Pull-Apart Cranberry Sugar-Pecan “Bundt” Bread with Cranberry Glaze

Yield:

Instructions

Generously grease a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or softened butter and thoroughly dust with granulated sugar.

Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the all-purpose and bread flours, yeast, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, and potato starch until incorporated. Add the buttermilk, egg, and 3 tablespoons softened butter and mix on medium-low speed until a shaggy dough forms and all of the dry bits at the bottom of the bowl are incorporated.

Replace the paddle with the dough hook attachment. On medium-low speed, knead the dough until a smooth mass forms that comes off the sides of the bowl and still sticks to the bottom, 5 to 7 minutes. If the dough is very sticky, add a little extra flour. Alternatively, if it’s too dry, add a bit of buttermilk, until it sticks just a bit.

Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and grease the bowl with cooking spray or softened butter. Place the dough back into it and cover the bowl with plastic wrap, setting it aside in a warm place until it has practically doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.

Lightly flour the counter before turning the dough out onto it. Using your hands, shape the dough into a rectangle, with the longest side closest to you. With a rolling pin, form a rectangle roughly 20 by 15 inches.

Generously brush the dough with the melted butter (you will have some left over). Evenly sprinkle the cranberries and pecans over the dough, pressing them in with your fingers. Sprinkle with the 3/4 cup sugar and then use the rolling pin to gently adhere all of the toppings into the dough.

Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the rectangle into 6 equal horizontal strips. Stack the 6 strips on top of each other and cut the layered strips into 6 equal small rectangular stacks. The toppings will fall off—just press them back in with your fingers. Lightly press down on each stack and place each one upright in the prepared pan, as you would dominoes. Don’t worry if one stack faces in and another out; just make sure vertical stacks are evenly placed around the bottom of the pan. The cranberries and pecans will continue to fall off as you do this, but just stick them back into the dough or sprinkle them on top of the bread.

Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the bread rises to about 1 1/2 times its original size, 35 to 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375°. When the dough has fully risen, bake the bread on the center rack until nicely browned, about 40 minutes. The bread is done when its internal temperature is 190°F. If you do not have a thermometer, stick a paring knife in between the layers to confirm that the dough is cooked through.

Remove the bread from the oven and immediately invert the cake right-side up onto a serving plate. (This is an unusual instance when the top of the Bundt does not become the bottom.) Brush the top with the extra melted butter, remelting it if necessary. Let cool to room temperature before glazing.

Instructions

Combine the cranberries and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until the berries burst and turn jammy, smashing them with a wooden spoon to speed up the process. Using a fine wire mesh sieve, strain the cranberries into a small bowl, pressing the solids into the sieve to extract every last drop of juice. Cool to room temperature. Once cool, add the confectioners’ sugar and salt and whisk to combine. If the glaze is too thick, add a bit of buttermilk, or if it is too thin, add a bit more sugar. Drizzle the glaze over the slightly cooled bread. Let the glaze set before serving.