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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
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!

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!
I’m 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 on countless comments I’ve seen!

Free Baking Science Mini-Course!
From cookies that spread to undercooked brownies, this FREE 5-day Baking Science course helps you conquer common baking challenges and make bakery-worthy treats every time.
They graciously sent us the full line of their new Glass Bakeware to use throughout the entire holiday season.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

Apple Pie Pull Apart Loaf
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
Instructions
Make the dough:
- 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.
- 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.
- Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Generously grease an OXO Glass 1.6 Qt Loaf Baking Dish with butter.
Make the filling:
- In a large bowl, toss together all filling ingredients. Set aside.
- 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.
- Roll the dough out into about a 12-by-20-inch rectangle. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the dough.
- Cut the dough into six long 3 1/2-inch strips. Stack the strips and cut the stacks into five or six square pieces.
- 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.
- 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.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- 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:
- In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and syrup with a fork until a thick but pourable glaze forms. Drizzle over the loaf.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. The bread is best served the day it’s baked.
I love it ! Thanks 🙂
This is my favorite dessert ! It looks awesome !
It should be delicious. I want to try 🙂
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
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.
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!
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!
It looks so delicious.
Reece– couldn’t you use egg free dough or gluten free dough and then just follow the rest of the recipe.
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?
Hi Bonnie, thanks for your question! I just added make-ahead instructions to the recipe 🙂
I love functional bakeware! This pull apart loaf looks absolutely amazing too!!
Thank you, Jessica!
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!
I’m sorry to hear that! Unfortunately I’m not sure if or how this recipe might work without eggs 🙁