Apple Butter Pull-Apart Bread is an ooey-gooey homemade bread made with homemade apple butter spread and topped with a sweet caramel glaze. For a pull-apart bread with fresh apples, be sure to try my Apple Pull-Apart Bread.
Apple Butter Pull-Apart Bread
The apple flavor in this bread comes from the apple butter. There are no apples in this recipe. And, it’s a pull-apart bread, but made in a loaf pan as opposed to a bundt pan. Either way you cut it, I mean ‘pull it’, this bread is a soft and flavorful bread with a caramel glaze that you will want to be sure to get in each bite.
Apple Butter Pull-Apart Bread
There are two main parts to this delicious recipe–the dough and the caramel glaze. It’s not a difficult recipe to make; you just need to be patient a couple of times to let the dough rise.
Dough Ingredients (full recipe below)
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Instant yeast
- Unsalted butter
- Milk–Lukewarm milk is about 105°F.
- Water–The recipe calls for lukewarm water; that is generally between 105°F-115°F.
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Apple butter–Make your own homemade apple butter for a flavor better than any storebought spread!
Caramel Glaze Ingredients
- Butter
- Heavy cream
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
Pull-Apart Bread Dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast using the dough hook attachment. With the mixer on low, slowly add the butter, milk, water, vanilla, and then eggs. Turn the mixer on medium-low and knead until the dough is soft and smooth (about 2 minutes). If it seems too dry add a little water, if it seems too sticky add just a little flour, up to a 1/4 cup. Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for about an hour.
Rolling Out the Dough
After the dough has had time to rise to double its size, it’s time to roll it out. Gently deflate the dough and place it on a floured work surface. Roll the dough out to about a 12×20-inch rectangle. Spread the apple butter over the entire top of the dough, making sure to get it all the way to the edges.
Cutting and Assembling Apple Butter Pull-Apart Bread
Cut the dough crosswise into six long strips. Make sure you have a knife that is long and sharp as well as wide enough that you could use it to move the long pieces of dough over to the stack. Stack the strips on top of one another. After all the strips are stacked, cut the stack into six pieces.
Finally, start setting the sections into the pan making sure that the dough is upright, or stacking horizontally, not vertically. Cover the loaf with a clean towel and let it rise again for 30-60 minutes. (I know…more waiting, but it will be worth it!)
After the hour, bake the bread for 45-55 minutes, tenting it with aluminum foil after the first 30 minutes. You will know the bread is done if a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it, but no batter. Another way to check if the bread is done is to check to see that the internal temperature reads 190°F.
Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool for 15-20 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. As the bread is cooling, make the caramel glaze.
How to Make the Glaze
To make the caramel glaze, begin by heating the butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar over medium heat in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, making sure the sugar is dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the vanilla. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken before drizzling it over the warm bread.
Looking for More Homemade Bread Recipes?
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups (375g)all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50g)granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup lukewarm milk
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup apple butter, homemade or storebought
Glaze
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113g)butter
- 2 teaspoons heavy cream
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Dough
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
-
With the mixer on low, slowly add butter, milk, water, vanilla, and then eggs. Turn the mixer on medium-low and knead until the dough is soft and smooth (about 2 minutes). If it seems too dry add a little water, if it seems too sticky add just a little flour, up to a 1/4 cup.
-
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
-
Grease an 8×5-inch loaf pan.
-
Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
-
Roll the dough into a 12″ x 20″ rectangle.
-
Spread the apple butter over the entire top of the dough.
-
Cut the dough crosswise into six 3 1/2″ x 12″ strips.
-
Stack the strips on top of one another.
-
Cut the stack into six pieces, about 2″ x 3 1/2″ each.
-
Turn the pieces on edge, and place them in the loaf pan one in front of the other from one end of the pan to the other, squeezing them in tight.
-
Cover the pan and allow the loaf to rise for 30 to 60 minutes until it’s almost doubled in size. While the loaf is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
-
Bake the loaf for 45 to 55 minutes in the center of the oven, tenting it with foil after 30 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven, and transfer it to a rack to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before turning it out of the pan to cool completely. (The bread is done when the internal temperature is 190°F.)
-
As the bread is cooling, make the glaze.
Glaze
-
Heat the butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
-
Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then remove from the heat.
-
Add in vanilla and stir until combined. Let sit 5-10 minutes to thicken.
-
Drizzle over the warm bread.