Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Caramel Apple Chai Pull-Apart Bread

Caramel Apple Chai Pull-Apart Bread


  • Author: Molly
  • Total Time: 3 hours
  • Yield: 8-10 servings 1x

Description

This Caramel Apple Chai Pull-Apart Bread is the epitome of fall baking! It features a yeasted dough, caramel apple filling, and a chai caramel sauce for drizzling over top. It is decadent and makes for the best sort of fall baking project! The result is pure heaven.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Dough:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ⅓ cup 2% or whole milk
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 packet (2¼ teaspoons) active dry or instant yeast
  • 3 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons chai spice mix
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature

For the Apple Filling:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced (I like Granny Smith or honeycrisp for this)
  • Juice of ½ a lemon (roughly 1 tablespoon)
  • ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
  • Pinch of fine salt
  • 2 teaspoons chai spice mix

For the Caramel Glaze:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon chai spice mix
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

For the Dough:

  1. Place the butter, milk, and water in a large microwave-safe measuring cup (alternatively, you can do this in a saucepan on the stove).
  2. Heat for 30 seconds, stir well, and then heat again for another 15 seconds or until the butter is completely melted.
  3. Pour the mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk in the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over top and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, chai spices, and salt in a bowl.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low with the dough hook until the dough starts to come together.
  6. Add in the eggs and keep mixing until a smooth and sticky dough forms. If it is very sticky, add in a few tablespoons of flour at a time until it comes together. The dough should be somewhat sticky but smooth and soft.
  7. Oil a large bowl and place the dough ball inside. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and place the bowl in a warm place (I use my turned off oven for this), allowing the dough to sit for an hour or until it is doubled in size.

For the Apple Filling:

  1. While the dough is rising, make the filling.
  2. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the apples and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the apples begin to soften.
  3. Stir in the lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, and chai spice. Mix well to combine everything and cook for 5 minutes or until the apples are tender and the sauce in the pan is thickened.
  4. Remove from the heat and set aside. Allow the filling to cool to room temperature.

To Assemble & Bake:

  1. Liberally butter a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
  2. Punch down the dough and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface.
  3. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, roughly 12 x 20 inches (it does not need to be perfect – this is a forgiving recipe!).
  4. Spread the apple filling all over the surface of the dough.
  5. Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut the dough lengthwise into 5 even strips.
  6. Stack the 5 strips on top of one another, pressing any apple filling that falls out back into the layers.
  7. Cut the stack of strips into 6 sets of squares.
  8. Gently stack the dough squares into the pan so that they are standing upright, like an accordion. If any apple filling falls out, just stick it back into the cracks and crevices once all the dough squares are in the pan.
  9. Cover the pan with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. 
  10. Remove the towel and bake the bread for 40-45 minutes, checking after 35 minutes. The top should be golden brown and set.
  11. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then carefully invert the pan to remove the bread.
  12. Place the bread on a serving platter or cutting board and drizzle with the caramel glaze. Serve immediately.

For the Caramel Glaze:

  1. While the bread is cooling, make the glaze by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar is melted and mixed well into the butter.
  3. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Carefully stream in the cream and stir quickly to incorporate. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chai spices, vanilla, and sea salt.
  5. Pour as much or as little over top of the pull-apart bread.

Notes

Dough lightly adapted from this recipe.

  • Prep Time: 2 hours (mostly inactive time)
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: dessert

Keywords: caramel apple chai pull-apart bread, apple pull-apart bread, caramel apple pull-apart bread, caramel apple desserts, chai caramel recipe, pull-apart bread recipe, fall baking recipes, apple baking recipes