Ooey, Gooey Pull-Apart Cinnamon Bread #DessertsInJars

I am so honored to be working with my friend, Isabel, over at Family Foodie this week to test and share some of the delicious recipes from Shaina Olmanson’s new cookbook Desserts In Jars: 50 Sweet Treats That Shine (The Harvard Common Press – June 2012).

Mason jars are certainly all the rage this year.  I have a Pinterest board just for mason jar ideas, so I am excited to add another of my own baking projects to the board with this ooey, gooey, Pull-Apart Cinnamon Bread.

The giveaway is now closed, but please continue to enjoy the recipe and book details!

I not only baked some of the bread in mason jars, but I also added some of the dough in mugs for my kids to taste test.  The recipe is easily adapted to any cooking vessel.  Baby gave her mug a delicious two thumbs up!  Desserts In Jars: 50 Sweet Treats That Shine would be the perfect for gifting over the holidays, but it’s also full of fun ideas for making some adorable homemade holiday gift mixes to share.  The author shares on her website where you can print custom tags for each recipe if you plan to give them as gifts.  I know I will be getting a lot of use out of this book in the coming week prepping for the holiday!

Ingredients:
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup warm whole milk, at 110ºF
1/3 cup warm water, at 110ºF
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour plus ½ cup for rolling the dough
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:
1. Grease the bottoms and sides of eight 8-ounce jars with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment at low speed, mix together the milk, water, granulated sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the 3 cups of flour with the salt and cardamom in a separate bowl.

2. Using the dough hook attachment at low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture. Once all of the flour is in, mix on medium speed for 7 to 8 minutes, until the dough starts to pull into a ball.

3. Sprinkle ¼ cup of flour on a clean, dry work surface and place the dough in the center. Sprinkle an additional 2 to 3 tablespoons of flour over the top of the dough. Knead to form a ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a dry cloth. Store in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Punch down the dough. Turn it out onto a floured work surface and roll it into a rectangle. Using kitchen shears or a pizza slicer, cut the dough into 1-inch squares.

5. Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium-size bowl. Dip the dough squares into the remaining melted butter and then roll them gently in the brown sugar mixture. Fill the buttered jars with the dough squares until half full. Set in a warm place to rise for 50 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF.

6. Place the jars 2 inches apart on a large baking sheet. Bake the breads for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough is cooked through. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm.

I got a giggle seeing the jars bubbling away in the oven with all the buttery goodness.  Butter rocks in the right dish! My house smelled amazing while the bread was cooking, and I want your house to smell amazing too, so I am excited to share…

I am giving away a copy of
Desserts In Jars: 50 Sweet Treats That Shine!

All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post telling me your favorite dish to make at the holidays!  So easy!

For other additional entries:
1. Pin any picture from this post to your favorite Pinterest board.  Please leave the direct link to the pin in the comments section.
2. Tweet about this recipe and giveaway.  Please leave the direct link to the tweet in the comments section.

As a BONUS – there are 10 other blogs sharing recipes and have cookbooks to giveaway too!  That is 10 sweet chances to win and fabulous odds!  We are all posting on different days this week so be sure to check out the published posts as they go live on the day listed below.

Monday:

• Nicole Cook from Daily Dish Recipes fell in love with Banana Buttermilk Triffles.
• Karen Hartzell blogs at In The Kitchen with KP and wants to share Pull Apart Cinnamon Bread with friends and family.

Tuesday:

• Pam Clark from The Meltaways will be warming us up with the Spiced Hot Chocolate Mix with Cinnamon Marshmallows
• Heather Gonzalez is the girlichef who can’t wait to share Orange White-Chocolate Cheesecakes with Cranberry Sauce

Wednesday:

• Amber Poole who blogs as Mama’s Blissful Bites will be sharing the Campfire Bars Mix
• Sunithi Selvaraj from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz loves Cherry Almond Bars

Thursday:

• Jaime Rippy the blogger behind Mama Mommy Mom couldn’t resist the Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Gingersnap Crust
• Renee Dobbs from Magnolia Days had so much fun preparing Monster Mix Cookies

Friday:

• Jen Martinez form Juanita’s Cocina is raving about the Basil Strawberry Lemonade Granita… oh yeah
• Lane Richeson from Supper for a Steal loves the twist on an old favorite Strawberry Shortcake

I enjoy seeing the success of food bloggers and the publishing of their cookbooks.  I can only imagine how thrilled they are to see all their hard work come to fruition in a beautiful cookbook.  You  can check out  the author’s food blog, Food For My Family, for more  family friendly recipes, and if you would like to purchase this book for yourself or to give as a gift this season, you can purchase Desserts in Jars here.

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Harvard Commons Press. The opinions and text are all mine