Sourdough Discard Apple Fritter Pull-Apart Bread

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This Sourdough Discard Apple Fritter Pull-Apart Bread is everything I love about an apple fritter, baked into a soft, buttery loaf that’s perfect for sharing. Each layer is filled with cinnamon sugar and gooey cinnamon apples, then the whole thing gets covered in a thick vanilla donut glaze. The best part is pulling it apart while it’s still a little warm and getting all those sticky apple cinnamon layers.

Tools You’ll Need:

1. Stand mixer with dough hook (or strong hands!) – for mixing dough.
2. Mixing bowls- for brown sugar filling and vanilla icing.
3. Saucepan or small pot- for mixing tangzhong and cooking the apples.
4. Whisk- for stirring tangzhong and mixing the glaze.
5. Long ruler or measuring tape (optional) – to measure the dough.
6. Rolling pin– to roll dough out.
7. Pizza wheel or pastry wheel – to cut dough into sections.
8. Kitchen scale (optional)– for accurate measuring, especially helpful with sourdough baking linked here.
9. Measuring cups and spoons- if not using a scale and for smaller ingredients.
10. Spatula– to spread the cinnamon sugar and apple filling.
11. 9×5-inch loaf pan- to bake your loaf. This USA pan linked here is my favorite for baking.
12. Parchment paper– to line your pan to avoid burning and easily remove the bread.
13. Small metal clips (optional)- to clip the parchment to the pan linked here.

Gather Your Ingredients:

1. All-purpose flour- I recommend using all-purpose flour for a softer dough, but you can substitute for bread flour.
2. Whole milk– milk works in the tangzgong and the dough to create a tender crumb.
3. Sourdough discard- (cold or room temperature). Adds the best depth of flavor to the dough. If you don’t have starter or discard, I have a simple swap on my recipe card.
4. Instant dry yeast- This is the leavening agent for the dough, and speeds up the process! I love this Scratch Gold Yeast and always have it on hand. Please note instant dry yeast isn’t the same as active dry yeast which you have to bloom to activate. I’ll include an active dry yeast swap under FAQ’s.
5. Unsalted Butter- butter makes your dough rich and soft. You’ll also use it for the fillings and glaze.
6. Egg + egg yolk- provide richness and works to bind the dough.
7. White sugar– Boosts sweetness and supports the rise and golden color.
8. Salt– balances sweetness and enhances overall flavors. I prefer a high quality sea salt.
9. Vanilla extract– Enhances the flavor and brings warmth.
10. Brown sugar- creates that ooey gooey center to the layers and sweetens the apple filling.
11. Cinnamon and Cardamom- Rounds out the apple flavor and brings that classic apple pie warmth. You can skip the cardamom if you don’t have it, but I think it’s the secret to my apple pie filling. Shhh, don’t tell anyone!
12. Granny Smith Apples– These are my favorite apples for apple pie filling. While you can use other varieties of apples, granny smith offer a distinct tart crisp flavor and don’t get mushy after long periods of baking. If you don’t have Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Braeburn are fine options.
13. Lemon juice- balances out the apple pie filling and helps to preserve the apples.
14. Cream– thins out the vanilla glaze.
15. Powdered Sugar (or confectioner’s) – used in the vanilla icing to sweeten and thicken the glaze. Do not substitute this sugar for granulated sugar, or your frosting will be gritty.

Instructions

Step 1: Mix the Tangzhong

Before you get started on mixing your dough, you’ll make your tangzhong. Whisk milk and flour together in a small saucepan.

Cook the tangzhong over medium/low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a paste that is similar to pudding (about 2–3 minutes). For precision, use your digital thermometer and heat to 148-155 F. Do not overheat, or your mixture will be too thick.

Scrape into a bowl immediately to prevent further cooking, cover, and let cool to room temperature before adding to your dough.

Step 2: Mix the Dough

In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, add the tangzhong, sourdough discard, egg, egg yolk, whole milk, white sugar, instant dry yeast, and vanilla. Whisk all the wet ingredients until smooth.

Add the flour and salt to the wet ingredients, and transfer to the stand mixer and knead on Speed 1 or knead by hand for about 3-4 minutes until the dough comes together.

Once the dough has come together, add the softened butter slowly by the Tablespoon. Once you’ve mixed in a Tablespoon, add another until all of the butter has been worked into the dough.

Mix the butter into the dough with the stand mixer set to Speed 1, or you can do this by kneading the butter in slowly by hand. The dough should me smooth and slightly sticky.

