This delicious Apple Fritter Bread is the perfect way to enjoy chunks of juicy apples and a cinnamon sugar mixture baked into a soft, moist bread form. Topped with a sweet glaze, it’s the ultimate comforting treat for apple season. Whether for breakfast or dessert, this recipe will have you savoring every slice!
Table of Contents
This easy Apple Fritter Bread is pure magic, blending the comforting flavors of apples and cinnamon into a beautiful loaf of soft, sweet yeast bread studded with chunks of juicy apples. The sweet glaze on top adds the perfect finishing touch, turning this bread into a delicious treat for any time of year. It tastes just like an apple fritter, except without the extra calories and hassle of frying the dough in oil.
What truly sets this recipe apart is how it uses fresh apples to create those irresistible chunks of flavor in every slice. Paired with brown sugar and a hint of tartness from lemon juice, it’s an easy recipe that feels indulgent yet approachable.
Can’t get enough apples? Sink your teeth into more deliciousness with my recipes for Homemade Apple Cinnamon Rolls, Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars, Apple Ginger Quick Bread, Sour Cream Apple Pie, and Apple Pie Ice Cream!
Why We Love This Recipe
- The combination of tart apples, cinnamon sugar, and a sweet glaze creates a delightful balance of flavors that makes every slice of this delicious apple bread irresistible.
- The taste and texture is bakery-fresh right from your oven.
- Enjoy it plain, toasted with butter, or turned into the most incredible French toast.
What You’ll Need
This is just an overview of the ingredients and process for making this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Whole Milk – Adds richness and moisture to the dough, ensuring a soft texture.
- Salted Butter – Used in the dough and glaze, it adds flavor and a velvety texture.
- All-Purpose Flour – The base for this recipe, providing structure and a soft crumb.
- Yeast – You can use either instant yeast or active dry yeast (see recipe notes).
- Brown Sugar – Sweetens the dough and layers, while deepening the flavor.
- Apple Cider – Brings a burst of autumn-inspired tang to both the dough and glaze.
- Granny Smith Apples – These tart apples balance the sweetness and hold their shape beautifully. Honeycrisps are another great option for this recipe
- Cornstarch – Thickens the cinnamon sugar mixture for the apple filling.
- Lemon Juice – Enhances the bright, fresh apple flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon – Infuses the bread and filling with its signature spice.
- Powdered Sugar – The star of the glaze, providing that classic sweet bread finish.
How to Make Apple Fritter Bread
- Make milk mixture. In a small saucepan, heat the whole milk until bubbles form around the edges, then stir in the butter until melted. Let it cool slightly.
- Combine dough ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, yeast, and salt. Stir in the milk mixture, apple cider, and beaten egg until a dough forms.
- Form dough. Knead for about 5 minutes or use a stand mixer on medium speed until the dough is smooth. Let it rise in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap, for about an hour.
- Make apple filling. While the dough rises, sauté diced Granny Smith apples with brown sugar, butter, lemon juice, vanilla, ground cinnamon, and cornstarch in a skillet. Stir occasionally over medium heat until the apples soften and the mixture thickens into a syrupy filling. They really won’t soften much more while baking, so make sure they aren’t too crunchy at this point. Set aside to cool.
- Assemble bread. Divide the dough into two portions and roll each into a rectangle on a floured surface. Spread half of the apple filling over the dough using a slotted spoon (there will be liquid left in the pan), roll it up tightly like a cinnamon roll, and slice into chunks. Place the chunks into prepared loaf pans lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, then drizzle the leftover juices on top of each loaf. No sense wasting all that sweet, delicious syrup!
- Transfer and rise. Let the loaves rise for 30 to 45 minutes until slightly puffy.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 35–45 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack immediately to cool slightly.
- Glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and apple cider for a sweet glaze. Drizzle over the warm loaves and let it set before slicing.
Recipe FAQ’s
Absolutely! While Granny Smith apples are ideal for their tartness, you can swap them for Honeycrisp, Envy, Fuji, or another baking apple that you love.
This bread is heavenly on its own, but toasting slices and spreading on a little butter—or dipping in egg batter for French toast—takes it to the next level. I usually have to hide a loaf from my husband so we have leftovers for toast the next day!
Keep the bread wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. For longer storage, check out the freezing tips below!
Definitely! Freeze the bread (preferably without glaze) in plastic bags or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature, then glaze before serving. You can freeze the loaf with the glaze, but it does tend to get a little sticky when thawed. Still yummy though.
