Lemon Pull Apart Coffeecake:)

I'd post pics but it's gone:) Actually, the photos here are much better and this is super delicious. I'll post the recipe here, but go to the link for a much better step by step. Oh, and it was really fun to make too; looks like a lot of work, but it went very quickly once the dough rose.

I copied the recipe directly so there are few words like 'happy' that tie directly to the photos :)

http://manggy.blogspot.com/2008/12/pull-apart-lemon-scented-coffee-cake.html

Sweet Yeast Dough


about 350g (2-1/4 cups) all-purpose flour

50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar

2-1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

75g (5 tablespoons) whole milk

55g (1/4 cup or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter

60g (1/4 cup) water

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 large eggs, at room temperature

In the large bowl of a stand mixer (though you can also do this by hand as I did), stir together 255g (2 cups) of the flour, the sugar, and the yeast. In a small saucepan or microwaveable container, heat the milk with the butter on low heat/power until the butter is just melted. Set aside until warm (about 130°F/55°C or 1 minute), then add the vanilla. Pour this over the flour mixture and using a strong spatula or wooden spoon, stir together until the flour is evenly moistened. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or continue to use the spatula), and mix on low speed while adding the eggs one at a time, just until each is incorporated. Add 65g (1/2 cup) of the remaining flour and mix on low speed until smooth (about 45 seconds). Add 2 more tablespoons flour and mix at medium speed until smooth and slightly sticky, about another 45 seconds. If doing this by hand, you might prefer to knead it gently and squeeze the dough till it comes together.

Sprinkle a work surface with 1 tablespoon flour and place the dough on top. Knead gently until smooth and no longer sticky, about 1 minute, adding an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons flour only if necessary to lessen the stickiness. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with cling film, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 45-60 minutes. The indentation of a fingertip on the dough should remain.

Lemon Paste Filling

100g (1/2 cup) sugar

3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

55g (1/4 cup or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

In a small bowl, mix the sugar and the citrus zests together, rubbing them between your fingers until it resembles wet sand. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and spray a 9x5" loaf pan with baking spray.

Gently deflate the dough. Referring to the nifty step-by-step I drew:
1. Happy dough on a lightly floured surface.
2. Roll out to a 20x12" rectangle.
3. Brush the surface with the melted butter.
4. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough crosswise into 5 strips (each about 12x4").
5. Sprinkle one of the rectangles with 1-1/2 tablespoon of the zest-sugar filling.
6. Place a second rectangle of dough on top and sprinkle with 1-1/2 tablespoons of the filling. Repeat using the rest of the dough rectangles, ending with a sprinkling of the filling.
7. Stack of 5 dough rectangles.
8. Cut the stack crosswise into 6 smaller stacks, each about 4x2".
9. Fit the layered strips into the loaf pan, cut edges (the 4" side) up. You'll end up with something like the photo above. Loosely cover with cling film and let it rise in a warm place until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30-50 minutes-- the indentation of a fingertip should remain. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.

Tangy Cream Cheese Icing

85g (3 oz or 6 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened

35g (1/4 cup) powdered sugar

15g (1 tablespoon) whole milk

15g (1 tablespoon) fresh lemon juice

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the milk and lemon juice until the well-combined.

Unmold the coffee cake (all the butter will allow it to release quite easily) and place on a wire rack or serving platter. Using a pastry brush, coat the top with icing. Serve the coffee cake warm or at room temperature.