Spiced Stacked Apple BreadWithout a doubt, fall weather kicks on my switch to start baking so when I saw this Cinnamon Apple Pull-Apart Bread from the amazing bakers at King Arthur Flour, I knew it was time to get out the dough hook to my mixer. While I’ve professed many times that I am a summer girl, getting back to baking helps ease the blow of colder months to come.
This bread is like a monkey bread but instead of balls of dough stuck together, it’s squares of dough stacked. I adapted it by upping the whole wheat flour content, adding in some nutmeg and tweaking the butter and sugar content. And I stacked the dough in a square pan vs. the traditional loaf pan. It’s a fun bread to put together and oh, when’s it baking….watch out. You may have family members hovering around the oven waiting for the timer to go off.
Apple Filling:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 medium apples, peeled, seeded and sliced
Dough:
- 1 (1/4 ounce) package yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2/3 cups lukewarm water
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cool
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- In a small pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Whisk in brown sugar and cornstarch. Mix in cinnamon, nutmeg, almond extract and apples. Cook for 5 – 8 minutes and then cool.
- While the apples cook, in a large bowl for a stand mixer, add yeast and sugar. Pour in lukewarm water and let sit 10 minutes.
- Add in eggs and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Stir.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together both flours and salt.
- With dough hook running, add in half of flour mixture. Continue to slowly add remaining flour mixture. Let dough hook knead dough until smooth and elastic.
- Remove dough, spray bowl with cooking spray and put dough back in bowl. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Coated a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
- Punch down dough and roll out onto floured surface. Roll into 12-in x 20-in rectangle. Spread apple mixture over dough. Cut into six 3 1/2-in x 12-in strips. Stack onto of each other.
- Cut the stack into 4 pieces about 3-in x 3-in.
- Place stacks on side in front each other until pan is full. Push together so they stick.
- Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for 35 -40 minutes, covering loosely with foil after 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes until removing from pan to cool completely.
- Serve with a drizzle of honey, maple syrup or a scoop of frozen or regular vanilla yogurt.
I actually served it as dessert (it’s a less sweet version of an apple tart) with a scoop of vanilla Greek style frozen yogurt (my latest fun find at Trader Joe’s.)
And here’s my favorite “outtake” photo…..
What do you like to bake in the fall? What’s your favorite recipe using apples?