recipe: cinnamon pull apart bread

today i am sharing this recipe i found via sfb on how to make cinnamon pull apart bread.

it's a super easy recipe that does take a little preparation but has a delicious result. i made some small adjustments to the recipe as i was going along. 

for your dough you will need:

1 cup warm water (i used a little more as i was making the dough because it was too dry) 
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active-dry yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon honey
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups unbleached flour 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

the original version only uses half of the dough recipe but i made the full amount and ended up with 4 small loaf pans.

for the filling you will need: 

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet cream butter, melted (i started out with this amount but had to add some more) 

vanilla icing:

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (i added more because my icing was too runny) 1 1/2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

this will slowly form a dough you may or may not have to add more water to. mine was very dry so i added just a bit more. 

place your dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a towel and keep it in a warm place to let it raise for about 1.5 hours. i always put my dough in the oven on the keep warm setting, which is about 170 degrees fahrenheit. 

as i was cutting these i decided, since this is a pizza dough, they would also be great dipped in a little olive oil and italian seasoning, baked and then served with marinara sauce. yummo!

melt the butter and stir together the cinnamon and sugar. dip each piece in the butter (shake off excess) and coat with cinnamon sugar. 

arrange dough pieces in your greased loaf pans and bake at 375 degrees for abour 20-25 minutes. use a toothpick to test if it's done. 

super yummy! perfect for breakfast or as dessert or really any time of the day ;) they are also a great size to give to a friend as a sweet treat. 
Enjoy!

all images copyright the forge
original recipe taken from here

{style files} red pants and polka dots

pants: ae, top: jcrew, shoes: mootsies tootsies, necklace: ny&co., watch: michael kors, lipstick: revlon siren

oh what an uneventful day we had on tuesday. logan slept in until 9.30! which we couldn't really believe but then everything just ended up getting behind all day long. he was starved and nursed like a champ right after he woke, played for a while and then breakfast at 11, a two hour nap from 1-3 followed by lunch at 4 and another nap from 5.30 - 6.30, followed by dinner at 7 and bed at 8. i got so sleepy in the afternoon even though i had slept in of course and the entire day just kind of went by in a big blur. logan seemed super fussy and didn't eat much so maybe it's a growth spurt or he's teething again?

i am always glad when days like that end and we can start fresh the next day. with everything we had going on the last few days it's no surprise we needed a little bit of a break.

the only productive thing i did during nap time was get the recipe for cinnamon pull apart bread all ready to go up tomorrow, so make sure you stop back.

linked up here

one of those days... #2

 

today was one of those days...

where your hubby is finally off for the first time in 2 weeks and of course there is a list.
where you get up at the same time to say good morning to that little man you haven't seen in almost an entire day.
where papa does breakfast and mama runs errands until lunch time.
where you get road rage because really you just want to be home with those two favorite guys.
where you realize early on that you didn't quite dress right for this hot and humid day.
where you spend lots of time outside watching the little guy explore.
where you cook a yummy lunch during nap time and go out to buy birthday presents for an almost 1 year old!!
where you get great news during an overseas phone call and walk around giggling to yourself for the rest of the afternoon.
where you grill the most delicious burgers after a day of hard work and have a very happy babe in his new swing.
where at the end of the day you realize you just had 4 generations in your backyard building a swing set for this little man that isn't really that little anymore.
where you realize how truly blessed you are to have such wonderful people to call family.

yes, today was one of those days.

oh what a night!

... late december back in '63. 

so singing that in my head now and probably will all day. oh blog titles! 

sunday was a good day. i dropped the little guy off at grandma's house, got a treat on my way home and spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the house and planting the rest of my vegetable garden, all in anticipation of the hubby coming home early and having our second date night in over 11 months!! yes, that's right we really needed that night out. 

you'd think i wouldn't get so excited over cleaning the house all day but it's actually nice to get things done without interruption and gives me such a sense of accomplishment. the lettuce i planted weeks ago is at a nice size already and so are the pea, swiss chard and arugula plants. i can't wait to harvest the first batch. 

when the hubs called to let me know he was leaving work i jumped in the shower, did my hair and we went and grabbed a bite to eat before seeing the avengers movie. it was the best movie i've seen in a long time. funny, full of action and awesome special effects. highly recommend! when we got home, grandma had already put the little guy to bed :) 

how was your weekend? 

{style files} stripes on stripes

blazer: monteau (tjmaxx), top: h&m, shorts: old navy, wedges: mootsies tootsies (kohls),  watch: michael kors, lips: maybelline fuchsia fever

so yes, I am a little obsessed with stripes I will even wear stripes on stripes. what can I say? they make me happy :) i also really need a tan. or rather a fake tan since there is no time for laying in the sun when you're chasing after a toddler all day... do you use self tanning lotion? any tips or recommendations?

this week was a good week overall. i spent lots of time watching the little man practice his walking skills and since the weather has been great we were outside a lot. the hubby is coming home from a 7 day road trip tonight and then things will be perfect again and I will get a bit of a break from taking care of the little mister all day, every day. 

i also wanted to say thanks to all of you who have been leaving such wonderful comments. you have really encouraged me to write more and I am truly enjoying the content i am putting out there. i got some great feedback on this week's "one of those days" posts and I am thinking that I may keep this as a reoccurring post, listing the good and bad things about a day and maybe even have a little link up if you guys would be interested!? 

have a nice weekend! 

linked up here

video: first steps

he has been practicing for weeks now, taking a step here or two steps there. i have been encouraging, sometimes quite loudly and sometimes i have kept my mouth shut and just let him do his thing. he is a very relaxed little guy, super low key and so he wouldn't let me deter him from what he wants to do anyway.
this week things have really picked up in the walking department.
needless to say i am one proud mama over here.

one of those days...

today was one of those days...


one of those days where nothing really gets done. 
where you count the rings inside that morning cup of coffee as you finally finish it at 5 in the afternoon.
where your "healthy" lunch consists of a slice of toast and cheese. on a paper plate nonetheless, because you will surely keel over backwards if you have to clean another plate.
where as soon as you sit down to catch a breath, another dog needs to go pee or a little man suddenly decides that playing on his own is only half as fun.
where the only productive thing you've done all day was load the dishwasher.
where you never change out of those food stained, drooled on sweats or do your hair, let alone your make up. 
where you realize 3 zits have made their home on your face when you don't even remember the last time you had one.
where plans you made fall through and you have to make new plans.
where the only trip you take is the one to the bathroom.
where nap time is spent talking to parents all the way across that big pond, and you're reminded of how much you miss them and how much you can't wait to go on that trip in only a few short weeks.
where you chase after that almost toddler all day long and somehow it's perfectly ok that you're not getting anything else done.
becuase when it comes down to it, seeing that smile and hearing those giggles when he gets his finger stuck inside a duplo block make everything that you thought was so important seem so trivial.
and hearing the voices of the ones who mean the most to you makes you realize how blessed you are and how much you have to look forward to this summer.


yes, today was one of those days :)