Peach Brunch Bread

Fresh peaches are readily available at this time of year, and here's a great way to feature them in this peachy brunch bread recipe. But, as with most fruity baked things, it's great for breakfast, too. Or brunch. Or at 3 p.m. Or... whenever! And you can freeze it and enjoy peachy goodness long after peach season is over. Even after freezing and defrosting, the rich texture of the bread remains intact.

We used our EZ DOH mixer to simplify the process of making the dough.

Ingredients

Dough

3 1/2 c. flour
1 package Red Star Yeast (or your preferred yeast brand)
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 c. whole milk
1/2 c. melted butter (one stick of butter)
1 large egg

Filling

2 c. peeled and cubed fresh peaches
2 Tb butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tb whole milk

Icing

Combine in a small bowl:

1 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tb milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Combine 2 cups of flour with the yeast, sugar and salt in the EZ DOH container (with mixing unit removed) and hand stir thoroughly with wooden spoon.

Heat the milk to about 125 degrees and pour into EZ DOH container. Mix the egg with the melted butter and add to the container.

Attach the mixing unit and mix for about 1 minute, then add in the other 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix the dough in the EZ DOH container for about 4 minutes (as needed, add a tablespoon or two of flour). Mixing with EZ DOH replaces the kneading step in bread recipes, with much less mess.

Remove the dough and place it onto a floured surface, coat the inside of the container with olive oil and then return the dough to the container, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size. Then, press down the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare the peaches and filling.

Peel the peaches and cut into bite-sized pieces - enough to get 2 cups of peaches.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and milk in a saucepan and heat on low until melted and smooth.

Spray a 10-inch tube pan to avoid sticking, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place the "rested" dough on a floured surface and cut into 20 pieces. Take these 20 pieces and form each into a ball, placing them into the tube pan - about 14 on the bottom layer and the rest on top of them. Place the peaches on top of the dough balls and then drizzle the mixture from the saucepan over the peaches.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again in a warm area. The dough should double again in size in about 40 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees in a pre-heated oven. After 20-25 minutes, place a tent of foil over the top of the pan to prevent over-browning, then continue baking for 15 more minutes total of 35. Check with a toothpick to make sure it is done (it should come out clean). Remove from the oven and cool for a full 30 minutes before removing the sides of the tube pan. Then wait another 30 minutes before removing the bottom of the tube pan.

Finally, ice the top by spooning the mixture into a small plastic bag, snipping off one corner of the bag and drizzling the icing on top.

Your peach dessert is ready to eat! You can get 14-16 servings from this recipe, so we had plenty to freeze and store for later.

Peach Brunch Bread