This Apple Cinnamon Babka brings together soft, buttery bread, sweet apples, and warm cinnamon in every beautiful swirl. The tender dough is layered with a fragrant apple-cinnamon filling, then baked until golden and beautifully fragrant. It is the kind of homemade bake that feels perfect for a cozy fall morning, weekend brunch, or holiday table.
Serve it slightly warm with coffee or tea, or enjoy a slice as an afternoon treat. With its soft texture and rich apple-cinnamon flavor, this babka makes a delicious centerpiece for any fall gathering.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It hides mistakes: The twisting process looks fancy, but it covers tears, uneven rolling, and general dough-related chaos.
- The smell is unreal: Your house will smell like a high-end bakery, which helps mask the laundry you forgot in the washer.
- It is dessert for breakfast: We call it cinnamon swirl bread, but we are eating cake with morning coffee.
- You can make it ahead: The dough loves a slow overnight nap in the fridge, so you do not need to wake at dawn.
- It uses real apples: The spiced filling adds fruit, texture, and a soft contrast to the buttery dough.
Tools You’ll Need
Nothing fancy, I promise.
- Stand mixer: You can knead the dough by hand, but a mixer saves ten minutes of questioning your life choices.
- 9×5-inch loaf pan: This pan forces the chaotic twisted dough into a respectable loaf shape.
- Rolling pin: Use one to flatten the dough. A wine bottle works in a pinch.
- Skillet: Cook the apples until they soften slightly before adding them to the dough.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2/3 cup whole milk – Warmed up, but not hot enough to kill the yeast (think warm bath water).
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast – Also known as one standard packet.
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar – Divided, because yeast likes a little snack first.
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter – Softened. If you forgot to take it out, do not microwave it to a puddle, just wait.
- 2 large egg yolks – Save the whites! We need them later.
- 1 teaspoon salt – Essential for bread.
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour – Have extra on hand because this dough is sticky.
For the Filling
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter – Divided.
- 2 large apples – Peeled and chopped small. Any kind works, but Granny Smith holds up well.
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice – Keeps the apples from turning brown and sad.
- 1 cup brown sugar – Packed. Light or dark, whatever is in the pantry.
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour – Helps thicken the filling so it does not leak everywhere.
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon – Measure with your heart.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt – Balances the sugar.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract – The good stuff if you have it.
- 1 large egg white – One of the ones you saved. It binds the filling together.
For the Crumble Topping
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar – For the topping.
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour – For the topping.
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon – More cinnamon, obviously.
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter – Cold and cubed this time.
- 1 large egg white – The final saved white, for brushing on top.
How To Make Apple Cinnamon Babka
Do not let the yeast intimidate you; this dough is surprisingly forgiving, even if you are prone to kitchen disasters.
- Mix the dough base: Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar in your mixer bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. If it does not get foamy, your yeast is dead and you need to start over—sorry, I do not make the rules.
- Add the rest: Beat in the remaining sugar, softened butter, egg yolks, salt, and 1 cup of flour on low speed. Add another cup of flour, then slowly add the rest until it comes together; do not panic if it looks shaggy at first.
- Knead it out: Knead for 6-8 minutes. The dough should be soft and slightly tacky—if it feels like superglue, add a tiny bit more flour, but do not overdo it or you will bake a brick.
- The long nap: Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise for 3 to 4 hours. Because it is a rich dough, it takes forever to rise, so go watch a movie and stop staring at it.
- Cook the apples: Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a skillet, add the apples, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Do not skip the lemon juice at the end, unless you want brown, sad-looking apples.
- Make the cinnamon paste: Melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter, then mix in the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and one egg white. It will be thick and paste-like, which is exactly what keeps it from oozing out later.
- Roll and fill: Punch down the dough and roll it into a 12×16-inch rectangle, then spread the cinnamon paste over it and scatter the apples. If you tear the dough, just pinch it back together and pretend it never happened.
- Shape the babka: Tightly roll the dough into a 16-inch log, fold it in half, and twist it into a figure 8. It will look messy and chaotic, but it bakes up beautifully, I promise.
- Second rise: Place the twisted dough into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan, cover it, and let it rise for 1 to 1.5 hours until puffy. If it looks like it is going to overflow, that just means it is happy.
- Make the crumble: Mix the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon, then cut in the cold butter until crumbly. Keep it in the fridge while the bread finishes rising so the butter does not melt into a puddle.
- Prep for the oven: Brush the loaf with the last egg white, poke 10-12 holes all over the top with a toothpick, and sprinkle the crumble on top. Poking holes feels wrong, but it stops the bread layers from separating and creating a massive air cave.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F for 60-65 minutes, tenting with foil around 25 minutes so the top does not burn. Cool it completely before slicing, unless you want it to completely fall apart on your cutting board (ask me how I know).
♥ The Misfit Tips!
- Respect the cooling time: I once sliced this while it was hot because I have zero patience. The loaf collapsed into hot, buttery mush. It tasted great, but it looked disastrous.
- Use the poke trick: Poking holes before baking stops the bread from forming a giant air pocket under the crust.
- Make it ahead: If you are making homemade babka with apple filling for a morning event, let the first rise happen in the fridge overnight.
