This apple cinnamon pull apart bread is a delicious light, pull apart bread with diced apples, a buttery cinnamon filling, chopped walnuts. Drizzled with a sugary glaze it’s a family tradition for us— make it one for yours too.
You might also like these bread recipes: apple cider donuts, apple cider muffins or our quick rise pumpkin cinnamon rolls!
Watch our step by step video!
Grandpa’s Apple Pull Apart Bread
As a child, I remember Grandpa Bob coming by on the weekends with bags of groceries for our family. He and grandma would go to the commissary and always get a few things for us too. My parents often struggled with finances so it was always very appreciated. Grandpa was a diabetic so he liked to live a little with his grandkids. There would always be a sugary treat; vanilla ice cream, windmill gingerbread cookies…and sometimes a delicious apple nut bread that he would drive over an hour to get. When he bought the apple nut bread, he always bought several loaves. To pass out to family and friends.
My other grandparents (his in-laws), and my aunt recalled receiving loaves of this delicious apple nut bread from Grandpa Bob too. That was just how he was. A giver. He would do anything to help a friend. I remember him bringing us this bread until I was 14 years old or so. That was around the time he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). The disease took away all of his independence. No more weekend drives, no more stopping by to see family and friends. It was so heartbreaking. Grandpa passed away before I ever thought of asking him where his favorite bakery was that made that special bread.
I wanted to share this childhood memory with my children and so I decided to recreate the bread to the best of my memory. A delicious light, pull apart bread with diced apples, a buttery cinnamon filling, chopped walnuts, and drizzled with glaze. This bread has quickly become a family favorite and I am so happy to be able to share it with my children! Even though Grandpa didn’t make his bread, we still named it after him since he inspired it.
I turned to my basic white bread dough for a base. It is my “foolproof” recipe that turns out amazing every time. I knew it would work great for this apple nut bread too.
I like using my kitchenmaid to make my dough and use the dough hook instead of kneading. If you don’t have one, just use a hand mixer or wooden spoon and knead on a floured surface just like you would for any other yeast bread dough.
Grandpa Bob’s Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread Recipe
(scroll down for printable recipe)
Apple Cinnamon Bread Dough:
2 cup warm water
4 1/2 teaspoon yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
5 1/2 cup flour
Apple Cinnamon Bread Filling:
1/2 cup butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
Apple Cinnamon Bread Glaze:
1 c. Powdered Sugar
1 tablespoon butter , softened
2 tablespoon milk
Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until foamy (about 5 minutes). Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well-oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow it to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
While dough rises, make your filling. In a saucepan, heat butter and sugar and cinnamon over medium heat until melted. Add vanilla extract and cornstarch and stir until mixture begins to simmer. Add apples and cook on low for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in walnuts. Set aside.
Gently punch down dough and divide into two sections. Roll one section out into a 12×15″ rectangle. Spread half of the filling on your dough. Using a pizza cutter, slice your dough into 15 squares. 4 slices along the 15″ side and 2 slices down the 12″ side.
Grease 2 bread pans with shortening.
With a spatula, stack your squares 3 or 4 at a time and begin filing them into the pan on their sides. This will get messy and that is ok. Just scoop them up and get them in the pan. Repeat with the other section of dough in the other bread pan. Let loaves rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Place a baking sheet, lined with foil, under your pans to catch any drips.
Bake in a preheated oven @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Lightly cover pans with foil (tent them) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or until tops are light brown and firm.
Cool (in the pans) on a cooling rack for 25 minutes before removing bread from the pan. After 25 minutes, gently turn pans onto their sides and remove the bread. Handle carefully, as this is a pull apart bread.
Mix ingredients for glaze, adding milk 1 tsp. at a time until it reaches desired consistency. Drizzle bread with glaze.
Enjoy one loaf of this delicious apple cinnamon pull apart bread and feel free to give the other one to a friend to keep the tradition going!
Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread Printable Recipe
Grandpa Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
Ingredients
Apple Cinnamon Bread Dough:
- 2 cup water warm
- 4 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 5 1/2 cup bread flour
Apple Cinnamon Bread Filling:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 4 apples peeled, cored, diced
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans chopped
Apple Cinnamon Bread Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered Sugar
- 1 Tbsp. butter softened
- 2 Tbsp. milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until foamy (about 5 minutes). Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well-oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow it to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- While dough rises, make your filling. In a saucepan, heat butter and sugar and cinnamon over medium heat until melted. Add vanilla and cornstarch and stir until mixture begins to simmer. Add apples and cook on low for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in nuts. Set aside.
- Gently punch down dough and divide into two sections. Roll one section out into a 12x15" rectangle. Spread half of the filling on your dough. Using a pizza cutter, slice your dough into 15 squares. 4 slices along the 15" side and 2 slices down the 12" side.
- Grease 2 bread pans.
- With a spatula, stack your squares 3 or 4 at a time and begin filing them into the pan on their sides. This will get messy and that is ok. Just scoop them up and get them in the pan. Repeat with the other section of dough in the other bread pan. Let loaves rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Place a baking sheet, lined with foil, under your pans to catch any drips.
- Bake in a preheated oven @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Lightly cover pans with aluminum foil (tent them) and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until tops are light brown and firm.
- Cool (in the pans) on a cooling rack for 25 minutes before removing bread from the pan. After 25 minutes, gently turn pans onto their sides and remove the bread. Handle carefully, as this is a pull apart bread.
