I'm pretty sure there is nobody on earth who doesn't like fresh bread. Swirl some butter and spiced sugar through it and you have the stuff they must certainly eat in heaven. I like the citrus notes in Signature Spiced, but you really could use any of our specialty sugars except Peppermint. I think Granulated Chocolate or Gingerbread Sugar might make something extra special.
What You Need (makes 2 loaves):
For the dough -
6 C all-purpose flour
1 pkg active dry yeast
2 1/4 C milk
2 T plain white sugar
1 T butter
2 tsp salt
For the swirl -
1 stick butter (sliced into tablespoons)
1/2 C Signature Spiced Sugar (or any of our other specialty sugars)
What You Do:
In a standing mixer bowl, combine 3 C flour + the yeast.
In a med saucepan, stir and heat the milk, butter, white sugar, and salt over low heat until it reaches 120 degrees. This part is very important.
Add the hot liquid to the flour+yeast and beat on low to combine. Then beat on high for 3 minutes.
Switch to the kneading hook, or turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until it is elastic and smooth.
Lightly oil a large bowl and let the dough rise for an hour with a damp tea towel over it.
Punch down the dough, divide it into two equal pieces, and roll each of them out onto a floured surface into 6X18" rectangles.
Place the butter pats all over the tops of the the rolled-out dough. Now sprinkle 1/4 C of spiced sugar on top of each one.
Cover the loaves with a damp tea towel and let them rise 30 more minutes - or until they have doubled in size.Bake the loaves in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Remove them from the pans (or they will get soggy) and allow them to cool on a cooling rack before slicing. Serve toasted with butter or all by itself. While it takes a long time, it's really not that hard and so very worth the effort for a special occasion or to share with a friend. The loaves last up to a week (in theory - they will get gobbled up before that) and I suggest storing them wrapped up in the fridge.
