Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread

Step 1

Combine the milk, butter, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and stir to combine until the butter has melted. Remove from heat to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl) and allow to cool to lukewarm. Once cooled, sprinkle the yeast over the top and allow it to dissolve, stirring occasionally as needed.

Step 2

Stir the pumpkin into the milk mixture and then add the remaining ingredients. Using a dough hook attachment (or your hands) knead the dough on medium speed for 5 minutes. The dough should be tacky but pull away from the sides of the bowl easily. Grease a large bowl, place the dough inside, and cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap. Allow it to rise in a warm spot in the kitchen until doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours.

Step 3

Grease a standard loaf pan (8.5” x 3.5”) and roll the dough out onto a well-floured surface into a 12”x 20” rectangle. Use the back of a fork to combine the butter, sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg into a creamy paste. Gently spread this over the entire sheet of dough.

Step 4

Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 6- 12” long strips. Carefully make two stacks of dough (with three strips in each stack) and cut each stack into three equal pieces. You should end up with 18 equal-sized rectangles of dough. Layer all of the dough pieces in the pan, being careful not to squish to dough pieces down too much. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and allow to rise a second time and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 5

Once the dough has risen about ½-1” above the top of the pan (about 30 minutes)s, place in the preheated oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the top has turned golden and set, even in the middle. You can gently touch some of the pieces of dough in the middle of the pan to ensure that it doesn’t still feel soft and mushy. Be sure that the dough is not under-baked in the center or your loaf will deflate when you remove it from the oven. Once baked, allow the loaf to cool in the pan on a cooling rack.

Step 6

Once almost all the way cooled, remove the loaf from the pan and prepare the icing. Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer until smooth. Add just enough milk to make it loose enough to drizzle. Pour over the top of the loaf and serve! You can rewarm in the oven or microwave as well.