Cranberry Apple Pull-Apart Bread

Cranberry Apple Pull-Apart Bread

This fabulous Cranberry Apple Pull-Apart bread is the perfect vehicle to put two of Fall’s best ingredients to use – apples & cranberries. Every buttery, cinnamony, sweet-tart nibble is heaven. 💕 Fortunately, apples and craisins are available all year so we can whip this up whenever the mood strikes.

I am including a recipe for the bread dough, but if you want to make an even quicker version of this sweet treat you can use a 1-lb ball of bread dough. The dough I make for this loaf includes lots of baking spices. However, you could simply add more spices to the filling if you want to use store-bought dough.

Don’t be intimidated by the folding and cutting needed to prep this bread. It’s super fast and easy to put together! The beauty of Cranberry Apple Pull-Apart bread is that a little messiness just adds to its beauty. The more nooks and crannies, the more places to grab a pinch!

Pinnable image for Cranberry Apple Pull Apart Bread recipe

Bread Dough Ingredients & Instructions

  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 Tbsp. butter, room temp
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. Apple Pie Spice blend – OR –
    • ½ tsp, cinnamon, ¼ tsp. cardamom, and ¼ tsp. allspice
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 ½ tsp. yeast

Place all ingredients in a bread machine and run the dough cycle. To make by hand, knead dough until supple (6 mins or so). Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Filling Ingredients

  • 1 large, crisp, tart apple, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup craisins
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. Apple Pie Spice blend – or 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • 4 Tbsp. butter, room temp

In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, spices, and salt.

How to form your Cranberry Apple Pull-Apart Bread

  • Roll the dough out into a 13″ x 9″ rectangle on top of a sheet of parchment paper. It is VERY important you form this loaf on top of a sheet or parchment, or you will never (and I mean never) be able to get it onto a sheet pan to bake! I wouldn’t use a silpat because you will be cutting on it – I think you would ruin a silpat with all that knife work.
  • Spread softened butter over entire rectangle of dough.
  • Spread brown sugar mixture in the center of the rolled out dough (cover about half the surface area of rectangle). See photo below to see what I mean.
  • Evenly spread apples, craisins and walnuts over the sugar.
Filling for Cranberry Apple Pull-Apart Bread

Okay, here’s where it gets a little messy, but don’t panic. You can’t screw this up! Promise.

Fold sides of dough over the filling and pinch together. Pinch ends closed as well. Give the loaf a gentle – gentle! – pat all over to create a uniform packet.

how to fold the dough around the filling for cran-apple monkey bread

Transfer the loaf, with the sheet of parchment, to a baking sheet.

Using a bench scraper or a long, sharp knife, cut the loaf crosswise into 1-inch strips. Do not separate strips! Don’t worry if any of the fillings start peeking out.

How to slice cranberry apple pull apart bread dough

Now, rotate the loaf and cut it into 1-inch strips again, this time on a diagonal (see photo below).

example of how to cut cranberry apple pull apart bread

Cover loosely and let the loaf rise in a warm place until almost doubled. When you have about 20 minutes of rising time left, preheat your oven to 350. Bake loaf for 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned. Slide off the parchment paper onto a wire rack to completely cool.

Once the loaf has cooled, drizzle a simple glaze over the top: 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp milk (or more as needed), a few drops of vanilla, and a pinch of kosher salt.

iced cran-apple monkey bread

Enjoy!

Cranberry Apple Pull-Apart Bread

A fun treat to share with family and friends
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Keyword Fall Baking, Holiday Bread, Yeast Bread
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rising Time 2 hours
Servings 12
Author Elizabeth at thewildolive.org

Equipment

  • Bread Machine

Ingredients

Bread Dough Ingredients

  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 Tbsp softened butter
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp. Apple Pie Spice Blend – OR
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. cardamom & ¼ tsp allspice
  • 1 ½ tsp yeast
  • ¾ tsp. salt

Filling Ingredients

  • 1 crisp tart apple, finely diced
  • ½ cup craisins
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • 4 Tbsp butter - room temp
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. Apple Pie Spice blend or 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch kosher salt

Instructions

  • Make dough in bread machine on dough cycle.
  • Tip out dough onto a large piece of parchment paper; pat dough out into a 9″ x 13″ rectangle.
  • Combine brown sugar, Apple PIe Spice Blend (or cinnamon) and salt in small bowl.
  • Sprinkle brown sugar mixture lengthwise over center of dough, covering half the surface area.
  • Evenly spread apples, walnuts and craisins over sugar.
  • Fold long sides of dough over the filling and pinch dough together in the middle. Pinch ends closed as well. Give the loaf a gentle – gentle! – pat all over to create a uniform packet.
  • Lift bread on parchment and place on a 13″ x 9″ or 15″ x 11″ baking sheet.
  • Using a bench scraper, cut bread widthwise into 1″ strips. Do NOT separate the strips. On a slight diagonal, cut bread into 1″ strips lengthwise.
  • Let rise 30-45 mins or until puffed and almost doubled.
  • Bake at 350 F 25-30 mins or until evenly browned.
  • Remove bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • If desired, drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze over the cooled bread: 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp milk (or more as needed), a few drops of vanilla and a pinch of salt

Notes

Here is a simple recipe for making your own Apple Pie Spice blend.

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