- Cook juicy apples first: A short skillet cook removes excess liquid and protects the loaf from a soggy center.
- Keep the crumble cold: Cold butter creates distinct crumbs instead of a melted topping.
Troubleshooting Guide
Something went sideways? Been there. Here is how to fix it.
- Problem: My dough didn’t rise at all.
Why it happened: Your milk was too hot and murdered the yeast, or your yeast was expired.
Fix it: Unfortunately, this one is fatal and you have to start over. Always check your yeast expiration dates!
- Problem: The top of my bread is burning but the inside is raw.
Why it happened: The sugar in the dough and crumble caramelizes very quickly in the oven.
Fix it: Tent the loaf pan loosely with aluminum foil about 25 minutes into baking. It is fixable, I promise.
- Problem: The filling leaked everywhere.
Why it happened: You might have skipped the egg white in the filling, or didn’t pinch the ends of the dough tightly enough.
Fix it: Put a baking sheet on the bottom rack of your oven to catch drips. Scoop up the baked bits that leaked out and eat them as a chef’s tax.
Perfect Pairings
These go perfectly with a total lack of self-control.
- A cold glass of milk, obviously.
- A giant mug of black coffee to balance the sweet, buttery crumble.
- Sunday brunch when you want everyone to think you woke up at 4 AM to bake.
- A generous smear of salted butter, because stopping now seems unnecessary.
Make It Yours
You can use Granny Smith apples for a tart filling or Honeycrisp apples for a sweeter loaf. You can add chopped pecans to the crumble for extra crunch. You can also drizzle the cooled loaf with a simple powdered sugar glaze.
The figure-eight shape makes this braided cinnamon apple bread recipe look impressive, even when the dough refuses to behave during rolling.
How to Store
❤
- Fridge: Wrap the loaf tightly and refrigerate it for up to one week.
- Freezer: Wrap the completely cooled loaf in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze it for up to three months.
- Thaw: Thaw the loaf overnight on the counter.
- Reheat: Microwave one slice for 15 seconds to soften the bread.
- Note: Avoid the toaster because apple pieces can fall into the heating elements.
Apple Cinnamon Babka
This apple cinnamon babka combines buttery yeast dough, brown sugar cinnamon paste, tender apples, and cold-butter crumble in one dramatic loaf. The recipe creates homemade babka with the flavor of a cinnamon swirl bread and the texture of a soft breakfast cake. Whether you follow this apple cinnamon babka recipe from scratch for Sunday brunch or bake the braided cinnamon apple bread recipe for a holiday table, this apple cinnamon babka deserves a permanent place in your baking rotation.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Whisk the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. *If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a handheld mixer or mix the dough by hand using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.*
- Add the remaining sugar, the butter, egg yolks, salt, and 1 cup (125g) flour. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add another 1 cup of flour. Beat on medium speed until relatively incorporated (there may still be chunks of butter).
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula. Add 1/2 cup of flour and beat on medium speed until the dough begins to come together. As the mixer runs, add another 2–4 Tablespoons of flour depending on how wet the dough looks. (I usually add another 2 Tbsp, which makes it about 2 and 2/3 cups of flour total.) This should be a very soft and almost creamy-feeling dough. Do not add more flour than you need.
- Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 6-8 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 6-8 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough.
- Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.
- Lightly grease a large bowl with nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 3–4 hours or until nearly double in size. This dough is rich with fat, so it takes longer than other doughs to rise. (If desired, use my warm oven trick for rising. See my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the apples. Stir and cook until the apples are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice to help prevent browning. Set aside. For the rest of the filling in this step, make sure you don’t prepare it too far in advance because the butter will solidify and spreading onto the dough will be difficult. Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter in a medium heatproof bowl in the microwave (or use the stove). Stir in brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract until crumbly and combined. Stir in the egg white. Set aside.
- Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Flour a work surface, your hands, and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a 12×16-inch rectangle. Carefully and slowly spread the cinnamon filling mixture on top. (The dough is quite soft underneath and you don’t want to tear it.) Add the apples in a single layer. Using floured hands, tightly roll up the dough to form a 16-inch long log. If any parts of the dough feel soft as you roll it up, add a sprinkle of flour as I do in the video above. Place the log on its seam. Fold in half, then twist it to form a figure 8. Pinch the ends together. Use the video tutorial and photos above as a visual. Place in prepared loaf pan.
- Cover shaped babka with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until it’s puffy and nearly reaches the top of the loaf pan, about 1–1.5 hours.
- Mix the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Add the cold butter and using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut butter into the brown sugar mixture until pea-size crumbles form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Place a baking sheet on a lower oven rack to catch any juices or crumbles that may drip/drop down. (Has only happened to me once!)
- Carefully brush the surface of the babka with last remaining egg white. Using a toothpick, poke 10–12 holes all over the top of the loaf. This allows steam to escape from inside the loaf so the layers don’t separate. Sprinkle with crumble topping.
- Bake for 60–65 minutes or until golden brown on top. If you gently tap on the loaf, it should sound hollow. If you notice the top browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. (I usually add aluminum foil over the loaf around the 25-minute mark.) Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. For neat slices as pictured above, I recommend cooling completely before slicing. A serrated knife is best for slicing.
- Cover leftover babka tightly and store at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.