Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp dried active yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the filling
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup butter, melted
For the Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
hot water
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, place the cornstarch, sugar, yeast, salt and 2 cups of flour.
Heat the milk and butter together in a small saucepan until the butter
is melted. Remove from the heat and add the water. Let this cool for
about a minute, then add the vanilla, and pour all the liquid into the
bowl with the flour. Stir this all together until all the dry
ingredients are moistened.
Start the mixer on a low speed as you add the eggs one at a time until
they're just incorporated. Stop the mixer and add 1/2 cup more flour to
the bowl. Mix again at low speed for about half a minute. Add 2 more
tbsp of flour and mix in on medium speed until you get a smooth,
slightly sticky dough (about 45 seconds).
On a work surface sprinkled with 2 tbsp of flour, knead the dough until
it's not sticky (about 1 minute). Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl
and cover it with cling film. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place
until it's doubled in size which should take about an hour.
While the dough rises, make the filling by combining the dark brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Once the dough is ready, lightly flour your work surface and gently tip
the dough onto it, sprinkling a little more flour on top of the dough.
Roll the dough out into roughly a 40 x 40 cm square, then brush about
2/3 of the butter over the entire surface of the dough.
Sprinkle 3/4 of the filling mixture evenly on top of the butter on the dough, then roll the dough tightly into a log.
Place the log horizontally on your work surface. Take a piece of thread
and place it vertically on your work surface. With the thread still
vertical, place log on top of the middle of the thread. Move the thread
to the left or right, so it is still under the dough, and is 1 cm in
from the end of the log. Take the ends of the thread and hold them above
the log. Cross them over each other once and pull them away from each
other until the thread has cut through the dough completely. **This
description confused me. You are basically tying a knot over the dough
and pulling it tight until it cuts through. Then you tie another
knot...and another. Repeat until you've cut all the dough into 1 cm
thick slices.
On a piece of baking paper, use a rolling pin to flatten each slice to
3-4 mm thick *** I used the lazy method which I like to call steam
rolling. Flattened them all at once! Brush the top of each flattened
slice with a little of the remaining melted butter, ans sprinkle on
about 3/4 tsp of filling mixture. Place them on top of each other so you
have 4-5 stacks each containing about 5 slices.
Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Place your stacks of dough into the greased loaf pan, cover loosely with
clingfilm, and leave to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes (I
preheat the oven for a few minutes, turn it off, and then put the bowl
in there with the door cracked).
Bake the bread for 25-35 minutes when it should be golden brown on top.
Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Meanwhile make the
glaze by stirring the vanilla then the hot water, a little at a time
into the powdered sugar in a small bowl until you get a slightly runny
icing.
Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and gently tip the loaf out onto the
wire rack. Put the bread the right way round again and then brush with the glaze.
