A July 4th Breakfast

July 4th is tomorrow and I know many of you are looking for red, white, and blue inspired recipes.  Well look no further.  Red = strawberries, blue = blueberries, and white = powdered sugar.  You know what else is great about this recipe?  It can be made at any time of the year.  Woo hoo!

I've been wanting to make this as soon as I found it on Joy the Baker's website.  She teamed up with King Arthur Flour on a baking challenge called Baking Bootcamp.  I missed the first round, which was this recipe, but I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the next one.

Now, about this bread.  It is buttery, tender, and just melts in your mouth.  Let's not forget the delicious cinnamon and berry filling!  OH MY GOODNESS!  Words cannot describe this amazingness (yes, I just made up a word.) Please, make this and find out for yourself!

Ingredients & Directions

For the dough

• 2 1/4 tsps. active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 cup whole milk, lukewarm
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tbsps. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Olive oil for greasing a large bowl

For the filling

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tsps. ground cinnamon
• 2 cups fresh berries (I used sliced strawberries and blueberries)
• 1 large egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Directions

Step 1: In a medium bowl, stir yeast with sugar.

Step 2: Stir in the lukewarm milk, then add the egg yolk and melted butter.

Step 3: Whisk together until thoroughly combined.  Allow it to rest for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, it should foam and froth.

Step 4: In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt.

Step 5; Pour the milk mixture over the flour mix and begin kneading until it pulls away from the edges of the bowl.

Step 6: Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead by hand for approximately 10 minutes.  It should be smooth and damp without being too sticky.

Step 7: Shape the dough into a ball.  Grease a large bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl.  Cover and let rest, at room temperature, for approximately 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Step 8: While the dough rises, prepare the filling.  Mix the butter, sugar and cinnamon together.  Set aside.

Step 9: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet.  If you do not have one, you can also use a 10-inch springform pan.  If you use a springform pan, make sure to wrap the bottom with foil so that none of the juices leak out.  Set your skillet or pan aside.

Step 10: After it has rested, set your dough on a lightly floured surface and knead twice.  

Step 11: Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a rectangle shape, approximately 18x12 inches.

Step 12: Spread your filling onto the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around the edges.

Step 13: Sprinkle berries over the cinnamon filling.

Step 14: Begin to roll your dough, along the longest side.

Step 15: Use a sharp knife to cut the log in half, length-wise, leaving 1-inch of the edge uncut.

Step 16: Start crossing the two pieces over each other, lifting the left over the right.  Repeat until you reach the bottom.  Press and seal the ends.  Join the two ends together,creating a circle, and press together.

Step 17: Using both your hands, lift your bread and place it in your skillet/pan.

Step 18: Brush your dough with the beaten egg.

Step 19: Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until it is golden brown and bubbling.

Step 20: Let is rest for 30 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar.  Slice and enjoy!