Lemony Pull-Apart Bread Made Simple With a Bread Machine and a Bundt Pan

Lemony Pull-Apart Bread is yeast bread flavored with lemon and orange zest that is surprisingly easy to make with a bread machine and a bundt pan. No worries if you don’t have a bread machine. You can make it by hand or with a stand mixer. Directions here.

My daughter-in-law recently asked me if I thought she could make a certain lemon pull-apart bread seen on Pinterest in her bread machine. Many regular yeast bread recipes can be converted so I took the bait. In the end, I actually adapted my own Monkey Bread recipe because…well… I think it’s better. I hope you agree.

However, I procrastinated because the original instructions for assembling the bread seemed rather complicated.  Surely there was an easier way than cutting long strips, stacking them, slicing the stacks, etc.

Then I remembered the bread my mom always made for us on Christmas morning. She used a biscuit cutter to cut rolled-out yeast dough into many circles. Each piece was dipped in butter and coated with cinnamon-y goodness. Finally, the circles of dough were positioned vertically, like little toy soldiers lined up at attention, inside a faux-bundt pan. (I think it was actually a metal jello mold.)

Not only did Mom’s Christmas bread bring back memories, it provided the inspiration I needed to make this recipe faster and simpler without sacrificing taste or appearance. Check out the process pictures below to see how I did it.

I can’t wait to serve this delicious bread to my family on Christmas morning but you can be sure I won’t be getting up early to put it together. I plan to mix, knead and assemble it the day before. See the notes at the end of the recipe for how to prepare this recipe a day ahead and then bake the next morning.

How to assemble Lemony Pull-Apart Bread after the dough cycle of your bread machine completes:

Remove dough from bread machine pan to a floured surface.

Roll dough into a rough rectangular shape measuring approximately 8 x 10 inches.

Cut dough into large diamonds with a knife or pizza cutter.

After dipping each diamond into butter first and then sugary/lemon mixture, place each piece on its side in an upright position in bundt pan. (Please ignore the cinnamon-pecan streusel mixture pictures and pretend it is a sugary/lemon streusel-like mixture.)

Continue until all diamonds are lined up around the pan.

Cover with a plastic shower cap, plastic wrap, or a tea towel.

Allow bread to rise until almost double in size before placing into preheated oven to bake.

Since this will probably be my last post before Christmas, I send you greetings and wishes for a Christmas filled with the joy only Christ can promise and deliver. Thank-you to all who have left comments and sent e-mails in the past year. They encouraged and challenged me, making all the time spent on this little blog a lot more interesting and fun.

Lemony Pull-Apart Bread

Yield: 1 bundt loaf

Prep Time: 3 hours 45 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

A simple pull-apart bread flavored with lemon and orange zest that you can make in your bread machine

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Ingredients

• 5/8 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/4 cup unbleached flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• Lemon zest from 3 medium lemons and 1 orange mixed with 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons whipping cream, milk or coffee

Instructions

1. Dump first 7 ingredients into bread machine pan in order listed. Select dough cycle. After 5 minutes, lift lid and check dough. It should stick to the side, then pull away. If dough is too dry, add milk one tablespoon at a time. If too wet, add flour one tablespoon at a time.
2. When dough cycle completes (dough should be doubled in size), remove dough to a floured surface and roll into a rectangle roughly 8 x 10 inches in size.
3. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the dough into large diamonds.
4. Dip each diamond into melted butter, then into sugary lemon/orange zest mixture.
5. Place first piece on its side in bundt pan. Lay second piece upright against first piece and repeat until all pieces have been lined up around the pan. You may have to push them together to squeeze in the final pieces. Perfection is not required.
6. Cover with shower cap, plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to rise in warm place until almost double.
7. Uncover and bake in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F. Lay a piece of foil loosely on top to prevent over-browning about halfway through baking time.
8. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out of pan. Flip upside down so crusty top is visible.
9. While bread is still warm, mix powdered sugar with liquid of choice and drizzle over the top.

Notes

To prepare a day ahead, follow instructions above through step 5. Cover dough that has already been arranged in pan with plastic wrap or shower cap. Chill overnight. About 2 hours before you want to serve bread, remove bundt pan from fridge and set aside in a warm, cozy place until dough has almost doubled in size. Bake as directed above. You can control the rising process somewhat by moving pan to a warmer or cooler location, depending on when you want it to be ready to bake.

Recommended Products

• 
  Zojirushi BB-PDC20BA Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus Breadmaker, 2 lb. loaf of Bread, Stainless Steel/Black
• 
  Fleischmann's Yeast for Bread Machines, 4-ounce Jars (Pack of 1)
• 
  King Arthur Flour Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, 5 Pound
• 
  Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Anniversary Bundt Pan

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• Monkey Bread Inspired by Helen Corbitt
• How to Convert a Traditional Yeast Bread Recipe for Use in a Bread Machine
• 5 Surprising Reasons I Don’t Bake Bread in My Bread Machine