Marmalade Pull Apart Bread

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the 1/3 cup milk and 4 tablespoons butter until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and add in the 1/4 cup milk, vanilla and the sugar and mix to combine. Let the mixture cool to between 105-115ºF, then whisk in the yeast and set aside until the mixture is foamy and frothy.
2. In a large bowl stir 2 cups flour and the salt together, then add in the yeast mixture and stir until the liquid is incorporated. Add the eggs in one at a time, followed by the last cup of flour. Stir for about two minutes, the dough should be quite sticky, but well mixed.
3. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise until doubled in size, about an hour. While the dough rises, prepare the filling.
4. Dump the marmalade into your blender (or use an immersion blender) and pulse a few times to break up the bits of zest. I pulverized mine pretty well because I wanted it to be easily spreadable. If your marmalade has finer bits of zest to begin with, you probably won’t have to go crazy with the blender, you don’t want to totally puree it. Then, add in the spices and vanilla if using. If you are using a flavored marmalade, you might want to skip the spices and vanilla, your call. Grease and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment.
5. After the dough has risen, dump it onto a floured board and roll it into a roughly 12×20 rectangle. Use a brush or spoon to spread the 4 tablespoons of melted butter onto the dough, then gently spread the marmalade mixture on top. You want a very, very thin layer of marmalade so you may need a bit less than 8 ounces total.
6. Slice the dough into 6 vertical strips, then stack the strips on top of each other. Slice the stack into 6 squarish pieces. Lay the stacks of dough in the prepared loaf pan so the layers are visible, like the pages of a book. Cover the pan and let the dough rise until almost doubled again, 30-45 minutes.
7. Heat your oven to 350ºF. When the dough has risen, put the loaf pan onto a sheet pan and slide it into the oven. Bake until deep golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Let it rest for about 20 minutes then dig in!

Dough recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.