Caramel apple

Made with active sourdough starter, heavy cream and apples peeled and 1 2-inch cubes. 12h 15m, makes 16, 17 ingredients.

Recipe by simplicityandastarter.com

Prep

8h

Cook

1h 15m

Total

12h 15m

Makes

16

Ingredients

• 65 grams active sourdough starter (heaping 1/4 cup)
• 300 grams warm water (1 1/3 cups)
• 57 grams unsalted butter, melted (4 Tablespoons)
• 25 grams white sugar (2 Tablespoons)
• 400 grams bread flour (2 3/4 cups + 1 Tablespoon)
• 100 grams all-purpose flour (3/4 cup)
• 9 grams salt (1 1/2 teaspoons)
• 200 grams sugar (1 cup )
• 85 grams unsalted butter, softened (6 Tablespoons )
• 115 grams heavy cream (1/2 cup )
• 3 grams salt (1/2 teaspoon )
• 280 grams apples, peeled and 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 large apples, )
• 44 grams unsalted butter, softened (3 Tablespoons )
• 110 grams light or dark brown sugar (1/2 cup )
• 8 grams ground cinnamon (4 teaspoons)
• 1 gram ground nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon )
• pinch ground cloves

Instructions

Method by simplicityandastarter.com. Cook it from their page if you can, so the people who developed and tested it get the visit.

1. In a straight-edge bowl, whisk together active starter, warm water (no hotter than 110 degrees F), melted butter, and sugar. Add the flour and salt to the wet ingredients and mix with a Danish dough whisk until all the flour has been incorporated. The bread dough will be shaggy and a little sticky.I love using this straight-edge bowl because it allows me to clearly see when the dough has doubled in size.
2. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour to allow the gluten to relax a little bit.
3. First, wet your fingers so the dough doesn’t stick to them. Then, take a piece of the bread dough, pull it upwards, and fold it towards the center of the dough. Push the heel of your hand into the dough.
4. Turn the bowl clockwise a quarter turn and repeat the same motion. Continue to knead the dough for about 20 seconds. The dough should become more stiff and smooth looking.
5. Cover the bowl again and let the dough rise till doubled in size. In my 70-degree F kitchen, the bulk rise will take anywhere from 8-10 hours. If your kitchen is cooler, then this will take longer. If your kitchen is warmer, then it will take less time.
6. Once the dough has just about doubled in size, proceed to prepare the homemade caramel sauce and apple filling.
7. To a medium pot, add white sugar and bring to medium heat on the stovetop. Leave the sugar for a few minutes. Once the sugar starts to melt, continue to give it a stir. It will dissolve completely in about 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on it, be sure the sugar doesn’t burn.
8. Once the sugar is melted, add in the room temperature butter, stirring vigorously. It will begin to bubble and rise. Continue to mix. It will take some stirring to incorporate the sugar and butter fully.
9. When the sugar and butter are combined, slowly pour in the heavy cream while also stirring. Continue to cook until the caramel begins to bubble and rise again.
10. Remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl to cool. Sprinkle in the salt and stir until combined. Set aside.
11. Peel and dice two large apples, I like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, into ½ inch cubes. You don’t want the slices to be too big, otherwise, they won’t cook and be tender after baking. Set aside.
12. Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the dough onto a non-floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll the bread dough into a large 12 x 12-inch square (it doesn't need to be exact). Spread the softened butter over the entire surface of the dough.
13. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and spices. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on the entire surface of the dough. With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, slice the dough into 16 even pieces. See photos above
14. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with more butter and line with parchment paper before pouring ½ of the homemade caramel to the bottom of the pan.
15. Take a piece of cut dough, place it at one edge of the loaf pan, and press about 20g (2 tablespoons) worth of the chopped apples on the right side of the dough. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough until you've filled the whole loaf pan. (I don't place any apples on the last piece of dough.) Sprinkle any remaining brown sugar mixture over the top of the bread.
16. Not ready to bake these on the same day? No worries! Cover the unbaked pull-apart bread with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge overnight. Before you’re ready to bake the loaf, pull the loaf pan out of the fridge and allow the dough to rise. This will take longer since the dough is cold from the fridge.
17. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for a second time. In my 70-degree F kitchen, this took 3-4 hours until they had noticeably grown and looked puffy. This step greatly depends on the temperature of your kitchen. Do not bake this bread until the dough has risen; otherwise, it will bake up dense and gummy. See photos above for reference. Since this is an enriched dough, it can take longer for the dough to rise. The rise time will also depend on the temperature of your kitchen. A cooler kitchen will have a longer bulk fermentation and final rise, while a warmer kitchen will be quicker. Then bake as normal.
18. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
19. Place the sourdough pull-apart bread in the hot oven on the middle rack and bake for 75-85 minutes. Be sure to place a baking sheet underneath your loaf pan as the caramel sauce may bubble over. If you notice the top of your loaf is browning too quickly, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and continue to bake.
20. This loaf takes longer to bake due to the caramel sauce on the bottom of the loaf pan. I highly suggest investing in a digital thermometer. Continually check the internal temperature of the loaf while it is baking to be sure that the loaf is fully baked and not raw in the center. A baked loaf will have an internal temperature of 190-200 degrees F.
21. Remove from the oven and place the bread pan on a wire rack. Keep the pan loaf in the pan for an extra 5-10 minutes before removing it. This helps the caramel sauce to thicken and stick to the top of the bread.
22. While it is still warm, place a serving plate on top of the loaf pan and then flip to remove the pull-apart loaf from the baking dish.
23. Drizzle the remaining caramel sauce on top of the loaf, pull apart the slices, and serve warm. Enjoy!