Braided Apple Cinnamon Bread

This delicious, soft apple bread is perfect for breakfast or dessert. Rolling the apple-cinnamon filling inside a log of dough (like the start of cinnamon buns), then cutting that log in half and twisting it leaves the filling half in and half out, resulting in a lovely swirled appearance.

I decided I had yeast and some honey crisp apple that I needed to use up, so let’s get creative! Then as I was looking for inspiration, I thought, why not make bread that we can enjoy for dessert or breakfast the following morning. The kids were on board, so we got to work.

Who turns down a fresh homemade pastry anyway? Right.

What Apples Work Best?

Apple bread needs the best apples for the best recipe. You can use a variety of apples that will work just fine if you don’t have access to the best ones. But, for this recipe, the best apples you can use are Granny Smith Apples or delicious Honey Crisp Apples. Make sure whatever apples you choose are baking apples. Other apples will not work well in this recipe because they will either become too mushy or soften enough.

What Ingredients are Needed for Braided Apple Cinnamon Bread?

• Sugar– Every great dessert has sugar.
• Cinnamon spice– Cinnamon spice goes perfectly with apples.
• Apples– You will have them peeled and diced and use granny smith or honey to work well.
• Lemon juice- This will keep the apples from turning brown.
• Cheddar cheese- You will want the shredded cheese sprinkled over the apples.
• All-purpose flour– All-purpose flour is best to use, King Arthur is my favorite.
• Brown sugar– This will add richness to your bread recipe.
• Butter– You will want to use unsalted to control the amount of salt in a recipe.
• Maple extract– Use pure maple for the best flavoring.
• Active dry yeast– Make sure the yeast has not expired.
• Salt- This will bring out the flavors in your bread.
• Water– Will be heated and added to the butter and buttermilk.
• Buttermilk– You can use milk with vinegar in it as a substitute.
• Egg- Make sure your eggs are at room temperature.
• Powdered sugar- Powdered sugar is perfect for homemade frosting.
• Milk- You can use whole, 2%, or Half and Half

Now that you have all the ingredients, here is the recipe below. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!