Cinnamon "Sugar" Pull-Apart Bread

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NECTRESSE™Sweetener for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

So I have to tell you all about this new product I got to try out this week.  It’s called NECTRESSE™Sweetener and it’s from the makers of Splenda.  NECTRESSE is a 100% natural, zero calorie sweetener made from monk fruit extract.  What’s monk fruit?  Good question.  I had no idea either - Google to the rescue.  Monk fruit is a small, green melon grown in the mountains of Asia. 

For all my readers who watch The View: Lisa Ling is the NECTRESSE sweetener spokesperson!  Due to a family history of diabetes she has always been cautious about her sugar intake and relied on no calorie sweeteners to satisfy her sweet tooth – but she hasn’t liked any as much as NECTRESSE!  Check out her video testimonial.

When the sample box of NECTRESSE arrived at my house, I knew I had to call and tell my mom.  She’s been using Splenda for years and I wanted her take on the product too.  Last Friday we went to my mom’s house for my sister’s birthday dinner and NECTRESSE came with.  Aunt happened to be there too.  I busted out the sweetener for the first time and was really surprised.  It was grainy like sugar, pleasantly sweet, and it dissolved in my mouth like sugar.  My aunt and mom both commented that usually non-sugar sweeteners are powdery and kind of blah, but NECTRESSE they liked.  We all had some in our coffee and you’d never know the difference.  Bonus points – no extra calories with NECTRESSE.

When I got home, I needed to find the perfect recipe.  If I was going to put this product to the test I was going to the limit.  I’d been eyeing Joy the Baker's Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread forever and had resided to make it.  Could NECTRESSE hold up to a blatantly sugar happy dish that used yeast? 
Challenge accepted.

When I started to bake, I knew I would have to figure out my sugar to NECTRESSE conversion - child’s play.  The box shows you everything you need to know.  NECTRESSE sweetener is 150 times sweeter than sugar.  1 packet of NECTREESE = 2 teaspoons of sugar.  Since the sample I got was single-serving packets ($3.99/40 servings), I made due, but I found out NECTRESSE also comes in a canister ($6.99/140 servings) for easy cooking and baking.  Looks like I need to hit my local grocery store.

  

NECTRESSE was the perfect substitute for sugar and I didn’t need to use very much at all.  Mike and the boys never knew the difference.  AHAHAHAHAHA!!  You can get your own FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener too.

How amazing does this bread look?  Guess what.  It tastes even better!   

Get baking girls.  Buy your NECTRESSE, make this bread, and enjoy your favorite cup of coffee.  It’s really the perfect start to the day.

Cinnamon “Sugar” Pull-Apart Bread
From Joy the Baker

Ingredients:
Dough
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 packets NECTRESSE  (1/4 cup sugar)
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/3 2% milk
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Filling
24 packets NECTRESSE  (1 cup sugar)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted until browned

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Set aside.
2. Whisk eggs and set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, melt together milk and butter until butter has just melted.  Remove from the hear and add water and vanilla.  Let mixture stand for a minute or two, or until the mixture registers 115 to 125 degrees F.
4. Pout the milk mixture into the flour mixture and mix with a spatula.  Add the eggs and stir the mixture until the eggs are incorporated into the batter.  The eggs will feel soupy and it’ll seem like the dough will never come together.  Keep Stirring.  Add the remaining ¾ cup flour and stir with the spatula for about 2 minutes.  The mixture will be sticky.
5. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel.  Place in a warm location and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 
6. While the dough rises, whisk together NECTRESSE, cinnamon, and nutmeg for the filling.  Set aside.  Grease and flour a 9” x 5” x 3” loaf pan.
7. Punch down the risen dough and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. 
8. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out.  The dough should be 12” tall and about 20” long.  Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across the dough.  Sprinkle with ALL of the cinnamon mixture.
9. Slice the dough vertically into six equal-sized strips.  Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices again.  Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book.  Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow to rest in a warm place for 30 to 35 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place loaf in center of oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown.  A nice dark, golden brown crust will ensure the center is cooked through.
11. Remove from the oven and allow to rest 20 to 30 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread and invert onto a clean board.  Using a place invert the loaf again so that the crust side is up.  Serve warm with coffee or tea.

You can ge the full step by step picture tutorial at Joy the Baker.