With Martha Bakes, discover Martha Stewart’s tips and techniques to create delectable baked goods. Be sure to check your local listings to see when the program will be airing in your area.

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Everyone loves pastries for breakfast and they’re even better homemade. Join Martha as she teaches how to make an easy-to-prepare sweet yeasted dough in three addictive recipes: sinfully delicious pear and frangipane pastries, a cinnamon and brown butter swirl designed for pull-apart shareability and mouth-watering jam-filled croustades. Professional quality breakfast pastries you can serve to family and friends.

This Week’s Recipe

Brown Butter Pull-Apart Bread

Make Martha Stewart's Brown Butter Pull-Apart Bread from the Breakfast Pastries episode of Martha Bakes.

Ingredients

Dough:
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast (not rapid-rise, 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
4 1/2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour (1 1/4 pounds), plus more for dusting
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tablespoons, plus more for pan
2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
Filling:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Dough: In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over milk; stir until dissolved. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla seeds. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment, mix together 4 1/2 cups flour, granulated sugar, salt, and 1/2 stick butter on low speed until butter is incorporated and mixture resembles coarse meal, 3 to 4 minutes. Add yeast mixture; mix until dough just comes together. Add eggs and yolk; mix until just combined, 2 to 3 minutes (do not overmix).
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, making sure to include any loose bits left at bottom of bowl. Gently knead to form a smooth ball, about 30 seconds. Wrap tightly in plastic; refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together remaining 3 1/2 sticks butter and 2 tablespoons flour. Shape mixture into a 12-by-10-inch rectangle on a piece of plastic wrap. Refrigerate 15 minutes or up to 1 day. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an 18-by-10-inch rectangle, a little over 1/4 inch thick, keeping the corners as square as possible. Remove any excess flour with a dry pastry brush. Remove butter mixture from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature until it is the same consistency as the dough. With a short side facing you, place butter mixture over two-thirds of the dough. Fold the unbuttered third over as you would a business letter, followed by the remaining third. This seals in the butter.
Roll out dough again to an 18-by-10-inch rectangle, then fold into thirds as described above; refrigerate 1 hour. This completes the first of three turns. Repeat rolling and folding process two more times, refrigerating at least 1 hour between turns. To help you remember how many turns have been completed, mark the dough after each one: make one mark for the first turn, two for the second, and three for the third.
Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Dough can also be frozen, tightly wrapped in plastic, up to 2 weeks (thaw in refrigerator overnight before using).
Filling: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until deep golden brown, about 11 minutes. Immediately transfer to a large heatproof bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Butter a 14-inch round cake pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 20-by-16-inch rectangle. Spread filling on lower half of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold top half of dough over filling, pressing edges to seal. Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut dough lengthwise into six equal strips. Coil strips into S shapes and arrange in a circle in pan. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise in warm spot until puffy and full of air, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush top and edges of dough with egg wash. Bake until golden brown, firm to the touch, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into center reads 205 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pan to loosen, then invert onto a wire rack. Re-invert onto a second rack so top side is up; let cool completely. Pastry is best served the same day.

Yield: Makes one 14-in pastry