This Vegan Apple Fritter Bread combines layers of yeasted cinnamon dough with homemade apple butter and gooey cinnamon sugar apples. If you're looking for a show-stopper dessert to make this Holiday season- let this apple bread be it!
This dessert is an apple-filled combination of some of my favorite SGTO recipes. Since you loved my apple pie cookies, I knew I wanted to make sweet bread using a similar apple pie filling.
The best way I knew how? To follow the method I used to make my Vegan Garlic Pull Apart Bread. It all came together when I added layers of homemade apple butter for a truly delicious Fall dessert.
Ingredients:
Substitution notes:
- Apple Butter: This adds a lot of flavor to the dough and keeps it super soft. I used my vegan apple butter recipe but you can also use store-bought apple butter. If you can't find any, using any flavored jam would work but would also change the flavor of the bread.
- Cinnamon: Can be substituted for pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice if you'd like to use more spices!
- Sugar: Can be substituted for coconut sugar or maple sugar to make this refined sugar-free. Just keep in mind it will make the recipe less sweet!
How to make apple pull apart bread:
Make the cinnamon dough
First, activate the dried yeast in warm water. Then, mix in the sugar, melted vegan butter, and vanilla.
After that gradually add in the flour, cinnamon, and salt and mix into a shaggy dough.
Knead & let rise
Once you have a shaggy cinnamon dough- it's time to knead the bread! You can do this in a standing mixer with the bread hook for about 5 minutes or by hand on a well-floured surface for 8-10 minutes.
The dough is ready when it is smooth, elastic, and can be easily stretched without tearing.
Add the kneaded dough to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size.
Make the cinnamon sugar apples
While the dough is rising, peel and dice your apples. Then, add them to a mixing bowl with the sugar and cinnamon and mix together.
Roll out the dough
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and form it into 8-9 smaller balls.
Then, use a rolling pin to roll each dough ball out into a flat disc.
Assemble the bread
Spread the apple butter onto the rolled-out bread discs. Then, add a few scoops of cinnamon sugar apples.
Add to pan & second rise
Fold each bread disc in half so it resembles a taco and add them to a parchment-lined pan.
Layer them into the dough and stuff any extra apples between the layers of dough. Then, cover and let rise for another 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
P.S- this is the loaf pan I used in this recipe.
Bake the apple bread
Add the bread to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until cooked through. The tops will be browned and the filling will be bubbling when the bread is done.
Remove and let cool completely before topping with apple cider glaze & enjoying!
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make apple fritter bread gluten-free?
Unfortunately, no. Yeasted bread recipes depend on gluten formation for structure so this is one recipe you easily adapt to make gluten-free.
How do I store apple bread?
Apple bread can be stored wrapped in tin foil or in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
You can also slice it and store the slices in a closed container in the freezer between layers of parchment paper for about 1 month.
I can't wait for you to try this absolutely delicious Vegan Apple Fritter Bread! It's filled with chunks of gooey sweet apples and is such a delicious Holiday dessert. Enjoy!
-TSG
More sweet bread recipes you will love:
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Vegan Apple Fritter Bread
Ingredients
Cinnamon Dough
- ¾ cup warm water
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dried yeast
- ¼ cup melted vegan butter
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 ½- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
Apple Filling
- 2 small red apples peeled and diced
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple pie spice
- ⅓ cup apple butter
Apple Cider Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ Tablespoon apple cider
Instructions
First, make the cinnamon bread dough:
- Add the lukewarm water and yeast to a mixing bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast. Then, add in the melted vegan butter, sugar, vanilla, and mix together.
- Next, add the flour, cinnamon, and salt and mix together until a thick yet shaggy dough forms.
- Once the dough has formed, it’s time to knead the bread. If you are using a standing mixer, use the bread hook to knead the dough until it is elastic and no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl (about 5-6 minutes). If you are kneading by hand, add the dough to a well-floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. The dough is done kneading when it is smooth and tacky, but not super sticky, and can be easily stretched without tearing.
- When the dough is elastic and well-kneaded, form into a round ball. Place the dough into a well-oiled bowl. Then, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and it let rise for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.
