Apple Pull Apart Bread

This Apple Pull Apart Bread is a tender loaf packed with spiced apples and topped with a brown sugar glaze–the perfect fall bread!

When it comes to fall flavors, I’m team apple allll the way. Apple pandowdy, mini apple pies, apple crumble… the list can just keep going on.

While pumpkin has it’s place, I’ll take the apple desserts every time. This loaf was the result of our annual trip to the orchard with friends, and I think the freshness of the apples made it even better.

How to Make Apple Pull Apart Bread

• Start by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it has melted, add the milk. Heat it until it measures between 90° and 110°F, then pour it into a mixing bowl.
• Stir the sugar into the milk and butter, then sprinkle the yeast on top of the mixture and stir it in. Allow it to sit until the yeast has dissolved and become foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
• Once the yeast has foamed, stir in the egg.
• Add the flour and salt at the same time and stir them in until they are completely incorporated into the wet ingredients.
• With the dough in the bowl, fold the dough a couple of times by lifting one side and folding it down onto the rest of the dough, turning the dough as you fold to get each side. Do this 12-15 times using your floured hand or a bowl scraper.
• Cover the bowl of dough with a clean dish towel and set it aside to rise until it has doubled. This generally takes 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
• While the dough is rising, make your apple filling.

To Make the Apple Filling:

• Peel and chop apples into small pieces (about 1/2″) until you have 1 1/2 cups. Add them to a frying pan and toss in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
• Add the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to the pan with the apples and begin to cook over low heat.
• Cook for a couple of minutes, until the apples begin to release their juices and the butter has melted. Turn the heat up to medium low and cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples have softened and the sugar has become syrupy.
• Set aside to cool.

How to Make the Loaf of Apple Bread:

• Grease a loaf pan well and set aside.
• Turn the bread dough out onto a floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin until it measures 10″x 18″.
• Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut up the center of the dough lengthwise to create two 5″ wide strips.
• Cut the strips into 3-3 1/2″ sections (you don’t have to be perfectly precise).
• Divide the apple filling between all but two of the pieces of dough, spreading it out on each one.
• Stack up three or four pieces at a time, then turn them so they’re standing upright and place them in the greased loaf pan. Make sure the pieces without any apple filling are on each end of the pan. You may have to gently compress some of the pieces to make them all fit. Cover the loaf with the clean kitchen cloth you used for the first rise and set it aside.
• Immediately preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center of the oven. Once it has preheat, and if the loaf has risen slightly, place it on the center rack and bake the loaf for 30-35 minutes, or until it is a deep golden brown on top and measure at least 180°F in the center (see notes).
• To make the brown sugar glaze, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat then add the brown sugar and milk. Stir until the brown sugar has dissolved, then sift the powdered sugar into the wet ingredients and stir until completely combined. If it’s too thick to drizzle, add milk a teaspoon at a time until it’s the correct consistency.
• Drizzle the glaze over the top of the bread immediately.

Recipe Notes & Tips

• If you don’t have an internal thermometer, you can gently pull a couple of sections of the bread apart to make sure the loaf isn’t doughy in the center.
• The dough can be made a day before baking and stored in the refrigerator.
• Don’t let the glaze cool before putting it on the bread. If it cools, it will stiffen and not be the right consistency for drizzling. You’ll have to reheat it, but then it will become crisp and hard, rather than like a glaze.
• Cover the loaf with foil or plastic wrap and store it on the counter. It will keep for 2-3 days. Do not store it in the refrigerator or it will dry out.

Tools for Making Apple Bread

• Glass bread pans are my favorite for baking loaves like this. Not only is it easier to see if the loaf has baked, they rend to regulate heat better than metal.
• A instant read digital thermometer makes bread making so much easier! It makes you certain of the temperature of the liquids you’re adding the yeast to so that they’re not too hot and don’t kill the yeast. Also, it will be the surest confirmation that the loaf is finished baking so you don’t end up with doughy bread.
• Any kind of rolling pin will work for rolling out the dough, but this French style pin is my favorite!
• Any ruler will work to make sure your dough is rolled out the right size, but this quilter’s ruler is one of my favorite tools for rolling and cutting straight, even sections of dough.

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