Celebrate baking season with this delicious Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread. It’s trending on social media, find out why! This partnership with Envy Apples has donated 24,500 meals to those in need. While the post is sponsored by Envy Apples and T&G Global, our love for giving back to the community and yummy apple recipes is our own!

Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

The weather is starting to cool down and what better way to warm up than with a comforting homemade bread? Have you seen all the beautiful apples in store and at the markets? They are in abundance and these tasty, nutritious fruits can be used in everything from salads and jams, to main meals and desserts. 

GF apple cinnamon pull apart bread

If you are looking for the perfect apple breakfast or dessert then you should try this gluten free apple pull apart bread. It’s definitely all over social media right now, so we decided to give this trend a try! This apple pull apart bread is filled with fresh cut Envy apples.

Gluten free apple pull apart bread

Envy apples are the perfect balance of sweetness, aroma and crunch, which makes them perfect for snacking and just about any recipe you can think of. They also have a beautiful bright red color. 

There are lots of apple pull apart bread recipes online, of course they are, we already talked about how this bread was a social media trending recipe, but this version is gluten free, with less fat, and calories than some of the other versions. Making treats is fine, but we understand that there also has to be balance. 

Many recipes for apple pull apart bread call for you to use refrigerated canned biscuits, and there is nothing wrong with that, that’s definitely an easier version! But, this recipe is gluten-free and made with a dough that you mix yourself, don’t get scared, I am going to share all my tips. Confession…this is the first I made bread! And, I didn’t nail it on my first try….Tips and learnings below 😉

To make your dough you will need gluten-free flour mix, milk, rapid yeast, salt, sugar, and softened coconut oil. You can use any type of milk that you prefer so this version of the recipe can potentially be dairy free, gluten free, and vegan depending on your choice. Another thing to note is the use of xanthan gum or guar gum, if your flour mix already contains it you can leave it out. 

GF apple pull apart bread

For your filling you will just need Envy apples, and for the topping you just need cinnamon and brown sugar. You will need to cut your apples into bite size pieces for the best results. For the glaze you will need powdered sugar and water. You don’t have to add the glaze, but it is a pretty (and sweet) addition. 

How to make Gluten free apple cinnamon pull apart bread

How do you make apple cinnamon pull apart bread?

Make your dough, and set it to the side to rest while you work on your preparing the apples.

Slice your apples and put them in a bowl and set them aside. Envy apples typically don’t brown much, so you shouldn’t have to use any lemon juice to prevent browning.

Put parchment paper on a large baking sheet (mine was 17×12) and spray the parchment paper with olive oil spray. Spray the dough and your hands with olive oil spray so that the dough doesn’t stick to you. Press the bread dough a rectangle, getting as much of the baking pan covered as you can. Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar over the dough. Cut the dough into 5-6 equal rows lengthwise, and 3-4 equal columns width wise.

Transfer your dough pieces to a bread pan, one piece next to the other. When one row is filled (this will take 4-5 pieces of your cut dough) sprinkle on apple pieces. Repeat until you have used all the dough. Top the bread with remaining apples and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon and brown sugar.

Cover the bread with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before baking. Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees, when cooking time is complete allow it to steam in the pan for about 10 minutes before putting it on a cooling rack. 

Mix your glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and drizzle all over your bread while it is still warm. Serve and enjoy!

Best Gluten free apple cinnamon pull apart bread

Alright…full transparency…It took me 4 times to make this bread correctly. Not because it’s hard, but ultimately it was because I am very unfamiliar on working with yeast and gluten-free flour.

Now, if you found this recipe, you are probably familiar with gluten-free flour, so you probably won’t grab the wrong gluten-free flour from the store like I did. I didn’t realize that certain GF flours weren’t for breads. So, that was two of my failed attempts. I finally read the back of the flour after the 2nd time and it clearly stated “Not recommended for yeasting recipes.” Lesson learned.

Failure #3. I read the back of the Rapid Yeast each time and it said that you didn’t have to put it in water to activate it…and since I did every other time, I decided this time I wouldn’t. Nope, that didn’t work.

What I did right on #4 (at least I think it was all right…all I know is that it worked!)

