Bacon Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread
Reprinted with permission from The Southern Foodie’s Guide to the Pig (Thomas Nelson, 2014).
Yield: 12 servings
1 pound bacon
2 tablespoons melted butter (or reserved bacon fat), plus extra for greasing pan/bowl
1 1/3 cups whole or 2% milk
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons freshly ground cinnamon
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and strain pan grease into a small heat-proof bowl. Set aside and keep warm. Chop bacon.
Grease a 10 - inch Bundt pan with butter. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to 110 degrees. Add yeast. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, salt, and chopped bacon. On low speed, slowly add beaten egg, milk mixture, and melted butter. Mix until dough comes together. Switch to the hook attachment and mix another 5 minutes. The dough should be slightly tacky, but should not stick to the bottom of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add a small amount of flour until it comes together. Place dough in a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
After dough has rested, punch it down in the bowl. Pinch dough off in golf ball-size pieces and place on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap.
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place warm bacon fat in another small bowl, careful that the fat is not hot enough to burn but not cold enough to congeal. Unwrap dough and use a slotted spoon to dip 1 to 3 balls at a time into bacon fat. Lift dough balls with spoon, drain excess fat, and roll balls in sugar mixture. Remove and place in the Bundt pan. Repeat. If the fat becomes too cold and congeals, warm on the stovetop and keep going. When you are finished you should have a few layers with dough placed in a random order. Wrap the Bundt pan in plastic and allow to rest until dough doubles in size again, 45 to 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once dough has doubled, remove the plastic wrap and bake for 30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.
1 pound bacon
2 tablespoons melted butter (or reserved bacon fat), plus extra for greasing pan/bowl
1 1/3 cups whole or 2% milk
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons freshly ground cinnamon
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and strain pan grease into a small heat-proof bowl. Set aside and keep warm. Chop bacon.
Grease a 10 - inch Bundt pan with butter. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to 110 degrees. Add yeast. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, salt, and chopped bacon. On low speed, slowly add beaten egg, milk mixture, and melted butter. Mix until dough comes together. Switch to the hook attachment and mix another 5 minutes. The dough should be slightly tacky, but should not stick to the bottom of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add a small amount of flour until it comes together. Place dough in a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
After dough has rested, punch it down in the bowl. Pinch dough off in golf ball-size pieces and place on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap.
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place warm bacon fat in another small bowl, careful that the fat is not hot enough to burn but not cold enough to congeal. Unwrap dough and use a slotted spoon to dip 1 to 3 balls at a time into bacon fat. Lift dough balls with spoon, drain excess fat, and roll balls in sugar mixture. Remove and place in the Bundt pan. Repeat. If the fat becomes too cold and congeals, warm on the stovetop and keep going. When you are finished you should have a few layers with dough placed in a random order. Wrap the Bundt pan in plastic and allow to rest until dough doubles in size again, 45 to 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once dough has doubled, remove the plastic wrap and bake for 30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.