Caramel Apple Chai Pull-Apart Bread

I have the mother load of fall baking projects to tell you about today.

This caramel apple chai pull-apart bread is everything I want this time of year. If it’s wrong, I don’t want to be right.

I have gone on and on about my love for apples this time of year and how they are far more exciting to me than anything pumpkin, so I won’t bore you with that tirade again. I’ll just say this: if you’re like me and can’t get enough apples (particularly honeycrisp!) this time of year, this is just the dessert for you. It is FULL of appley goodness. No pumpkin in sight.

I’ll be straight with you right off the bat: this is not a low-maintenance recipe. Not one bit.

It requires making a yeasted dough (which is much easier than you are probably thinking), a caramel apple filling (also easy), and a chai-spiced caramel glaze for drizzling over top (easy peasy). Nothing about this recipe is particularly difficult or complicated, but it does have a lot of steps and takes a few hours to put together.

The result? So freaking worth it.

I love a baking project like this. It makes me happy. It gives me something to look forward to – the result will always be special when you put the time and effort into it.

The great news is that most of the prep time is inactive time. Meaning, you make the dough and the filling and then set them both aside to do their things (rise for the dough and cool for the filling), and you can go about your life for the next hour or so.

Then, you assemble the bread, which might be the most complicated part of this situation – and even that is not hard. You roll out your risen dough to a large rectangle (doesn’t have to be perfect – this dough is very forgiving once it’s baked!) and you top it with all of the caramel apple filling, spreading it out evenly over the surface of the dough. Kind of like you are making cinnamon rolls.

Then you slice the dough into strips. Stack the strips on top of one another. Cut the strips into squares. So you end up with cute little stacks of dough squares. These go into a buttered loaf pan, accordion style. If any filling gets lost along the way, you just shove it into the cracks and crevices of the dough accordion once it’s in the pan. This is what I mean when I say this recipe is forgiving! It’s going to puff up and bake into this amazing layered loaf – so it doesn’t have to be perfect before going into the oven.

We wait for another small rise once the bread it assembled. You can make the caramel glaze at this point. OR you can make it while the bread is baking. Your call.

Then! We bake this gorgeous baby off until she is puffed and golden and swoon worthy. I mean, just look at her. She’s a stunner.

One thing is for certain: all the elements of this recipe feature my homemade chai spice mix. The dough, the filling, and the caramel all feature this delicious combo of spices. I highly recommend you whisk together a batch of this stuff and just keep it in your pantry. It will last forever and it is SO wonderful added to all the things. I use it in apple crisp, in lattes, on pork roast (trust), and even in marshmallows. It is cozy and perfect this time of year.

I like to add cardamom to my chai spice, which is not at all traditional. I just love cardamom. It has such a woodsy, floral flavor and it is delicious in desserts. I think it goes perfectly with the other chai spices, so I add it. You can definitely leave it out if it’s not your thing or if you are looking to keep things more legit. Your spice mix, your call!

When it comes to caramel, more is more in my book. I ADORE caramel, particularly with apples. I could eat it straight off the spoon by itself (and often do). Caramel may even beat chocolate in my book when it comes to sweets. So, when it comes time to glazing this pull-apart bread, I go heavy on the caramel. We’ve come this far. We may as well go all the way, guys.

This recipe is a straight masterpiece. Yes, I know I’m tooting my own horn quite a bit here, but I need you to understand just how insanely good this is. Fluffy, tender bread filled with sweet and tart apples, caramel, and the flavors of chai!

It is pure heaven.

Caramel Apple Chai Pull-Apart Bread

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5 from 1 review

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

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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.

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Ingredients

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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

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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