Lemon Cream Cheese Pullapart Bread
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott adapted from Barbara Bakes
Preparation time: 30 minutes plus resting time
Cooking time: 30 minutes
- 2 3/4 cups/410g/14.4ozs all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup/55g/2ozs granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons dried instant yeast
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Lemon Sugar Filling
- 1/2 cup/110g/3.9 caster or superfine sugar
- 4 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (4 lemons)
- 125g/4ozs. cream cheese, softened (I used light cream cheese)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
Lemon Icing
- 1 cup/155g/5.5ozs powdered or icing sugar
- 5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Step 1 - Line a large loaf tin with baking parchment. Fit your mixer with the beater attachment and add the 2 cups flour (not all yet, you may not need it all), sugar, yeast, and salt. Heat the milk and butter in the microwave until the milk is warm but not hot and the butter is soft but not entirely melted. Add to the mixer bowl and beat on low speed. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time and beat for 3 minutes.
Step 2 - Switch to a dough hook and then add the salt and some of the remaining flour - you may not need to add it all, I stopped short with about 3 tablespoons left. Scrape the sides of the bowl and roll the dough into a ball and place back in the bowl and cover with cling film. Rest for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
Step 3 - Make lemon sugar filling by combining the sugar and lemon zest. Then mix the cream cheese and butter together in a separate bowl and set aside.
Step 4 - When the dough is ready, flour a clean surface. Punch down the dough and roll out into as large a rectangle as possible. Trim the sides so that you get a rectangle shape. Cut into five even long strips and then spread with the cream cheese mixture and then sprinkle with lemon sugar. Pile all of the strips on top of each other sugar side up.
Step 5 - Now measure your tin and then cut the long strips into three or four pieces. The dough will expand quite a bit so you want some gap at the front and sides of the tin for when it expands when baking. Set aside in a warm place for its second proof/rise for 15-30 minutes. I usually reroll the scraps and fill them with the lemon sugar and cream cheese and make a small scroll too.
Step 6 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Bake for 30 minutes. Check the loaf after 20 minutes and if it is browning too much, cover with foil.
Step 7 - Mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice to form an icing and fill a piping bag or zip lock bag with the end cut off and drizzle over the bread.