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No Knead Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Bun Bread

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Bun Bread

Everyone knows that pumpkin spice is the official flavor of fall. And while it can seem like everything is pumpkin pie spiced at this time of year, some of those treats are much better than others (as in all things. This Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Bun Bread is definitely in the “better than others” category. This no-knead yeasted coffee cake uses pumpkin pie spice in the dough and in the streusel topping for a perfectly seasonal take on a regular coffee cake.

The bread starts out with a yeasted batter, to which I added Rodelle Pumpkin Spice Extract (my most recent batch of Homemade Pumpkin Spice Extract is still infusing!) to give it a deeply spicy flavor. The batter has a similar texture to a cake batter and it contains plenty of rapid rise yeast. The rapid rise yeast allows for a quick rising process, so you don’t have to wait very long after mixing to get this in the oven. The batter does get a short rising period before it goes into the oven, but by the time the oven is preheated, the bread is ready to bake. In this time, I usually mix up the streusel topping. The topping is made with brown sugar, lots of pumpkin pie spice and just a touch of flour to help it hold together. During baking, the streusel exposed on the top of the bread remains crisp, while the streusel stirred into the bread batter turns soft and caramely, like the center layers of a cinnamon bun.

The bread smells amazing as it bakes and tastes just as delicious when it comes out of the oven. It looks like a giant, if slightly messy, cinnamon bun, full of wonderful streusel and balanced with a reasonable amount of slightly sweet bread to hold it all together. You should let the bread cool slightly before serving it, as it will need a little time to set as it cools. You can serve this bread without any toppings, but I like to drizzle a little bit of cinnamon glaze for an extra pinch of spice and a pretty finishing touch.

No Knead Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Bun Bread
Batter/Dough
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp rapid rise yeast
2/3 cup warm milk (100-110F; low fat is fine)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tsp pumpkin spice extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling/Topping
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
or 1 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/2 tsp ground ginger + 1/4 tsp cloves
3 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan or 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.
Dissolve the yeast in a small bowl filled with the warmed milk and let stand for 2-3 minutes, until yeast is foamy. Whisk vegetable oil, egg and extracts in with the yeast mixture, then pour everything into the bowl containing the flour and whisk until batter is smooth.
Pour into prepared pan and let rest for 15 minutes.
While the dough rests, make the topping. Whisk together flour, salt, brown sugar and spices in a small bowl. Pour in melted butter and, using a fork, stir until all the butter has been incorporated into the sugar and mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of rested dough and press the mixture down into the dough with your fingertips (or fold/swirl in with a spatula – it is ok if it doesn’t look pretty, as the dough will rise and even things out).
Allow dough to rise for 15 minutes
Bake for 30-34 minutes, until bread is golden brown at the edges and the center of the bread springs back when lightly pressed. Some of the sugar mixture on the sides may still be bubbling.
Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving, or drizzling with icing (recipe below).
Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Serves 8.

Cinnamon Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp milk
heaping 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine sugar, 1 tbsp milk and ground cinnamon. Whisk until smooth. Gradually stir in additional milk, if needed, until icing reaches a thick, pourable consistency. Drizzle over cooled coffee cake.

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6 Comments
  • Rhianna
    September 28, 2016

    Could you substitute the powdered pumpkin pie spice?

  • Nicole
    September 29, 2016

    Hi Rhianna,

    Yes, you can substitute powdered pumpkin pie spice, but your bread will have a different finished look to it, as the spices will darken the dough. Use 1 1/2 tsp powdered pumpkin pie spice in place of the extract. You might want to up the vanilla by 1/2 teaspoon, as well. But I highly recommend trying my homemade extract recipe, too! It’s easy and makes a fantastic holiday gift for family and friends.

    Nicole

  • Martha in KS
    September 30, 2016

    This bread looks great. One question – does the dough rest for a total of 30 minutes before baking, or just 15 minutes? Thanks!

  • Nicole
    September 30, 2016

    Martha,

    It rests for a total of 30 minutes. After you mix up the batter, it rests for 15 minutes. Once the topping is added, it rests for another 15 minutes (sometimes, if my kitchen is warm, I let it go only 10 minutes) before going into the oven. I hope that helps!!

    Nicole

  • Paul
    December 15, 2017

    Why so little rising time? Thirty minutes total for a yeast dough is very little. Wouldn’t longer be better, if not necessary?

  • Nicole
    December 16, 2017

    Hi Paul, the short prep time and the fact that it is a no-knead bread are exactly the things that makes this bread so unexpectedly delicious. So no, this recipe does not require a longer rising time.

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