Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake

Oh my goodness. Check out this amazing Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake. While it is called a coffee cake, it really is a brioche bread and should be thusly named. I now dub thee Cinnamon Nut Roll Brioche. And, it's "no knead!"

The dough is stirred the night before and left in the refrigerator overnight. It is kind of a sticky mess when you first put it together, but it comes together during the cold fermentation. It also seems like not enough dough at all for a bread the size of an angel food cake. Well... it is... amazingly enough.

Once again, the Bread Baking Babes are baking a new yeasty concoction. This month, Jamie of Life's a Feast has chosen this recipe for the Babes to bake. You need to read Jamie's great story about her three attempts at this bread, and you need to follow her blog. She is such a fabulous writer and photographer. Don't question me people. Just do it. You will be in awe.. as am I.

This bread is amazingly delicious, and when it is baking it fills your home with a fabulous cinnamon aroma that makes you happy.

You can use any type of nuts that you like and grind them to whatever texture you like. I went for a coarse grind with my food processor, but if you want to make sure that you have no gaps with the filling, go for finely ground nuts.

I am baking along with the Bread Baking Babes as a Buddy. Check out Life's a Feast for more information about being a Buddy.

Cinnamon Nut Roll Coffee Cake Recipe

Adapted from Life's a Feast, adapted from Taste of Home Bake Shop Favorites: 350 Reader Recipes You'll Love.

Ingredients

Dough

14 g instant yeast (I used SAF gold)

1/4 C warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)

1/2 C warm low fat milk (110 to 115 degrees F, I warmed the water and milk together in a microwave)

16 T unsalted butter, melted

4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

2 T sugar

3/4 tsp salt

325 g unbleached all purpose flour plus more for rolling out the dough

Filling

3 large egg whites

1 C plus 3 T sugar, divided

2 C ground pecans (or other nuts). I used a mini food processor to grind the pecans. 

2 T low fat milk

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Topping

Low fat milk

Sliced almonds

Powdered sugar

Instructions

To make the dough:

1. In a medium bowl or 2 quart dough rising bucket, add all of the ingredients and mix with a spoon or dough whisk.
2. Cover the container with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.

To make the filling:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium high until you have soft peaks.
2. Add the one cup of sugar, one tablespoon at a time at high speed, until it is fully incorporated and you have a thick, glossy meringue. 
3. In a large bowl, combine the nuts, milk, 3 T of sugar, and the cinnamon. Stir until moistened. 
4. Fold the meringue into the nut mixture until fully combined. Don't worry too much about collapsing the egg whites. 

To assemble the bread:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Butter a 10 inch angel food cake pan. 
3. Spread about 1/2 C flour onto a work surface and turn the dough out onto it.
4. Cut the dough in half with a bench knife or dough scraper and set one half aside. 
5. Place one half onto the floured surface. Add more flour if necessary. Flip the dough over so that both sides are dusted with flour, and then roll it out to a 12 inch by 18 inch rectangle. 
6. Spread 1/2 of the filling onto the dough, leaving 1/2 inch all around. Brush one of the long edges of the dough with milk to help it stick after rolling up the dough. 
7. Beginning with the other long edge, roll, as tightly as possible, the dough up into a log or jelly roll. Seal the milk brushed end by pinching the dough together. 
8. Place this log into the pan, seam side up. Pinch the ends together once you have formed a circle in the pan.
9. Repeat with the other piece of dough, and place it seam side down on top of the first log/roll.
10. Brush the top of the dough with milk, and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
11. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for one hour. 
12. Bake the bread for about 45 minutes, until the interior temperature reaches 190 degrees F.
13. Cool the bread in the pan for about 10 minutes on a rack.
14. Run a sharp knife along the edges of the pan and lift out the center tube. Cool on a wire rack for about an hour. 
15. Run a sharp knife along the bottom and center of the pan to loosen the bread. Place two spatulas under the bread and lift it onto a serving plate. 
16. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Babe-a-licious!

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