Homemade Pull Apart Bread Stuffed with Fresh Apples and Walnuts

It snowed today, and that means that my beloved honey crisp apples will soon be out of season, so in an attempt to consume even more apples, I made pull apart bread stuffed with a fresh apple and walnut filling.

This cake is basically a version of the ever popular monkey bread - balls of yeasted bread dough stuffed with a filling. What takes this recipe over-the-top is the cinnamon sugar walnut mix that is sprinkled between the layers of dough balls. So, each ball of dough isn't only filled with apples, but there's a caramely sweet layer coating each dough ball. It's pretty amazing.

The key to making this a successful recipe is the butter. You have to use enough butter to coat the dough balls in order to keep them moist and soft while they bake.

I topped the cake with a vanilla glaze while it was still warm. As the cake cooled, the kitchen filled with the smell of what I consider a quintessentially fall aroma - apples and cinnamon.

Pull Apart Bread Filled with Fresh Apples and Walnuts

Adapted from the Taste of Home

 Ingredients for the Dough

1/4 ounce active dry yeast (one envelope)

1 cup warm milk (about 105 to 110 degrees F)

2 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg

2 tbs honey

1 tsp salt

3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

 

Ingredients for the filling

2 medium apples, peeled and chopped (I used honey crisps)

1 cup roasted walnuts, chopped

1 1/3 cups of sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup unsalted butter melted (for dipping the dough balls)

 

Ingredients for the Glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar

3 to 4 tsp of warm water

1 tsp good quality vanilla extract

 

Instructions

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. Allow the mixture to sit until it bubbles, letting you know that the yeast is alive and active.

Add the butter, eggs, honey, salt, and 3 cups flour to the yeast and milk mixture, Mix until smooth, and add enough flour to create a stiff dough. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume (about 1 hour).

Mix all of the filling ingredients together (but not the butter, that will be used when assembling the bread).

Once the bread has risen, punch it down. Cut the dough in half, and cut each half into 16 pieces. Pat each piece of dough into a 2 to 2 1/2 inch circle. Place 1 tsp of the apple mixture into the center of the circle. Pinch edges together to seal, forming a ball. Dip the ball in the melted butter. Continue this procedure with the remaining dough. 

Grease a 10-inch bundt pan. Place 16 balls in the bottom of the pan, seam side down. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the remaining filling mixture. Layer the remaining balls, and pour the remaining melted butter on top and sprinkle with the rest of the apple filling, making sure to cover the exposed surface of the dough.  Cover and let rise until it doubles, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 40 minutes. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes, and then turn it onto a wire rack.

Mix all the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the warm bread.

 

This post is linked to these parites.

 

 

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Comments

[Joan - My Cookie Clinic]

Aida, This looks delicious..apples and walnuts...two of my favorite ingredients. The vanilla glaze tops the cake off nicely. Thanks for sharing. Gotta pin this!

[Ambreen (Simply Sweet n Savory)]

Wow, this looks fantastic. Apple & walnuts is a wonderful combination. Thank you Aida for visiting & for the sweet words :)

[Www]

Super delicious looking bread!!
Apple pull apart bread is one of my favorites :)

[Stephanie]

Oh my, this looks so good! It reminds me of monkey bread, just better!

[Diane Balch]

This looks so flaky and delicious…yes, like monkey bread. Love the apples and walnuts. Thanks for sharing it with us on foodie friday.

[Kathy M]

I'm inspired to make this recipe and then enjoy the bread with a cup of coffee and a good book! Thanks for the post.

[Sherri@ The Well Floured Kitchen]

Wow ! This looks incredibly delicious and a perfect holiday breakfast. Pinned!

[AnnMarie]

Very appealing!! I want to try it now! Pinned and visiting from Marvelous Mondays.

[Maria]

Your bread looks so beautiful and sounds so delicious!

[Theresa @ Delicacious]

This looks like the perfect breakfast! Thank you for sharing. Pinned!

[Amy]

Pull apart bread is the perfect fall treat and I love how stuffed with goodness this one is! While it's sad to bid honeycrips farewell, at least you got to eat them in this. Definitely pinning for later :)

[Mackenzie @ Cheerios and Lattes]

Oh my goodness... this looks delicious! YUM! I need to try this soon! :)

[Aida @ TheCraftingFoodie]

Hi Joan,
The walnuts really add some great flavor to an already-delicious apple treat! Thanks for pinning and for leaving such a sweet comment.

Best,
Aida

[Aida @ TheCraftingFoodie]

Thanks for visiting and returning the blog love Ambreen!

Best,
Aida

[Aida @ TheCraftingFoodie]

Hi Stephanie,

Thanks so much! It actually is monkey bread, and the apples, walnuts, cinnamon sugar, and icing take it over-the-top! Thanks for the sweet comment and for stopping by The Crafting Foodie!

Best,
Aida

[Aida @ TheCraftingFoodie]

Thanks Diane, and thanks for hosting such a great link party each week!

Best,
Aida

[Aida @ TheCraftingFoodie]

Hi Kathy,

This bread is perfect with a hot cup of coffee! It's gotten very cold in my part of the US, and I'm indulging on too many fall sweet treats with my tea! Hope you give the recipe a try.

Best,
Aida

[Aida @ TheCraftingFoodie]

Hi Sherri,

Yes, it is the perfect breakfast! I made mine the night before, and my daughters and husband enjoyed it for breakfast the next day. I'd like to say they ate it a few times for breakfast, but it didn't last that long!

Thanks for stopping by The Crafting Foodie!

Best,
Aida

[Aida @ TheCraftingFoodie]

Hi AnnMarie,

Yup - this bread is very appealing. It's not a lot of work, and it's super delicious. I'm so glad you stopped by from Marvelous Mondays! Thanks for the lovely comment.

Best,
Aida

[Aida @ TheCraftingFoodie]

Hi Maria,

Thanks for the kind compliment. I hope you give the bread a try!

Best,
Aida