- Mix ingredients for glaze, adding milk 1 tsp. at a time until it reaches desired consistency. Drizzle bread with glaze.
Notes
Nutrition
Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!
This is a very touching story Brandy, thank you for sharing it with us. This bread looks really good, and I will have to give it a try!
Thank you, Brenda!
Love the “Grandpa” story and the fact that you’re keeping the tradition of something so simple yet so memorable withing your family. Enjoying your website, thanks for sharing.
Thank you Dawna. Memories of grandparents are some of the fondest ones I have. Have a wonderful week!
Yum! I’ll have to make it (minus the nuts, of course)!
Elizabeth! Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention. YES, you will need 2 T. of cinnamon in the filling mixture. I don’t know how I missed that, one of the key ingredients! Have a great weekend and I hope you enjoy the bread!
Yes, thanks for letting me know! I was using a recipe plug in for this recipe with the updated info, but stopped using it, so it reverted to the one that didn’t include the cinnamon again!
This looks so so delicious! I am going to have to try it out. I came over from the SITS link up. Pinning this!
My father used to go to the Italian bakery to get fresh Italian bread for all the grandchildren, and they loved it. In fact, I have some great-nephews who were really missing it until I took up the job and now bring them fresh Italian bread like Poppy did…they love it! This recipe sounds wonderful, and I’m betting your grandfather is so pleased to see you make it yourself…you’re keeping him alive with your memories! I have to try this…thanks for sharing!
Thank you Jodee! And it sounds like you are carrying out the same memories with your family!
What a sweet story. I would love to make this but I was wondering the ingredient amount for the apple filling
Hi! Thank you! And thanks for letting me know that it wasn’t there. It looks as thought my recipe plug-in broke. I went back and added it manually so the ingredients list is there now. Have a great week!
Great story and great looking bread! Yum!
Thanks
Michelle
This yummy treat is yet another reason I have to get over my yeast phobia!
I will take a loaf to go please! It really gets me in the mood for Fall! Pinned.
Looks so amazing! I need to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing at this week’s Inspiration Spotlight party. See you again soon. Pinned & shared.
Your Apple Cinnamon Nut Bread looks fantastic, we will love it. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and have a great weekend!
Miz Helen
My mouth is watering right now! Gotta make this! Thanks for the recipe!
I just came across your incredible story and recipe. I can hardly wait to try it, my husband loves apple cake, so this will be a new treat for him. Thank you for sharing!
This looks AMAZING, and I love the story behind it. Food has such power, doesn’t it? Can’t wait to give this one a try. (visiting from SITS – happy Saturday!)
Hi Brandy, What an unusual and attractive loaf of Apple Cinnamon Nut Bread! What a sweet tribute to your grandfather also! Thanks for sharing the story and the recipe! Blessings, Janet
This looks absolutely scrumptious! I definitely have fall fever and just might make this today… too bad it’s still supposed to hit 90 degrees! Oh well I can stay inside and pretend it’s fall!
This looks so delicious. I can almost smell it cooking.
Bev
I love this recipe! Can’t wait to try it out! Pinning for later, thanks! #smallvictoriessundaylinkup
This is the perfect fall recipe! I’d love to make this for Thanksgiving!
Thanks for joining us this week at the Merry Monday link party!
We hope you can join us again next week!
Kate | TheOrganizedDream.com
I SO pinned this! Sounds amazing!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
This looks and sounds like it would be absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks so much for sharing, Love! GOD bless you! 🙂
Wow! This looks amazing! Thanks for sharing at #SmallVictories linkup!
This recipe looks so amazing! Thanks for sharing! Will definitely try this one!
This looks absolutely delicious! I’m actually going to give it a try this weekend!!
Looks incredible! Pinning to share.
This looks delicious and what a wonderful way to honour your grandfather. My grandparents lived a long ways away in Vancouver whenever I visited Grampa bought cake donuts with all kinds of icing and toppings. Its the only time I ever saw them. I remember that special treat so I know exactly how you feel about it. Beautiful story. Pinning.
Brandy,
Another delicious recipe share on “Inspire Me Monday”. You’re making me hungry and I already had breakfast. How is this possible? lol Have a good week and feel free to hit the dance floor with me and the Monday’s Music Moves Me gal!
Wow, this looks sooooo delicious!
Oh my golly this looks delicious! Pinned and going to the grocery store! Thanks for sharing. Saw it on the Happiness is Homemade link party and soooo glad I did!
That sounds amazing – and perfect for the Fall, when we always usually have too many apples and always need new recipes. 🙂 Pinning to try!
Pinned! Sounds amazing!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
This looks amazing! Make my me hungry while I’m supposed to be sleeping. I like anything apples and cinnamon so I’ll be making this soon.
This looks wonderful! I have seen this kind of bread and wondered how it was made… I didn’t realize it could be so easy! This is something my family would love and i can see myself doing. Thank you. 🙂
I pinned your delicious bread! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday. Have a great weekend and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
Congratulations!
Your post is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week and we have pinned it to our Features Board. Thanks so much for sharing with us and have a safe weekend!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen
Hi! I have this in the oven now, somehow ended up with 4 loaves! Do you think I can freeze them?
Ha! My loaf pans must be larger than normal! I haven’t tried freezing this particular recipe, but have frozen the plain white bread (same dough as this recipe) and it was just fine!
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