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First posted 3/10/14
Sunday morning breakfast usually calls for something special in our house. I had some of Gwen’s Easy Bread in the fridge, ready to be baked, so I wanted to branch out and make a treat with it. I thought about cinnamon rolls, but then I thought of something I’ve wanted to do for a long time: make a braided bread. A little more brainstorming led me to the apple cinnamon idea. This bread dough is super easy to work with and very versatile. Don’t let the “braided” idea scare you; it’s really very simple but gives the idea that you’ve spent an hour in the kitchen.
I think this stuff is pretty good.  The flavor reminds me of a McDonald’s apple pie, although it’s not nearly as flaky and buttery. I baked it Saturday night for Sunday morning. It’s good hot out of the oven, but it’s even better refrigerated overnight and eaten cold in the morning. Mmm…I’m sure it would be really good with some vanilla soft-serve ice cream… I ate it today, two days old, dunked in some almond milk.
This braided bread is soft yet not mushy; it has a nice crisp to the outside but isn’t hard like I was afraid it might be. It’s good hot out of the oven, but I liked it even better cold after it had been refrigerated overnight. The bread softened a little more and the flavors melded. If you’re eating this for breakfast, make sure you eat some protein with it as this bread doesn’t have a significant source of protein on its own.
Apple Cinnamon Braided Bread
Author:
Briana Thomas
With its flavor reminiscent of a McDonald's apple pie, this is a great fancy-looking brunch idea which is still super-easy. THM:E, Low-fat, Sugar free, Nut free
Ingredients
- ⅓ recipe of Gwen's Easy Bread
- 1-2 T softened butter
Apple mixture:
- 4 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder to taste
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. nutmeg (nutmeg is fairly strong, so depending on your tastes, you might want to decrease this to ½ tsp. I like nutmeg,)
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- Dash salt
Egg white wash:
- 1 T egg whites
- THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder to taste
- Dash vanilla
- Extra cinnamon for garnish
Instructions
- Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Using your hands, press the bread dough into a large rectangle, coming within 2-3 inches of the sides of the pan.
- Spread the center of the bread dough with the softened butter, leaving about 4 inches on either side uncovered.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the apple mixture and stir to coat.
- Transfer the apples to a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 4 minutes or until the apples are getting soft, stirring part-way through.
- Spread the apple mixture down the center of the bread on top of the butter.
- On each short end of the dough, roll the dough about one inch over the apple mixture. Down the long sides of the dough, use a scissors to cut one-inch strips, not cutting quite all the way to the apple mixture.
- Fold the strips over the apple mixture so that they meet in the middle. Pinch the strips together.
- Use your fingers to push up the sides of the dough to make sure the apple juices won't run out during baking.
- In the mixing bowl you mixed the apples in, combine and stir the ingredients for the egg wash. Brush over the top of the braided bread using a pastry brush.
- Bake the bread at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. After baking, let it set for 5-10 minutes before cutting (a pizza cutter works great). Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
Keep the serving size to the 2-piece limit on the Easy Bread Recipe and you won't have to worry about exceeding the fat limit from the butter.
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This recipe looks fabulous and one I’d like to consider for Christmas morning but I noticed that no one has commented on it in years. Do you have an updated version somewhere else?
No, this is just a super old recipe. 😛
This is one of my favorite E-desserts. It is definitely a keeper and one to make again and again. I’ve been making it for 2 years now. Even my children eat it and love it! Thank you, Briana!
This was delicious!!!
How many pieces should I cut this into so that it will work with the two piece serving size?
Hmm..I don’t know; it’s been so long since I’ve made this. My pieces were probably about 3-4 inches wide. I would just eyeball what looks like the amount of dough in a slice of bread. I don’t know if that’s helpful or not, but that’s how I cook. 😛
Do you have a recipe for burnt sugar cake with Peanutbutter icing? When I lived in Md. the Alpine Store use to make it. Thought maybe you might have a healthy version. 🙂 Or come up with one.
Never heard of it, but it sure sounds good. I’ll have to jot that idea down.
Yessssssss, pretty please ?
In using “1/2 of Gwen’s Easy Bread” – did you have a full batch in the fridge and just take out half? When making her bread, do you use all whole wheat flour? This looks delicious – hoping I can work up the nerve to mess with the bread part soon! =)
Also, as a newbie (just been using Stevia since the beginning of August) – I have no idea how much to use “to taste.” Any basic guidelines for that?
This is an old recipe; I’ve started actually measuring the sweetener out these days because I’ve come to realize that not everyone cooks like I do. Haha…
In making this recipe again, I would probably start out with about 4 doonks in the apple filling (a doonk is 1/32 tsp., so 1/8 tsp.), taste, and add more as necessary.
It’s actually 1/3 recipe of Gwen’s Bread. I can’t remember how I did it at the time, but yes, I probably just used a third of a full batch that I had in the fridge and used the rest for something else. Usually I use a 1/3 batch for a pizza crust, so one batch could make one of these braids and two pizza crusts. When making her bread recipe, I usually used a cup or two of all-purpose flour and used wheat flour for the rest. You can read the guidelines in her post about it.
Thanks! I read your 1/3 wrong…and I had checked her guidelines, just curious what you used. =) Thanks again for responding!
What do you eat for protein with it?
Greek yogurt is great. 🙂