Cinnamon Apple Pull-Apart Bread

     I haven’t made many sweet breads, and I was in the mood for just that - something sweet.   Boy did I pick a good one.  I made Cinnamon Apple Pull-Apart Bread  from the King Arthur website.  What is there not to love, apples, cinnamon, dark brown sugar, butter, and bread.  I used a granny smith, a braeburn, and a fuji apple.  The recipe called for brown sugar, but did not specify light or dark, so I went with dark.  I had to thinly slice the apples, and then cook them in the syrup made from butter, the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.  The apple mixture had to cool before topping the bread dough. The dough was rolled out to a large rectangle, and the apples were spread on top.  Next the dough was cut in strips and stacked.  The strips were then cut to squares and stacked into the pan.  I was glad I have 3 hands (okay one of the hands belonged to Wayne), so I could hold the prepared pan on edge to stack the apple dough squares.  The bread then had it’s second rise before going in the oven.  A hint before stacking the squares, be sure you place a dough side out for each end on the pan as you stack the squares. As you can see from the pictures, the result was a sweet, beautiful, apple-filled loaf.  One of the best things about this loaf, is you can eat it warm after a 15 minute rest out the oven.

     Wayne and I tried to figure out the best way to describe the bread.  Wayne first said apple pie biscuits, but then said, “No, it doesn’t have a biscuit texture.”  We decided on apple pie bread.  It truly is a delicious bread with apples galore.  I love the thinly sliced apples as opposed to diced apples that many recipes call for. You get a taste of apple in every bite.  It was great with a cup of coffee. 
     Apples always make me think of my favorite time of year - autumn.  I am anxiously awaiting our first cool spell in two days.  I can’t wait to go for our morning walk in 58 degree weather versus 76 degrees with 95% humidity at 5:30 in the morning.  Now, don’t think I’m crazy, but I love leaves on the ground, a cool nip in the air, and a cup of hot coffee on the patio while watching the birds at the feeder. I know we don’t get the fall color like places further north, but we do get some red and yellows.  I can’t imagine having to shovel snow to get out of the house, but I’m not a big fan of our infamous southern heat either;  I think that’s why I love fall so much.  Autumn is a welcome respite from the summer heat.  Autumn almost makes you forget southern June, July and August.