Make the cinnamon sugar apples
- While the dough is rising, peel the apples, core them, and then dice them into cubes.
- Add the apples to a mixing bowl with the sugar and cinnamon and mix together until the apples are coated. Then, set aside.
Shape the bread
- First, line a 1 pound loaf pan with parchment paper or lightly grease it and set aside.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to remove excess air and remove it from the bowl. Then, add it to a well-floured surface and divide it into 8-9 evenly-sized pieces. Then, roll each section of dough into a round ball.
- Next, take each ball and use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten them into a circular disc. The circle doesn't have to be perfectly round.
- Then, spread about 2 teaspoon of the apple butter onto each disc followed by a few scoops of the cinnamon sugar apples. Fold each disc in half and line them in the prepared baking pan with the round side up. Make sure to layer additional apple chunks between the layers of dough as you add them to the pan and spread any leftover apple butter on top of the bread.
Second rise & baking
- Cover the loaf pan of bread with a towel and let rise for another 30 minutes while prehating the oven to 350F
- Add the bread to the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is browning, the apple filling is bubbling, and the bread has cooked through. If the bread has not cooked through by this point, cover with tin foil and continue cooking for another 5- 10 minutes so the top does not burn.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Then, move it to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
Make the glaze & serve
- Once the bread has cooled, make the glaze. Add the powdered sugar and apple cider to a small bowl and whisk together until a smooth and thick glaze forms.
- Drizzle the glaze over the bread and serve immediately!
Notes
- Apple bread can be stored wrapped in tin foil or in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- You can also slice the apple bread and store the slices in a closed container in the freezer between layers of parchment paper for about 1 month. Just defrost in the fridge before serving.
- This is the loaf pan I used to bake this bread.
- Please note: this bread will not work with gluten-free flour.
Anna says
Just made this bread with apple butter. It's delicious!
Megan says
Glad you liked it 🙂
Brittany says
Would this work with a gluten free flour blend such as King Arthur’s?
Megan says
No it would not- all of my recipes using yeast and not meant to be made gluten-free as they rely on gluten formation for structure!
Jacob says
Obsessed with this bread- the apple butter inside makes it so delicious.
Aurora says
I followed this recipe to a tee, and it was completely raw on the inside. I used a 1lb loaf pan, a stand mixer, and the top was golden and bubbling when I took it out. I wish I had read the previous review so I knew to check the inside with a thermometer. The one slice I had was cooked and tasted nice, but the inside was so raw that I sadly had to throw away the entire thing after trying to bake longer didn't help.
I wish the information on checking for doneness was included in the recipe, as well as letting you know to remove it from the pan before letting it cool. Weight for the flour would be nice too!
Megan says
I'm sorry the recipe didn't work for you! However, a few notes. If the bread was raw throughout after baking 45+ minutes, it is likely because the yeast was not working correctly. Sometimes if you use too hot of water it can kill the yeast and the bread will never get the right texture. I have never needed to use a thermometer to check if it is done, which is why it is not included in the instructions, but it's always a good way to check.
Also, the recipe does list all the measurements in grams/ml as that's how I test them- you just have to click the "metric" button in the recipe card.
Adrienne says
As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it, and I am so glad that I did- it's delicious! I used a stand mixer, and it was a very wet dough so I'm glad I had that option- I had to add extra flour, but I started with very 'light' cups, so that may be why. I made two small changes- I didn't have apple butter, so I used fig butter from Trader Joe's instead- it's not too sweet, and was a perfect compliment to the apples! I also didn't have apple cider, so I reserved a bit of liquid from the apple/sugar mix to use in the glaze, which worked out perfectly.
I would caution an inexperienced baker to use a digital thermometer to test for doneness- it should read 190-200 F. Mine browned on top at about 40 minutes, but was still fairly raw in the middle, likely due to the high moisture of the apples, so I had to tent it with foil and bake it for another 12 minutes. Overall, a great recipe and I will definitely make it again.
Megan says
Thanks so much for sharing! By any chance did you use a smaller loaf pan? That may affect the baking time too. But the tenting with foil is a great idea to bake longer :).