Anywho...I know not everyone enjoys sewing and crafting as much as I do so here is an amazing recipe for you who likes a little adventure in the kitchen.
You must be forewarned that this recipe takes a L O N G time to finish, but it is more than worth it in the end.
I love football as much as Derek does, but if I'm not interested in the teams playing I am really not interested in the game. Thankfully Derek shares my sentiments. I know there are MANY of you gals and some of you gents out there that are not interested in the slightest. What is there to do then for the FOUR hours your significant other is enthralled with something on television? BAKE!
A mom living in Alaska blogged a recipe for Caramel Apple Pull-Apart Bread. I fell in LOVE. Derek fell in love. Our waists got a little wider too. For those of you watching your figure and looking for healthy foods, this is most definitely not for you.
The recipe calls for Active Dry Yeast. If you are anything like me, you are going to search the web for any kind of substitute for this just to keep from going to Wal-Mart to buy some. Go on. Cave. You will not find anything. Go to the baking aisle of your nearest grocery store and get the jar of Active Dry Yeast. Trust me, it will be the best $5 you have ever spent. You will only use 3Teaspoons of the yeast for the entire recipe and have a ton left over. If you aren't a big bread lover, there are small packets for $1 so you can throw the rest away and not feel bad about it.
I am not a fan of cleaning cooling racks so, instead of taking the loaf out of the pan and putting it on the rack, I left the loaf in the pan, put it on the rack, then poured the caramel glaze on top for it to drip down into the pan.
DELISH! Enjoy both the taste and the smell!
Ingredients
- 2-3/4c all-purpose flour (plus 1/4 cup or more, if needed)
- 1/4c sugar
- 2-1/4t active dry yeast
- 1/2t salt
- 4T butter, melted
- 1/3c milk
- 1/4c warm water
- 1t vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
For the Dough:
- 3/4c brown sugar
- 2t cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 3T butter, melted
- 1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and diced (Golden Delicious or Granny Smith recommended)
For the filling:
- 2T butter
- 1/2c brown sugar
- 2T milk
For the Caramel Glaze:
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine warm water and yeast.
- In a microwave-safe dish, heat milk and butter together until butter is just melted, but not too hot. Add vanilla.
- Add flour, sugar, and salt on top of water/yeast mixture in mixing bowl. Turn mixer on low, add eggs, and stream in milk/butter/egg mixture gradually until a soft dough forms. Add flour by the tablespoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. Turn mixer up to medium speed and knead 3 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place 90 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt for the filling. Set aside. Prepare your apples and melt butter just before the dough is done rising. Grease a standard 9x5 loaf pan.
- Turn risen dough out onto a floured work surface and roll out into a large rectangle (roughly 12x24 inches, but it doesn't need to be perfect). Dough will be rather thin.
- Brush dough with melted butter. Sprinkle the entire surface with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Using a pizza wheel, cut dough into equal-sized, long strips. Sprinkle the first strip with 1/6th of the diced apples. Lay the next strip on top of the first strip. Sprinkle with apples and cover with another strip. Repeat until all the strips are stacked on top of each other.
- Cut the stacked strips into 4-6 equal stacks of squares (about 4-5 inches in size). Stack the squares vertically into prepared loaf pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350. Bake the bread on the middle rack of oven 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through (check center for doughiness). If the bread gets too brown on top before it is done cooking in the center, cover loosely with foil for the remainder of cooking time.
- Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by adding the butter, brown sugar and milk to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
- Turn loaf out onto a rack with parchment paper underneath it. Drizzle the loaf with the warm caramel glaze.
- Best enjoyed the same day it is baked