One of my favorite baking resources is King Arthur's website. The bakers behind this website are arguably some of the best bakers in the world. Even more, the home bakers that follow King Arthur's website are very vocal and love to chime in with comments of tips and tricks to amend or improve recipes. For those looking to expand their baking skills, I highly recommend their site- it is a wealth of information.
Every month, King Arthur features a recipe for readers to bake along at home. This month, it is their Apple-Cinnamon Twist Bread. I love to bake along with them and this is my rendition of their recipe. It is unreal. It is packed with fall flavors although I totally see myself baking this all year long. It's pretty easy to throw together and can be amended to your liking. This is the epitome of Sunday morning breakfast.
Sweet Apple + Spiced Nut Braid
Bowl #1
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup instant dry mashed potatoes, unflavored
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk, room temperature
Bowl #2
1 cup grated apple
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
On the sidelines:
1 cup of spiced and candied nuts, store bought
Cider glaze, recipe as follows
1
In the first bowl, knead together all ingredients. You can do this by hand or by stand mixer and should only take a few minutes. You want the dough to be smooth and elastic.
2
Lightly grease a large bowl and scrape in the kneaded dough. Cover. Let rise for two hours.
3
Place all the ingredients from the second bowl into a pot or a pan. Over medium-low heat, cooking everything together until the apples are soft and the sauce is thick. Let cool.
4
Once the dough is risen, punch down and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a rectangle about 10x12. Divide the apple mixture in half and spread on each half of dough. Sprinkle with nuts.
5
Starting with the long side of the dough, tightly roll the dough into a log and seal the edges. Using a knife or bench cutter, cut the log right down the middle. Move the two cut pieces of dough to a parchment-lined pan. With the apple filling sides up, twist the two pieces of dough together. This really doesn't have to be perfect and I promise you it will look beautiful. Repeat with the other log of dough.
6
Cover the pans with a kitchen towel and let rise again, for about 2 hours.
7
Preheat the oven to 350. Bake the loaves until they are nicely browned, about 40 minutes. Let cool. Drizzle with glaze.
Cider Glaze
Bowl #1
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons apple cider
Pinch of salt
1
Whisk everything together.