Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread Recipe for Cozy Fall M mornings

This apple pull-apart bread is a comforting, irresistible option for breakfast or brunch during the cooler months. Layers of cinnamon-sugar coated dough and tender apple filling bake into a gooey, pull-apart loaf that’s perfect for sharing.

Our family loves weekend treats like monkey bread muffins or cinnamon-sugar pull-apart bread. This apple version uses a quick-rise yeast dough so you get the homemade texture without a long wait. The dough recipe is adapted from a raspberry pull-apart coffee cake and becomes the base for a sweet bread layered with apple pie-style filling and finished with a simple glaze.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Simple to make and full of flavor—ideal for breakfast or brunch.
• The house fills with a warm, fall-like aroma as it bakes.
• The homemade dough bakes light and fluffy while the apple filling stays soft and gooey.

What is pull apart bread?

Pull-apart bread is assembled from small dough portions stacked together so the finished loaf can be pulled apart into individual servings. Loaf pans and bundt pans are common, but the technique can be adapted to other shapes.

Also known as monkey bread, sticky bread, or bubble bread, many recipes use canned biscuit dough for convenience. This recipe uses a quick-rise homemade dough for better texture and flavor.

How to Make Apple Pull Apart Bread

• Pull-Apart Bread Dough – Warm milk and butter, then combine with flour, quick-rise yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix into a soft dough that pulls away from the bowl, knead briefly, and let it rise until doubled. Divide into 32 pieces and flatten each to about 3 inches. Dip each piece in cinnamon-sugar before filling.
• Cinnamon Apples – Sauté diced apples in butter until slightly softened, then stir in brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Cook until thickened and tender, then cool slightly. Place a spoonful of apple filling onto most dough rounds, stack them into groups, and arrange in greased loaf pans so each pan holds 16 rounds.
• Glaze – Whisk powdered sugar with a little milk until smooth and drizzle over warm bread.

Storage Recommendations

Best enjoyed the day it’s made, this pull-apart bread will keep in a loosely covered container for a day. Reheat slices for 5–10 minutes in a warm oven or 10–15 seconds in the microwave to restore that just-baked texture.

More Apple Recipes

• Homemade Apple Pie Filling
• Caramel Apple Bundt Cake
• Cinnamon Sugar Apple Donut Holes
• Apple Crisp Cheesecake
• Toffee Apple Pie Cookies
• Apple Nachos

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Recipe

Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

Yield:
2 loaves

Prep Time:
1 hour

Cook Time:
25 minutes

Total Time:
1 hour 25 minutes

This Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread combines soft, quick-rise dough with a warmly spiced apple filling and a simple powdered sugar glaze for a gooey, shareable loaf.

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 1 ¼ cups milk
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 envelope quick rise yeast
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the Apples

• 5 cups finely diced apples
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ⅔ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the Coating

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon

For the Glaze

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 2–3 tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. Place milk and butter in a saucepan over low–medium heat until butter melts. Cool the mixture to about 110°F.
2. In a mixer bowl combine 2 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and the warm milk mixture. Beat with a dough hook for 2 minutes until combined, then gradually add the remaining 2 cups of flour until a dough ball forms.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead about 10 times until smooth.
4. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a towel and set in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
5. While the dough rises, prepare the apples: place diced apples and butter in a skillet over medium heat and sauté until butter melts and apples begin to soften.
6. Stir in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Cook until the apples are tender and the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
7. Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray two 9×5-inch loaf pans with nonstick spray. Punch the dough down and cut it into 32 pieces. Flatten each piece into a roughly 3-inch circle.
8. Mix together the ¼ cup granulated sugar and ½ tablespoon cinnamon for the coating. Dip both sides of each dough circle in the cinnamon-sugar and place them on a sheet pan.
9. Spoon about one tablespoon of the apple filling onto 30 of the flattened circles. Stack groups of four circles (three with apples and one plain on top of the stack) and place the stacks into the prepared loaf pans until each pan contains 16 pieces.
10. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon-sugar over the tops, then bake for about 25 minutes. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a baking sheet, cover with a plate, and flip again so the tops are facing up. Repeat with the other loaf and let cool slightly.
11. Whisk together powdered sugar and 2–3 tablespoons milk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the warm loaves and serve immediately. Store leftovers in a loosely sealed container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16
Serving Size: 1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 310
Total Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Cholesterol: 19mg
Sodium: 81mg
Carbohydrates: 58g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 32g
Protein: 4g

Nutrition facts are estimates and not guaranteed. For specialized diet advice, consult a registered dietitian.