Overnight Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Overnight Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Serves 6-8.

The recipe below is designed for a bundt pan, but successfully baked it in a deep 13x9 baking pan. It's rich and delicious. If you want a noticeable apple flavor, add an extra cup of shredded apple after you have formed the balls but before baking. The one cup in the dough itself seemed to get lost and wasn't as strong as I expected.
Adapted from Lovely Little Kitchen and An Oregon Cottage

 

Dough:

1⅓ c. milk, warmed to 110-115 degrees

2 T. butter, melted + 2 T. butter, softened (4 Tb. total)

¼ c. granulated sugar

1 T. instant yeast

3¼-1/2 c. unbleached flour

1½ t. salt

1 heaping c. peeled, grated apple (I used Granny Smith)

 

For coating & glaze:

1 c. brown sugar

1 T. cinnamon

6 T. butter

Make dough:

Add milk, 2 Tb. melted butter, sugar and yeast to a large measuring bowl and stir to combine. Mix 3¼-c. flour and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer with a dough hook on low. Slowly add milk-yeast mixture and stir until dough comes together. Fold in grated apple. Increase speed to next level and knead the dough for abut 6 minutes, adding 2-3 tablespoons of flour (a tablespoon at a time) as needed for dough to clear sides of bowl (the dough should still be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, though).

 

Remove dough from mixing bowl to a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Coat bowl with oil (I simply use the bowl I mixed in), replace dough in bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave to sit until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

 

Use the 2 tablespoons of softened butter to liberally coat a 13x9 baking pan.

 

Remove dough to a lightly floured surface (I use a tea towel for easy clean up) and pat into about an 8x9" rough rectangle. Use a long knife to cut into 64 pieces - it doesn't matter if they're even or not.

 

Coat dough:

Place melted butter in one small bowl and combine brown sugar and cinnamon in another bowl.

 

Roll each piece of dough into a rough ball, dip in melted butter and then roll in the brown sugar coating. Place in buttered pan, layering and staggering dough balls as needed to make an even loaf. Sprinkle any extra sugar-cinnamon mixture on the top.

 

Cover pan with plastic and leave out on counter for 30 minutes before placing in the refrigerator to finish rising slowly overnight.

 

To bake bread:

Remove pan from refrigerator abut 2 hours before you want to serve it. Leave at room temperature, still covered, 45 minutes to 1 hour and preheat oven to 350 degrees the last 15 minutes.

 

Remove cover, place in heated oven and bake 20-25 minutes until the bread is JUST starting to brown and the sides are bubbling.

 

Cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving dish and topping with apple cider glaze.

Apple Cider Glaze - makes a little over a cup

 

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in apple cider, heavy cream, and salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, and then remove from the heat. Whisk in powdered sugar. Add more if needed. Allow to cool slightly before pouring over the pull apart bread.

*If making ahead, store in the refrigerator in a microwave-safe container. Reheat before serving/pouring over bread.