  • I used Gluten Free Flour for Bread.
  • I put the rapid yeast in 100 degree water (approximately) and let it sit there for like 30 minutes. I finally witnessed it re-hydrating and saw froth form. Everything I read said it should only take like 10 minutes…that never happened for me, it was at least 30 minutes. So, I recommend starting the yeast before starting anything else in the recipe.
  • Don’t get discouraged if your dough doesn’t rise a bunch. Mine didn’t until I baked it. I was so excited when I opened the oven door for that 4th time and I saw this beautiful bread waiting for me!
Tasty Gluten free apple cinnamon pull apart bread

How do I store apple pull apart bread? 

You can store any leftovers (if you are lucky enough to have some) in an airtight container, on the counter at room temperature for up to four days. 

Do the apples have to be peeled? 

I didn’t peel mine! I love seeing the red skin of the apple throughout the bread. But, you can definitely peel them if you prefer.

Does it have to be gluten free?

No! You can use regular flour, but I am not an expert on if that would change the other steps of the recipe or what type of flour you would use. I think we already covered I’m not a baking expert 😉

apple cinnamon pull apart bread

Can you freeze apple pull apart bread? 

Yes, you can freeze apple pull apart bread for up to six months, however the texture of the apples may change slightly. After the bread has cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, put it in an airtight freezer safe container and freeze for later. 

How do I warm apple cinnamon bread back-up? 

If you only want to warm a single slice of bread, wrap it in a lightly dampened paper towel and heat it in 15 second increments. If you want to reheat the whole loaf, put it in a covered baking dish and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until warmed through. 

apple cinnamon bread

Alright, are you ready to do some baking with me? It is baking season after all! Grab some Envy apples and let’s get started!

Gluten free apple cinnamon pull apart bread

Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

Tracy Shaw
Celebrate baking season with this delicious Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread. It's trending on social media, find out why!
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Breakfast, Breakfast & Brunch, Christmas, Dessert, Desserts, Fall, Thanksgiving
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 272 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 3 cups gluten free bread flour
  • cup whole milk or milk of choice
  • 2 1/4 tsp rapid yeast 1 packet
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3 tsp xanthan or guar gum *If needed – look at your flour mix omit if mix already contains gum
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp softened coconut oil
  • Olive oil spray

Filling

  • 2 Envy apples cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Glaze (optional)

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp water

Instructions
 

  • Heat ¼ cup of water to 100 degrees. Add yeast and set aside for until foaming. This took me about 30 mins.
  • Mix all dry ingredients for the dough. Combine yeast, coconut oil and milk.
  • Vigorously mix ingredients by hand for 10 minutes or stand mixer for 5 minutes to help activate gum.
  • Cover bowl and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
  • Wash and dice apples. *peel if desired. Set aside until needed.
  • Lightly spray a sheet of parchment paper the size of a baking sheet. Place dough on the parchment paper. Spray dough with olive oil spray.
  • With greased hands, gently press out dough to form a rectangle approximately 12×16 inches.
  • Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar over dough.
  • Slice dough into 5-6 equal rows lengthwise (right to left) and 3-4 equal columns width wise (top to bottom).
  • Spray a 9 x 5 inch bread pan with olive oil spray.
  • Carefully move a dough square into bread pan, filling the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with apple bites.
  • Make another layer. Take squares of dough and make another later. Sprinkle with apple bites.
  • Continue until you have used all (or most of) the dough and as much apple pieces as you would like. *Don't over stuff though, the dough will need to rise.
  • Cover with plastic and allow bread to rest for 20 minutes. (your dough may rise, it may not at this stage. Mine didn’t rise until baking).
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until top turns golden brown.
  • Remove from oven and allow to sit in the pan to steam another 10 mins.
  • Remove from pan and top with glaze if desired.

Glaze

  • Mix powdered sugar and water until desired consistency.

Notes

Don’t overload with too many apple slices there may be left over apples. Not all the dough may be used depending on how you cut the dough, that’s okay! You want it loose enough where the dough can expand.

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 4gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 163mgPotassium: 119mgFiber: 2gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 88IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 0.2mg
Keyword apple, apple desserts, apples, bread, breakfast, breakfast recipes, desserts, healthier desserts
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Have you ever made bread before? What are some of your tips?