Marmalade Pull Apart Bread

I've talked about my "condiment situation" here before so I know many of you also find yourself with an overabundance of jam on your shelves. Well, with rhubarb season in full swing and strawberries just around the corner I decided it was time to face the pantry head on, and by pantry I mean the shelf in my closet where I keep my jam. It's next to the extra sheets if you were wondering. Fancy, I know. This little loaf that I whipped up last weekend is a lot of things, fun to eat, easy to share, your toast and marmalade all in one, but the best part is that it uses an entire 8oz jar of marmalade. Like a lot of sweet bread this is the tastiest the day it’s made, but if you have to keep it around for a day or so make sure you wrap it up tight and warm it up before you eat it.

Marmalade Pull Apart Bread

For the Dough
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
yield, one 9x5 loaf

3 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoon sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast (2 1/4t)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup milk + 1/4 cup milk, separated
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Filling

8oz marmalade
4 Tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
½ vanilla bean scraped  or 1t vanilla extract (I used a vanilla scented marmalade and I loved the vanilla flavor so much, but this is totally optional)

To Assemble

1. In a small saucepan heat the 1/3c milk and butter until the butter is melted. Add in the 1/4c milk, vanilla, and the sugar. Let the mixture cool to between 105-115º, then whisk in the yeast and set aside until the mixture is foamy and frothy. 2. In a large bowl stir 2c flour and the salt together, then add in the yeast mixture and stir until the liquid is incorporated. Add the eggs in one at a time, followed by the last cup of flour. Stir for about two minutes, the dough should be quite sticky, but well mixed.
3. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise until doubled in size, about an hour. While the dough rises, prepare the filling.
4. Dump the marmalade into your blender (or use an immersion blender) and pulse a few times to break up the bits of zest, I pulverized mine pretty well because I wanted it to be easily spreadable. If your marmalade has finer bits of zest to begin with, you probably won’t have to go crazy with the blender, you don’t want to totally puree it. Then, add in the spices and vanilla if using. If you are using a flavored marmalade, you might want to skip the spices and vanilla, your call. Grease and line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment.
5. After the dough has risen, dump it onto a floured board and roll it into a roughly 12x20 rectangle. Use a brush or spoon spread the melted butter onto the dough, then gently spread the marmalade mixture on top. You want a very, very thin layer of marmalade so you may need a bit less than 8oz total.
6. Slice the dough into 6 vertical strips, then stack the strips on top of each other. Slice the stack into 6 squarish pieces. Lay the stacks of dough in the prepared loaf pan so the layers are visible, like the pages of a book. Cover and let rise until almost doubled again, 30-45 minutes.
7. Heat your oven to 350º. When the dough has risen, put the loaf pan onto a sheet pan and slide it into the oven. Bake until deep golden brown, 30-35min. Let it rest for about 20 minutes then dig in!