Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf - Handle the Heat
Filed Under: Bread | Fall | Savory

Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf

  |  
November 14th, 2016
5 from 1 vote
5 from 1 vote

Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf features layers of fluffy homemade bread stuffed with slices of apple, brown sugar, and warm spices for an impressive fall treat.

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes

The most SCRUMPTIOUS fall dessert there ever was!! We inhaled this! Step-by-step photos and detailed instructions included.

Tessa's Recipe Rundown...

Taste: Like an apple pie! Tart, sweet, and spiced. Texture: The layers of bread are fluffy and tender, kind of like cinnamon roll dough, while the apple pie filling is juicy and rich. Ease: This recipe definitely requires hands-on work and time, which is why I've included some step-by-step pictures showing you how it's done. It's totally doable if you follow the recipe closely! Pros: Impressive and gourmet fall dessert. Cons: Requires some time and patience. Would I make this again? Absolutely. I might add in some Biscoff cookie butter to the apple mixture next time!

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This post is sponsored by OXO. All opinions provided are my own. Thanks for supporting me in working with brands I love to bring you new recipes!

Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf, aka the most SCRUMPTIOUS fall dessert there ever was!! We inhaled this!

I have been waiting for weeks to share this recipe with you! It’s one of those recipes that looks so impressive and gourmet, but is way easier to make than you probably think. I’ve included step-by-step photos and baking tips below, as well as super detailed instructions in the recipe. When you pull off this Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf, it’ll be a complete showstopper!

This recipe is a part of the Holiday Baking Bonanza I’m co-hosting with Ashley from Baker by Nature! Be sure to check out our amazing Facebook community which now has over 1,000 people!!

Holiday Baking Bonanza with Handle the Heat and Baker by Nature

When we first started brainstorming the series, there were a few brands we dreamt of working with. We were beyond thrilled that OXO was interested in working with us to bring you fall-inspired recipes within the series. They’re one of our favorite kitchen brands, and one of yours too based off some of the chat we’ve seen inside the Facebook community!

They graciously sent us the full line of their new Glass Bakeware to use throughout the entire holiday season. Check out Ashley’s recipe for Overnight Pecan Pie French Toast, it looks absolutely mouthwatering!

Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf, aka the most SCRUMPTIOUS fall dessert there ever was!! We inhaled this!

The full 14 Piece Glass Bake, Serve & Store Set is such a great value and absolutely perfect for holiday baking because they come with LIDS! Not just any lids, but raised sloshproof lids. You can easily transport your goodies to any potluck, office party, or holiday celebration without worrying about smashing your food or getting stains all over your car seats or clothes.

Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf, aka the most SCRUMPTIOUS fall dessert there ever was!! We inhaled this!

But what I truly love about OXO’s line of Glass Bakeware is that it’s made of thermal shock-resistant borosilicate glass, which is basically a fancy way of saying you can take it from the freezer to the oven without worrying about thawing. This saves SO much time and hassle.

Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf Recipe Tips

The dough element of this recipe is super straightforward and easy. You can knead it by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer. You can also use active dry yeast if you don’t have instant yeast, just proof it with the warm milk and water for 5 minutes before adding it to the mixing bowl!

Like any good apple pie, start with apples that hold up to baking like Granny Smith Apples. I absolutely love my OXO Corer for making quick work of prepping the apples. I would have used my OXO Pop-Out Apple Divider, but since this recipe works best when the apples are thinly sliced I cut them by hand. To prevent browning as you cut, sprinkle and toss with the lemon juice called for in the recipe as you go.

Preparing apple pie filling

Next toss with the goodness that is butter, brown sugar, and warm spices. This is going to smell positively heavenly as it bakes!

Homemade apple pie filling

Take your dough and roll it out into about a 12-by-20-inch rectangle and spread the apple mixture evenly across. Since I’m a little crazy, I fanned the apple slices evenly. This makes it easier to cut the rectangle into six long strips.

Making Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf

Then you stack your strips on top of one another and cut the stacks into 5 or 6 square pieces. This is how you make pull apart bread! It sounds more complicated than it is, which is why I made sure to include these photos.

How to Make Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf

Squish all the pieces into your Glass 1.6 Qt Loaf Baking Dish (you may have to really squeeze them all in, it doesn’t have to be perfect) then bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and tent with foil before baking for another 15 minutes. This helps prevent the top and sides from burning.

Baking Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf

Next step: enjoy!!

This post is sponsored by OXO. All opinions provided are my own. Thanks for supporting me in working with brands I love to bring you new recipes!

5 from 1 vote

How to make
Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf features layers of fluffy homemade bread stuffed with slices of apple, brown sugar, and warm spices for an impressive fall treat.

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
  • 1/3 cup lukewarm milk
  • 1/4 cup lukewarm water
  • 1 large egg plus 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
  • 3 cups (380 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

For the filling:

  • 2 medium green apples, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the glaze

  • 1/2 cup (63 grams) powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

Make the dough:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the melted butter, milk, water, egg, egg yolks and vanilla. Add in the sugar and yeast and stir until the mixture is combined. Add in the flour and salt and stir until a shaggy mass forms.
  2. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed and knead until the dough is smooth and sticky. Avoid adding any extra flour, the dough is supposed to be slightly sticky.
  3. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  4. Generously grease an OXO Glass 1.6 Qt Loaf Baking Dish with butter.

