Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread
NutriMill
2 Loafs
Dessert Bread
Soft, buttery dough made with freshly milled hard white wheat, layered with brown sugar, cinnamon, and diced Honeycrisp apples, then stacked into a loaf pan so every layer peels away warm and gooey. Milling your own hard white wheat in a NutriMill grain mill gives this bread a light color and mild flavor with all the bran and germ still intact, and the Artiste Mixer does the kneading while you get the filling ready. Finish it with a thick cream cheese icing and pull it apart while it's still warm.
Ingredients
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560 g hard white wheat berries, finely milled
270 g (about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F / 43°C
2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons kosher or table salt
80 g (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, room temperature
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2 large Honeycrisp apples, finely diced
270 g (1⅓ cups) brown sugar, light or dark
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
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12 oz (340 g) cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
Mill 560 g hard white wheat berries in a NutriMill grain mill on the finest setting.
Fit your Artiste Mixer with the dough hook. Warm the milk to about 110°F / 43°C, just barely warm and not hot, and pour it into the bowl with the yeast and a large pinch of the granulated sugar. Turn the mixer on low for a few seconds to bring it together, then let it sit about 5 minutes, until bubbly and foamy on top.
Add the eggs, softened butter, the rest of the granulated sugar, and the salt to the yeast mixture. Mix on low until mostly combined. With the mixer still on low, add the fresh flour a little at a time until it is all worked in and no dry flour remains. Cover and rest 15 to 20 minutes. This softens the bran and makes the dough easier to develop.
Mix until the dough pulls the sides of the bowl clean and passes the windowpane test. Be careful not to add too much flour. If the dough feels genuinely stiff, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time.
Transfer to a large lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a shower cap, and let rise until doubled.
About 10 minutes before the dough is ready, toss the diced Honeycrisp apples with the brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Set aside.
Grease two NutriMill Enameled Cast Iron Bread Pans (8 x 4 inch) and line each one with a NutriMill Silicone Bread Pan Sling.
Gently press the air out of the dough and turn it onto your NutriMill dough mat. Roll it into one large rectangle about ¼ inch thick, then stir the apple mixture and spread it evenly over the whole surface, drizzling on any juices from the bowl.
Using a bench scraper, cut the dough into long strips about 4 inches wide to match the length of your pans. Stack the strips 2 to 3 high, then cut the stacks into small squares and stand them vertically in the prepared pans. Fill each pan until the squares hold each other upright, but not packed tight, so the loaves have room for one more proof.
Cover each pan with a shower cap, which slips on easiest over the sling handles, and proof about 30 minutes, a little longer if your kitchen is cool.
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C while the loaves proof.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops are deep golden brown. Cool in the pans at least 5 minutes, then lift the loaves out by the sling handles onto a cooling rack.
In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese until smooth, then whisk in the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt until glossy and pourable. Spread or drizzle over the loaves while they are still slightly warm.
Store cooled bread at room temperature wrapped loosely in foil for up to 3 days. Once iced, refrigerate and let it come back to room temperature before serving.