The Best Ever Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Pull-Apart Loaf

Directions

• This recipe makes enough for two pull-apart loaves. The recipe can be easily divided by two if you decide that you want to make just one loaf. You can also refrigerate half of the dough and half of the blueberry compote and make the second loaf the next day. The compound butter and the glaze are very simple to put together, so when I make the second loaf the following day, I make half the recipe for the butter and half the recipe for the glaze on the first day and then make the other half on the next day when I’m making the other loaf.
• Start by making the sweet dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm milk and yeast. Whisk to combine.
• Add in sugar, eggs and melted butter. Mix until well combined.
• Next, stir in flour and salt until a dough begins to form.
• Mix in the stand mixer on low speed with a dough hook for 5 minutes. The dough should not be sticking to the sides of the bowl. If the dough starts to stick to the bottom of the bowl, add more bread flour, one tbsp at a time, until it no longer is sticking to the bottom. Your dough should not stick to your finger when you touch it. After 5 mins, I like to pinch off a piece of dough and hold it up to a window and stretch it until I can see the light come through. If you can do this without the dough tearing apart, it’s done kneading.
• Push dough to the side, add in a little olive oil, roll the dough in the oil, cover and let it rise for 2 hours, until it’s doubled in size. It can really rise for 2-3 hours, or overnight. If you want it to sit overnight, first allow it to rise for 2-3 hours, then wrap it tightly and store it in the fridge. Let it come to room temp on the counter for about an hour before you plan to use it the next day. Here is how my dough looks after rising.
• To make the blueberry compote, add the blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar to a small pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once the pot is simmering, reduce the heat to medium low and allow it to continue to simmer until the mixture thickens up and becomes jammy. Be sure to stir the pot occasionally so that the compote doesn’t stick or burn to the sides or bottom of the pot. The compote takes about 20-25 mins from the time that you put it onto the stove until it’s done. Set it aside and allow it to cool. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
• To make the compound butter, combine the softened butter, cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl. Mix well with a fork until combined. The photo below shows half the recipe (enough compound butter to make one loaf.)
• Once the dough has risen, split it into two equal pieces on a lightly floured pastry board. Mine were 18 oz each. Keep the other half of the dough covered while you work with the first half. You can also wrap and refrigerate the second half and bake the second loaf the next day.
• Form the dough into a disc and cut it into 8 equal pieces. I eyeballed this step and didn’t weigh them out.
• Roll each piece into a small ball, then flatten each ball with the palm of your hand. You want discs of about 4 inches in diameter. A rolling pin isn’t necessary. but you can use one if you prefer.
• Next add compound butter to each dough disc and spread it around, but not all the way to the edges. It ends up being just over a tsp of butter for each disc.
• Add a spoonful of blueberry compote on top of the compound butter. It should be about 1-1 1/2 tbsp onto each one.
• Carefully fold each disc in half while you try not to squeeze the fillings out.
• Prepare a standard loaf pan (about 9″x5″). I use butter and just spread a little bit around all over the bottom and sides of the pan. You could also use cooking spray.
• Now place the folded dough discs into the loaf pan, rounded side up. The dough will be lower than the height of the loaf pan and should still be lower after this next rise. Cover the pan and allow it to rise for about 45 mins in a warm place until you can see that the dough has puffed up. The photo below is before the rise.
• While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the bottom 1/3.
• When it’s ready, bake the loaf in the preheated oven for 25 mins. You can place the loaf pan on a rimmed baking sheet in case any of the blueberries bubble over. I have not had that happen, but it seems like it could be possible.
• If you’re baking both loaves, I prefer to bake them separately, so this is when I would prepare my second loaf. To make the second loaf, repeat steps 10-18 and bake it when the first loaf is done.
• To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar with the milk and whisk until smooth. The glaze in the photo below is made using half of the volume of ingredients above, for just one loaf.
• When the loaf has finished baking, it will be golden brown. Allow it to cool in the pan for about 15 mins or so. Once it’s cool enough to touch, I reach in from both ends, pull it out and place it on a plate of serving tray for glazing.
• I like to add the glaze to the cooled loaf using a whisk. You can also use a small spatula or a silicon brush.
• Serve and enjoy! Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container on the counter and the loaf will last a couple of days. I recommend glazing it right before you plan to eat it, so if you plan to save one for later, I would hold off on the glaze.

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