Walnut, Apricot and Blue Cheese Pull-Apart Bread

By Libbie Summers
Photography Chia Chong

One easy dough…many delicious recipes.

Easy Bread Recipes, Libbie Summers Recipes, Sweet and Vicious Cookbook, Stack Bread
Walnut Apricot and Blue Cheese Pull-Apart Bread
makes 1 loaf

What you need: 
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter, cubed plus 2 tablespoons melted
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots or pears
3 ounces crumbled blue cheese

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 425º F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper until combined. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture forms pea-size pieces. Add the buttermilk and pulse just until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough onto a well-floured work surface and knead it gently three times.
3. Roll the dough out into a long thin rectangle (24×8-inches).
4. Brush the top of the dough with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
Brushing Dough with Butter, Pull-Apart Bread, Butter, Libbie Summers Recipes, Sweet and Vicious Cookbook
5. Spread walnuts, apricots and blue cheese over the dough and press into the dough (slightly) with your hands.
Pull-apart Bread, Easy Bread Recipes, Libbie Summers Recipes, Sweet and Vicious Cookbook
6. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough in half lengthwise and then cut the dough widthwise into nine equal-size strips. You will have eighteen equal pieces of dough.
Pull-apart Bread, Libbie Summers Recipes, Sweet and Vicious Cookbook, Easy Bread Recipes
7. Stack all but one piece of the dough on top of each other with the toppings facing up. Place the final piece on the top with the toppings facing down. The dough is sticky enough that the stack will hold together when pressed a little so don’t worry. This is going to be a bit messy and that’s cool.
Easy Bread Recipes, Libbie Summers Recipes, Pull-Apart Bread Recipes, Holiday Bread Recipes, Sweet and Vicious Cookbook
8. Carefully lay the stack on its side in the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle any of the contents that may have fallen out onto the top of the dough. Separate the slices a little with your fingertips and brush the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter.
Bread Baking, Easy Bread Recipes, Pull-apart Bread Recipes, Libbie Summers Bread Recipes
9. Bake the loaf for 30 minutes, until it has risen and is golden brown. Let cool slightly before removing from the pan and serving.
Easy Bread Recipes, Pull-Apart Bread Recipes, Libbie Summers Recipes, Sweet and Vicious Cookbook

Try these other topping combinations:
•Seed Pull-Apart Bread (1 tablespoon poppy seeds, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, 1/3 cup sunflower seeds and 1/3 cup pepitas)
•Greek (1 cup chopped Kalamata olives, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, 1 cup crumbled feta cheese)

 

 

5 comments

  1. Hi Libbie- quick question for you: in the video you used just buttermilk and the recipe here calls for butter and buttermilk. Just wanted to verify before I attempt this (looks amazeballs, btw!!). Thank you and merry Christmas!!

    Comment by Lulu P on December 22, 2019 at 9:19 am

  2. Totally forgot to add the butter in the video. Here’s the deal…It was great without it. Who knew…which is why I didn’t amend the video. BUT saying that, I would DEFINITELY use the butter. Happy Holidays!

    Comment by Libbie Summers on December 24, 2019 at 1:44 pm

  3. Hi, I would love to make this- it looks beautiful! Do you have any suggestions for a bluecheese sub? and any other fruit combos?

    Comment by marie chem on January 22, 2020 at 9:40 pm

  4. Love this with pears and nuts. Really, any cheese will work fine. A gouda would be fab…smoked may be too overpowering, but who knows. It’s really anything goes! Just use dried fruits!!!

    Comment by Libbie Summers on January 24, 2020 at 3:12 pm

  5. Libie, I’m a Brazilian fan of yours. I tried to make his Walnut Apricot and Blue Cheese Pull-Apart Bread, but the result was a disaster. The dough became a mucus, too soft and even with the floured stone it was difficult to open with the roller, I was unable to take it off and stack it to put it in the pan. In the oven the result was a crude and hard pasta. I suspect that American flour is not the same as Brazilian flour and, as we do not have buttermilk in Brazil, we use milk that we sour with the juice of half a lemon. Please help me. Your bread looks delicious and I would love to reproduce it. Thanks. Celso Gorga.

    Comment by CELSO LUIZ GONZAGA GORGA on February 20, 2020 at 9:27 am













Get the latest from Libbie!
Stay up-to-date with the latest recipes, photoshoots, videos and much more!