1 1/4teaspoonsfine salt, reduce to 1 tsp if using salted butter
4cupsall purpose flour, spooned and levelled, plus more as needed
4Tablespoonsunsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 4 pieces
Apple Filling:
1 1/2lbsgranny smith apples, peeled, quartered, cored and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
2Tablespoonswhite granulated sugar
1teaspooncinnamon
1largeegg yolk
Maple Glaze (Optional):
1cupconfections/icing sugar
2Tablespoonsmaple syrup
1Tablespoonmilk
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Instructions
In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the yeast and warm water. Stir and let stand 5 minutes. Add the sugar, warm milk, egg yolk, vanilla and salt and stir to combine. Add 2 cups of the all purpose flour and mix to combine. Add the softened butter, 1 Tbsp at a time and mix in.
Switch to the kneading hook. Add 1 more cup of the flour and knead in. Begin adding the last cup of flour in small increments, adding only enough flour until the dough wraps around the kneading hook and cleans the bowl quite well. *You may not need all of the last cup OR you may need to add more than that last cup. Trust what you see in the bowl and add flour, as needed, to get your dough to that point.
Remove dough to a floured work surface. Knead for 1 minute, then form into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
When dough is almost doubled, prepare your apple filling. Prepare the apples by peeling, quartering, coring and cutting into 1/2-inch-ish cubes. Place into a large bowl. Sprinkle with white sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Add egg yolk and stir in to coat. Set aside.
Prepare two 8x4-inch loaf pans by greasing or spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.
Remove dough to a floured work surface. Divide dough into two equal pieces.
Take one piece of dough and roll into a roughly 10x15-inch rectangle. Scatter one half of the apple filling evenly overtop of the dough, then roll up, starting from the long side. Pinch seam together. Using a sharp knife or bench cutter, cut the log into 1-inch slices, then slice down the centre of the slices from one end to the other, making a bunch of smaller chunks. *If the cutting isn't clear, refer to the video above this Recipe Card to see how it's done). Scoop up your chunks and place into your prepared 8x4-inch loaf pan. Adjust the dough chunks slightly, as needed, so that the top is as even as possible. (Any pieces sticking up much higher than others has a tendency to over-brown, so we'll try to avoid that).
Repeat with the second piece of dough and the remaining apple mixture.
Cover both loaves with greased plastic wrap and set to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F (not fan assisted), with rack in the centre of the oven.
When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap. Place loaf pans on top of a baking sheet (to catch any juicy bubble-overs).
Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes or until the breads internal temperature reaches 210F when tested with an instant read thermometer. Check bread at about 30 minutes and cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning of the top.
Allow loaves to cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.
If glazing, prepare the glaze by mixing together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cooled loaves.
Notes
Nutritional information does not include optional glaze.This bread freezes well, though best frozen without the glaze, which tends to get moist from the freeze/thaw process.Be sure to read the notes above the recipe card for more tips for making this bread.