Ever wonder what a dietitian does on her day off? Personally, speaking for myself only here, she spends almost the entire day in the kitchen balancing between making healthy apple carrot cinnamon muffins (which are just as much delicious as they are healthy) and this over-the-top dessert bread: Spiral Cinnamon Apple Bread with Caramel Glaze. I mean, how can you not look at that beaut and not want some of it?

This weekend Philip and I had a completely free weekend. No work. No being on-call. No home projects to complete. And we intentionally didn’t plan any activities. It was so perfect in every way. Just imagine: Windows open, candle burning, music playing, and me dancing about the kitchen, swiftly moving from one thing to the next as our kitchen begins to smell as good as the candle burning.

I couldn’t be more delighted with how this bread turned out. Philip and I had the chance to go apple picking last weekend (hence all the apple recipes made this weekend) and I think this is one of my new favorite ways of using the plethora of apples we have in our house right now…although my traditional apple crisp is next up on the list of fall things to make. :)

This apple bread with the bread spiraled around the apple slices is such a fun twist on an otherwise normal fall apple bread. But what really takes it over the top is that glaze. Oh my. Brown sugar and butter come together to make a caramel sauce and a splash of apple cider gives this glaze a caramel apple flavor that you won’t be able to get enough of. The light drizzle of glaze is just enough without dominating the bread or apples or being too overly sweet. Perfection!

Whether you have a bowl of apples like me from your latest apple picking or if you’re craving something to get you into the fall spirit, this recipe is going to be a winner. Dietitian approved. ;)

Spiral Cinnamon Apple Bread with Caramel Glaze

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

Bread:

• 2 cups white whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
• 3/4 cup milk, warmed
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 – 5 whole apples peeled, cored and sliced (any variety of apple will work; I used a mixture of Granny Smith and Cortland)

Topping:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar

Glaze:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Place flour, sugar, yeast, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. In a small bowl add the melted butter to the warm milk and pour into the dry mixture. Stir to combine until a dough ball starts to form. Place dough ball (and remaining flour bits) onto a floured surface (a pastry mat works well) and knead for about 3–5 minutes, or until it has a smooth surface. Continue adding more flour to the counter, as needed, to prevent sticking. (Alternatively, use a stand mixer with the dough hook attached to mix everything together on low until a soft dough ball is formed. Knead with the mixture for about 4 minutes).
2. Transfer dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover loosely with a light towel and let rise in a warm area for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
3. Punch dough down then divide into 2 balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball into an approximately 8 x 11-inch rectangle. Cut into 9 strips.
4. Place sliced apple pieces into a bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and toss to lightly cover the apples.
5. Lightly grease an 8- or 9-inch round pan. Starting at the center of pan, start coiling the dough. Start adding apple slices in between the coiled dough to create a layered look of dough–apple–dough. Add as many or as few apples as you would like as you go (you want to go for the “rustic” appearance with this bread). Pinch ends securely as strips are added. It’s okay if the spiraled dough and apples does not fill up the entire pan.
6. Repeat the same steps for the other half of the dough. Cover loosely with a light towel and let rise for 45 minutes. Toward the end of rising time, preheat oven to 350°.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
8. While the bread is baking, prepare the topping. Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl. Once the bread is removed from the oven, brush each loaf with melted butter and then sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
9. While the bread cools, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Stir in cider. Heat to boiling; remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm (putting the pan in the fridge will help cool it down more quickly).
10. Gradually stir powdered sugar into glaze mixture. If the glaze becomes too stiff, stir in additional cider, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. If the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar. Drizzle glaze over the bread.
11. Cut into wedges to serve.

Adapted from: Inspired by Charm