Pecan and cinnamon monkey bread

Ingreadient

• 80ml whole milk
• 30g unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra to grease
• 240g strong white bread flour
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 scant tsp fast-action dried yeast
• 1 large free-range egg
• 50g pecans, roughly chopped
• 60g butter
• 80g light muscovado sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• 100g icing sugar
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 900g loaf tin lined with compostable baking paper
• Stand mixer

Instruction

1. Gently warm the milk and butter in a small pan until the butter has just melted – don’t let it bubble (the milk musn’t be warmer than finger-hot). Put the flour, sugar, yeast and a pinch of salt in a stand mixer and stir well. Make a well in the centre, then pour in the milk mixture and egg. Mix on medium speed with the dough hook for 15 minutes until smooth (or see tip).
2. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to rise at room temperature for 1½-2 hours until the dough has nearly doubled in size.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the pecans in a small pan and gently heat until just beginning to toast, then remove from the pan and set aside. Add the 60g butter and muscovado sugar to the pan and gently heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Add the spices and stir until well combined. Remove from the heat and leave to cool but not set.
4. Arrange half the toasted pecans in the prepared loaf tin, then drizzle over 2 tbsp of the cooled spiced butter mix.
5. Divide the dough into quarters, halve each of these, then cut each eighth into 3 roughly equal-size pieces so you have 24 pieces in total. Roll each into a ball, then roll in the remaining spiced butter and loosely cover the base of the tin, making sure not to squash any. Spoon over some more nuts (don’t worry about any gaps as these will be filled when the dough is proving). Repeat rolling, coating and layering the balls until the tin is full. Scatter over any remaining nuts and pour over any remaining spiced butter.
6. Cover loosely and leave in a warm place to prove for 30-45 minutes. The dough is ready to bake when it’s puffed and a gentle prod from your finger leaves a slight indentation. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.
7. Bake the monkey bread for 30-35 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Whisk the drizzle ingredients with 1-2 tsp water, then drizzle over the monkey bread to serve.