Each piece of this yummy Pumpkin Spice Bread is covered in melted butter, sugar, spices and chopped pecans. It is best when still warm from the oven, or if it’s already cooled try heating briefly in the microwave before serving. This is a monkey-type bread, so you can just pull the pieces off with your fingers to eat, or slice into pieces if you prefer.

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup warm milk (110 to 115 degrees)
2 packages active dry yeast

1¼ cups granulated sugar, divided

½ cup unsalted butter, melted, divided

1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon salt

5½ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for work surface

½ cup pecans, finely chopped

Tip:  Use standard measuring cups and spoons or scales for accurate measuring.

Directions:

Dough:

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Set aside.
   
   
2. In a large bowl, combine warm milk and yeast; stir and let sit until yeast is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add ½ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons melted butter, pumpkin, and salt; beat until mixture is smooth. Add 2 cups flour and 2 teaspoons of the spice mixture; stir until well mixed. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough.
   
   
3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured pastry mat or pastry board; knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
   
   
4. Place dough in a well greased bowl; turn dough over once to grease the top. Cover bowl with a small kitchen towel and let dough rise is a warm place until doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours.
   
   
5. Prepare one 10 inch Angel Food tube cake pan; lightly grease the pan with shortening. Stir the remaining ¾ cup sugar into the remaining spice mixture.
   
   
6. Punch dough down then knead dough briefly, 4 to 5 times. Divide the dough into thirds. Roll each third into an 18 inch long rope. Cut each rope into 18 1 inch pieces, and then roll each piece into a ball.
   
   
7. Roll the balls in the remaining melted butter, then roll in the sugar and spice mixture. Place 18 balls in the bottom of the prepared pan, spacing evenly (place 12 balls around the outer edge and 6 balls around the middle.) Sprinkle 1/3 of the pecans over the top. Place a second row of 18 balls on top, staggering the balls over the empty spaces, then sprinkle 1/3 of the pecans over the top. Add a last row of 18 balls, sprinkle with any remaining sugar and spice mixture and sprinkle the remaining pecans over the top.
   
   
8. Cover and let dough rise is a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
   
   
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   
   Bake:
10. Bake 55 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Place pan on a wire cooling rack to cool. Cool in pan for 20 minutes.
    
    
11. Run a thin kitchen knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the sides. Invert the pan to remove the bread; place bread onto a serving plate, right side up. Serve warm.
    
    Makes 1 loaf
    
    TheBakingPan.com
    
    Source: Clements, Carole, Baking, Hermes House, New York, 2001
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