Step 3: Bulk Fermentation

Spray a clean mixing bowl large enough for the dough to double in size with cooking spray, and transfer the dough to the bowl covering it with a lint-free kitchen towel or lid. Allow the dough to rest 20 minutes.

After the 20 minute rest, knead the dough by hand for a minute or two to get the dough even softer and to work the gluten. Once you’ve finished this kneading step, cover the bowl again.

Allow the dough to rest about 1 1/2 hours at room temperature and the dough is ~75–90% risen. You don’t want this dough to proof double fully at this rising point.

If the dough proofs sooner than the time I mentioned, shape it. You want to watch the dough to make sure it doesn’t overproof at this stage!

Step 4: Make the Apple Filling

Wash your apples and dry them. Peel and chop them into 1/4 inch cubes (this is key to getting the apples properly cooked). Transfer the apples to a mixing bowl.

Add the lemon juice, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, salt, and flour to the bowl; toss the apple chunks with filling ingredients until they’re coated.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt your butter. When the butter has melted, add the apple filling. Cook the apples for about 5 minutes, until the apples are softened and a caramel sauce has formed.

Make sure to keep stirring the apples off of the bottom of the pan to avoid burning. Transfer the filling to a bowl to cool.

Once the filling has cooled, it should be thick and spoonable. You want the filling fully cooled before you add it to the pull apart bread, so the cinnamon butter doesn’t melt. You can refrigerate the apple filling until you’re ready to shape the bread.

Make Ahead Note: You can make this filling up to 3 days ahead and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to use.

Step 5: Make the Cinnamon Sugar Filling

Make sure your butter is completely softened before mixing the cinnamon sugar filling.

Add the butter to a mixing bowl, then add the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and salt.

Using a spatula, combine all of the ingredients until you have a smooth spreadable paste. If the butter is really hard to mix, pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds (not longer) to soften it to make the filling easier to mix.

Step 6: Shape the Bread

Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan, and fit it with parchment paper (leave some overhang so you can pull the bread out of the pan). This will keep the loaf from sticking to the pan.

On a lightly floured surface, turn your dough out and roll the dough into a 12×16-inch rectangle. This doesn’t need to be perfect!

Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough, leaving a ¼-inch border around the edges.

Spoon the cooled apple filling evenly over the top of the cinnamon sugar paste.

Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough lengthwise into four 3-inch-wide strips.

Next, cut each strip crosswise every 4 inches to create four rectangles per strip. You will have 16 rectangles, each measuring approximately 3×4 inches.

Fold each rectangle in half like a taco with the cinnamon filling and apples tucked inside, creating a 3×2-inch folded piece.

Layer each section filling upright into the pan until all the sections are snuggly fitted into the pan.

Cover the pan loosely with plastic and let the bread rise for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough is noticeably puffy and the highest layers rise just almost to the the rim of the pan.

This rise is key to a light loaf so don’t rush it!

Step 7: Bake the Bread

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Make sure you put a baking sheet on the rack below your loaf to catch any drips or spillage from the cinnamon sugar bubbling.

Transfer the bread to the preheated oven, and bake for roughly 45-50 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil during the last 10–15 minutes.

The bread is done with the bread portion feels firm to touch and the center should register 190–195°F.

Allow the bread to cool while you whip up your vanilla icing.

Step 8: Make the Vanilla Glaze

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl, and whisk it smooth.

Make sure to sift the powdered sugar so the glaze isn’t gritty; add the sugar to the melted butter.

Add the vanilla, cream, and salt to the bowl, and whisk it into the icing.

Beat the milk 1 Tablespoon at at time in to the glaze, until the consistency is still thick but can easily drizzle on top of the bread. If the icing is really thick and you need a more thin consistency, you can also warm in the microwave for 15 seconds and whisk it again for a thinner texture.

Remove the bread from the pan, and drizzle the icing over the top of the warm bread. Serve and enjoy!

Yields 1 loaf

How to Store:

Room Temperature: Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Warm individual pieces in the microwave for 15–20 seconds before serving.

Refrigerator:  Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Warm individual pieces in the microwave for 15–20 seconds before serving.

FAQ’S

If you loved this recipe, drop a comment and leave a star review and don’t forget to checkout more of my yummy sourdough pull-apart recipes!

Sourdough Pull-Apart Bread Recipes:

• Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Roll Pull-Apart Bread
• Sourdough Discard Blueberry Lemon Pull-Apart Bread
• Sourdough Discard Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread