Bubble Loaf
Submitted by litlk3
Buttery pull-apart bubble loaf made from soft yeast dough balls baked in a tube pan with a dark corn syrup and lemon glaze. A showstopper bread for weekend baking.
YIELD
1 loafPREP
155 minCOOK
45 minREADY
200 minThere’s something deeply satisfying about tearing off a warm, butter-dipped ball of bread from a golden loaf.
This bubble loaf starts with a simple yeast dough that rises into something pillowy and soft. You pinch off little pieces, dip each one in melted butter, and nestle them into a tube pan with just enough space to puff up and meld together.
The glaze is where this bread gets special: dark corn syrup, butter, lemon juice, and vanilla create a sticky-sweet coating that caramelizes as it bakes. The finished loaf turns out golden, glossy, and hollow-sounding when you tap it.
Pro Tips
- Keep the dough balls roughly the same size (about 1 inch) so they bake evenly. Uneven pieces mean some are done while others are still doughy.
- Space the balls about a quarter inch apart in the pan. They need room to expand during that final rise.
- Wait the full 5 minutes before inverting the loaf. Too soon and the glaze won’t have set enough, too long and it cements to the pan.
- Drizzle the glaze right before the loaf goes in the oven, not before. You want it to sink into the gaps between the balls as they bake.
Ingredients
Directions
BREAD: mix milk, softened butter, sugar, and salt in large bowl; cool to lukewarm.
Dissolve yeast in warm water in small bowl; stir into cooled mixture along with egg.
Add 1½ cups flour and beat hard.
Mix in remaining flour - dough should be soft but manageable.
Turn onto lightly floured pastry cloth and knead until elastic.
Shape dough into ball, place in butteed, warm, large bowl, then trun in bowl to butter all sides.
Cover with cloth and let rise in warm, dry spot, away from drafts, 1 hour until doubled in bulk.
Punch dough down and let rest 10 minutes.
Coat 9-inch tube pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
Pinch off bits of dough and roll into 1-inch balls.
Dip in melted butter and arrange in pan, spacing ¼ inch apart.
Cover and let rise 45 to 50 minutes until doubled in bulk.
Toward end of rising, preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
GLAZE: Mix all ingredients.
When loaf is fully risen, drizzle glaze evenly over all.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
Cool loaf in pan on wire rack 5 minutes, then invert on rack and cool before serving.
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