenly around.

Fold the round of dough in half, then arrange the half-moons of dough tightly in the prepared loaf pan, laying the flat edges on the bottom of the pan, with the rounded edges pointing up. Brush any remaining melted butter on top of the loaf, and sprinkle over any extra sugar.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until deeply golden all over and a thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 200 degrees F, 30 to 35 minutes.

Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then run a paring knife around the sides to loosen the loaf before carefully inverting onto a cutting board. Gently place a plate or serving platter on top of the inverted loaf, then flip carefully to set right side up.

Enjoy it warm. Bread is best the day it's made, but can be tightly wrapped and stored at room temperature for about 2 days. Rewarm in the microwave or a 275 degree F oven to refresh before serving.

Makes 4-6 servings

DIY DOUGH

If you want to make the dough from scratch, here's how:

2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided use
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) rapid-rise yeast
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, yeast, and salt.

Melt the butter into the milk, either in a small saucepan over medium heat or in 15-second increments in the microwave. Add the 1/4 cup water and vanilla and stir to help it cool down.

When the milk mixture has cooled to be just warm to the touch, pour it over the flour mixture and stir to incorporate. Add the eggs and continue stirring until combined. Add an additional 3/4 cup flour and stir until a somewhat sticky dough comes together.

Transfer the dough to a large, well-oiled bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm corner of the kitchen and let it rise until doubled in size, 30 minutes to 1 hour. (Note: If you want to break up this process, you can let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight, covered with plastic wrap.)

When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Work another 2 tablespoons of flour into it until it's nice and smooth. Cover it with your clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 5 minutes.

When the dough has rested, roll it into a roughly 12x20-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle the lemon lavender sugar evenly on top, pressing gently to adhere.

Use a sharp knife to cut the dough lengthwise into 6 strips of equal width. Stack the strips on top of one another and then cut the stack crosswise into 6 pieces (you'll end up with 6 square stacks of dough).

Arrange the dough stacks sideways in the prepared loaf pan - the sugared sides will face the ends of the loaf pan, and the cut edges of the dough will stand up straight like the pages of a book. Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise once more, until nearly doubled in size, 20 to 30 minutes. Then just proceed with the recipe as written above.

Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: One Pan & Done: hassle-free meals from the oven to your table by Molly Gilbert