Yes, it’s perfect for prepping ahead! Assemble the loaves, let them rise, and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking for fresh delicious apple fritter bread in the morning.
Tips for Success
- Use tart apples like Granny Smith for the best balance of sweetness and tang in the filling. Their firm texture holds up beautifully during baking.
- Let the dough rise fully for that soft, fluffy bread texture—don’t rush this step! A properly risen dough makes all the difference in creating the perfect sweet bread loaf.
- Don’t worry if the apple filling gets a little messy during assembly! That sticky, syrupy goodness bakes into the dough, giving you pockets of juicy, cinnamon-spiced flavor.
- Line your loaf pans with parchment paper. This makes lifting the bread out a breeze, especially when it’s still warm and delicate.
More Sweet Bread Recipes Worth Falling For
- Easy Strawberry Bread
- Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Monkey Bread
- Sweet Rhubarb Bread
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread Recipe
- Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread
- Coconut Lime Glazed Banana Bread
- Easy Caramel Pecan Monkey Bread
Apple Fritter Bread
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup apple cider or water
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
Apple Filling
- 3-4 apples peeled & diced
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter melted
- 3 teaspoons apple cider or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Dough
- Prepare the dough by first heating the milk in a small saucepan until hot and bubbles appear around the edges of the pan, but do not bring to a boil. Add the butter to the hot milk and stir until completely melted, then allow to cool slightly.¾ cup milk, ¼ cup salted butter
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, brown sugar and salt and mix well. Add the apple cider or water, beaten egg, and the warm milk/butter mixture. Stir until the dough forms into a ball and then knead for five minutes, until smooth. This can be done in a stand mixer using a dough hook.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup apple cider or water, 1 large egg
- Transfer the dough to a clean, oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Apple Filling
- While the dough is rising, prepare the apple filling by combining the diced apples, brown sugar, butter, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon and cornstarch in a large skillet and cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples soften and release their juices. The juices will thicken slightly from the cornstarch, but it will still be very syrupy.3-4 apples, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons salted butter, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- Remove from heat and allow to cool while the dough rises.
Assembly
- Prepare 2 large bread pans with a parchment paper sling.
- Divide the dough into two equal-sized portions. On a very clean, lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of dough into a rectangle. Evenly spread half of the apple filling mixture, including juices, over the dough. Roll the dough starting from the long edge, cinnamon-roll style. Don't worry about the syrup leaking out too much as you roll.
- Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the loaf diagonally in 1-inch slices, then change your angle and cut again in the other direction, creating an “X” pattern and slicing the rolled dough into small chunks.
- Scoop the chunks of dough and apple filling into the prepared bread pan, using the bench scraper to scoop up and add any spilled syrup into the pan. This part gets messy but it's the best way I've found to make sure there is even distribution of apples and syrup throughout the bread loaf. Repeat with the remaining bread dough and apple filling, then cover the loaves lightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Bake loaves for 35-45 minutes, until brown on top and cooked through. When done, immediately remove the loaves of bread from the pans and place on wire racks.
- Prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and apple cider or milk in a bowl. Drizzle over the top of both loaves of warm bread and allow to set before slicing.¾ cup powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon salted butter, 3 teaspoons apple cider or milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla
Notes
Storage & Make Ahead
- Store: Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for 2-3 days at room temperature.
- Freeze: To freeze, skip the glaze and wrap the bread tightly in aluminum foil. Place in a plastic bag, then freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Thaw frozen bread at room temperature. Warm slices in the toaster or a loaf in the oven at 300°F for 10-15 minutes.
- Make Ahead: Assemble the loaves and let them rise in the fridge overnight. Bring them to room temperature before baking for fresh-baked bread without the morning rush.
Nutrition
Adapted from Flour Me With Love.
This recipe was originally published in September 2017 but has been updated with new photos and more helpful instructions.
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
I made this apple fritter bread this morning and my house smelled like heaven. The bread was so good I gave the other loaf to my neighbour. I need to make another batch as my daughter wants to try it. Excellent loaf!!
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
You weren’t kidding what a mess but worth it! I added an additional 1tbsp of cornstarch to make it less messy. I added a few pinches of nutmeg to the flour so every aspect of the bite tastes like fall. I’ve not ever had an apple fritter but the taste is what I imagined it would. The soft yeasty bread with the escaped apple filling on top with the glaze-yummy. Should the filling be cold would that help so more cinnamon apples would be in the bread part?
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Yes, letting the filling cool completely might help more of the cinnamon apples disperse even more.