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Make the Sweet Yeast Dough.
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Mix two cups (nine ounces) flour, the sugar, yeast and salt in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula.
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3
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan or in the microwave, combine the milk and the butter and heat until the butter is melted.
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Remove from the heat, add the water and let rest a minute until just warm (120 to 130F).
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Stir in the vanilla extract.
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Pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeast mixture and, using a rubber spatula, mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened.
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Attach the bowl to the mixer, and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment.
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With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated.
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Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) of the remaining flour and resume mixing on low speed until the dough is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds.
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Add 2 more tablespoons flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly sticky, about 45 seconds.
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Lightly flour a work surface and knead the dough gently until smooth and no longer sticky, about one minute.
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Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of flour only if the dough is too sticky to work with.
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Place the dough in a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place (about 70F) for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
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An indentation made with your finger should keep its shape.
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Meanwhile, make the lemon sugar filling.
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Mix the sugar, lemon zest and orange zest.
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Itll draw out the citrus oils and make the sugar sandy and fragrant.
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Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F (175C).
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Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
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Gently deflate the dough with your hand.
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Flour a work surface and roll the dough into a 20 by 12 rectangle.
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(I suggest using a ruler and getting this as accurate as possible, for a prettier loaf that will fit better in the pan.
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I also suggest making sure both sides are floured, so that the dough will be easy to lift up later.)
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Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter evenly and liberally over the dough.
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Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough crosswise in five strips, each about 12 by 4.
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Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon sugar over the first buttered rectangle.
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Top it with a second rectangle, sprinkling that one with 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon sugar as well.
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Continue to top with rectangles and sprinkle, so you have a stack of five 12 by 4 rectangles, all buttered and topped with lemon sugar.
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(I suggest carefully sprinkling the sugar and pressing it in lightly to keep it from falling off.
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).
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Slice this new stack crosswise, through all five layers, into 6 equal rectangles (each should be 4 by 2.)
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Carefully transfer these strips of dough into the loaf pan (I would like the pan with parchment paper for easier removal), cut edges up, side by side.
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it might be a little roomy, but the bread will rise and expand after baking.
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Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place (70 F) until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30 to 50 minutes.
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When you gently press the dough with your finger, the indentation should stay.
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Bake the loaf until the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
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(To avoid a doughy middle even though the top may be browned, I recommend using a cake tester to make sure it's done, and covering the top with foil if it's browning too quickly.
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The internal temperature should be about 190 F) Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, make the cream cheese icing.
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Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth, then add the milk and lemon juice.
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Stir until creamy and smooth.
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The recipe recommends you tilt and rotate the pan while tapping on a table to release the loaf.
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I suggest carefully running a knife around it.
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Flip the loaf over onto a cooling rack, then flip onto another rack so that its right side up.
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Spread the top of the warm cake with the cream cheese icing, using a pastry brush to fill in all the cracks.
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(You might want to put a pan or piece of wax paper under to catch any drips.)
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Best if served the first day.
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SOME TIPS:
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49
Read the recipe all the way through so that you understand all the steps before starting.
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50
The construction phase is a bit more complicated than a simple monkey bread or even a simple cinnamon roll.
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Make sure you have really fresh yeast, otherwise you may have trouble.
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The recipe does not contain a proofing period before adding all the other ingredients.
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Draw a diagram of the cutting in order to have it make sense.
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You may want to draw a rectangle with the cutting in order to see the dimensions more clearly.
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The resulting smaller rectangles (4-by-2 inches) are delicate, especially with the filling.
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A suggestion is to turned the loaf pan on its side (short side down) and stacked gently.
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The recipe asks you to remove the cake/bread when it is golden.
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This does not necessarily mean that the inside has completed cooking.
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The minimum internal temperature for breads is 185F but 190F for this bread would be better.
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(The maximum would be around 199F to 200F.
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).