Make the filling:

  1. In a large bowl, toss together all filling ingredients. Set aside.
  2. Gently punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle it with flour and knead a few times until no longer sticky. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
  3. Roll the dough out into about a 12-by-20-inch rectangle. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the dough.
  4. Cut the dough into six long 3 1/2-inch strips. Stack the strips and cut the stacks into five or six square pieces.
  5. Turn the pieces upright and squeeze them into the prepared loaf pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, about 30 to 60 minutes.
  6. MAKE AHEAD: You can refrigerate the loaf immediately after assembling for up to 1 day. Let it come to room temperature while you preheat the oven.
  7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and tent with foil. Continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to touch. Turn it out of the pan onto the rack to cool.

Make the glaze:

  1. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and syrup with a fork until a thick but pourable glaze forms. Drizzle over the loaf.
  2. Serve warm or at room temperature. The bread is best served the day it’s baked.
Course : Dessert
Cuisine : American

Tessa Arias
Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Tessa Arias

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on  

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Recipe Rating




  1. #
    instagram volgers kopen — October 2, 2020 at 4:12 am

    It looks so delicious. I like it

  2. #
    Genevieve — October 1, 2020 at 11:44 am

    My dough won’t rise. It’s getting colder, so that’s probably the issue, but I was wondering if you have any tips to help my dough rise a little better in the cold house before we have heating turned on.

    • #
      Brooke — August 23, 2021 at 7:56 pm

      Hi Genevieve – a trick I learned somewhere on the internet was to preheat your oven for one minute. I preheat mine at 200 degrees Celsius. Then turn off your oven, pop whatever needs proofing in to the oven, and away you go.

  3. #
    kamera sistemleri — December 6, 2019 at 2:41 pm

    Thank you for sharing 🙂

  4. #
    OMRON MY4IN 220-240VAC — November 26, 2019 at 4:41 pm

    Hello. I liked your post. Thanks 🙂

  5. #
    Son Dakika Ağrı Haberleri — October 27, 2019 at 12:33 pm

    It looks so delicious.

  6. #
    tespit.net — October 21, 2019 at 9:19 am

    Thank you very much indeed the influence. I want to try.

  7. #
    omron sensor — October 8, 2019 at 3:08 pm

    I love it ! Thanks 🙂

  8. #
    omron relay — October 7, 2019 at 2:36 pm

    This is my favorite dessert ! It looks awesome !

  9. #
    Güvenlik Sistemleri — July 26, 2019 at 4:05 pm

    It should be delicious. I want to try 🙂

  10. #
    BandanaN’BlueJeans — April 22, 2018 at 9:58 am

    How to check for doneness? I’ve used the toothpick test, and it’s not clean (has sticky dough cling to it). And the internal temperature is 153F-ish

  11. #
    Kelli — April 3, 2018 at 8:30 am

    Oh My Word Tessa, FIRST time Evvvvvvver – anything bread-related actually worked for me. It WORKED! It turned out gorgeous. Snuck a taste & delicious too. Now gonna make it again & refrigerate before baking, round 2! Thank you for the recipe & your super-easy instructions. Dancing inside my body cause I still can’t believe it actually worked! The dough was a breeze to work with too.

  12. #
    Marcela — October 31, 2017 at 10:40 am

    Hi Tessa! I tried this recipe yesterday, it was awsome, the dough was so soft! My only concern was that it was not sweet enough, is it possible to add 1 cup or 1/2 cup of honey to make the dough sweeter? The bites i had with apple were amazing, but the dough on its own needed more sweetness. Can you give me any recommendations pls? Thanks!

  13. #
    Sabrina B, — November 29, 2016 at 1:53 pm

    this looks wonderful, especially for this time of year, great tip by the way about fanning the slices evenly for different sections, I wouldn’t have thought of that! Thank you for sharing this!

  14. #
    Güvenlik Kamera Sistemleri — November 17, 2016 at 6:21 am

    It looks so delicious.

  15. #
    Amy — November 14, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    Reece– couldn’t you use egg free dough or gluten free dough and then just follow the rest of the recipe.

  16. #
    Bonnie Spolarich — November 14, 2016 at 10:31 am

    Hi Tessa
    I can hardly wait to try this, it looks and sounds delicious! I was wondering if there is some way it can partially be prepared a day before hand and baked in the morning?

    • #
      Tessa — November 14, 2016 at 11:27 am

      Hi Bonnie, thanks for your question! I just added make-ahead instructions to the recipe 🙂

  17. #
    Jessica @ Citrus Blossom Bliss — November 14, 2016 at 10:27 am

    I love functional bakeware! This pull apart loaf looks absolutely amazing too!!

    • #
      Tessa — November 14, 2016 at 11:27 am

      Thank you, Jessica!

  18. #
    reece — November 14, 2016 at 10:17 am

    This looks delicious! And I really want to make it, but is there anyway to modify without eggs? I have a pesky egg allergy, unfortunately. Thanks!

    • #
      Tessa — November 14, 2016 at 11:28 am

      I’m sorry to hear that! Unfortunately I’m not sure if or how this recipe might work without eggs 🙁

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