Wool Bread with Apple Filling

Add a touch of whimsy to your upcoming Thanksgiving table with this Wool Bread with Apple Filling recipe.

Aptly named for it’s resemblance to the stands in a skein of wool, this bread is as fun to make as it is to eat.

So, roll up your sleeves and grab your apron, let’s get baking.

You know those bagged, frozen dinner rolls that you have to set out to rise for hours? Well, that’s what I typically make for the holidays.

This year, I’m going to serve up edible wool, in the form of this bread that would make for a lovely presentation on any holiday dinner table.

The magic of wool bread lies in the texture and technique of cutting and rolling the dough in a way that creates those distinct strands.

You’ll see what I mean further down in this post and in my accompanying video.

You can use the recipe that I’ve included in this post, which makes a light, fluffy and flavorful bread or you can always use one of your own favorite bread or dinner roll recipes.

Let’s talk fillings because this is where you can truly make this recipe your own.

While I used an apple, cinnamon and vanilla filling for this post, I’ve seen any number of delicious fillings used for this type of recipe.

Consider a mix of cinnamon and cranberries, or thin chocolate batons (like the ones used for pan au chocolat croissant), a spread of nutella or a cream cheese and freeze-dried raspberry mixture.

There are tons of tasty options. And if savory is more your cup of tea, you could go with filling options like caramelized onions and cheddar, garlic butter and herbs or even a combination of sun-dried tomato and feta for a light, Tuscan vibe.

Sweet or Savory, or even no filling at all. You can’t go wrong.

You’ll need to cut the risen dough into multiple balls and allow them to rest before rolling each one out before creating the strips that will end up resembling a skein of wool.

After adding the filling to the upper third of the rolled out dough, use a knife or bench scraper to cut small strands about 2/3 of the way up.

If your dough sticks, a light dusting of flour will keep things manageable.

Start rolling the dough from the top (uncut end), just above the filling, and continue to slowly and gently roll the dough into a log so that the strands naturally wrap around the roll.

Place each log snugly into the springform pan, butt-to-butt to create a connected ring.

Be sure to set aside at this stage and allow the bread to rest and rise.

In this case, I cut my strips about a 1/4″ wide. Next time, I’ll cut them more narrow.

The more slender you cut the strips, the tinier the illusion of strands of wool you’ll see in the baked bread that will look even better and more yarn-like.

Be sure to check out my step-by-step video to get a closer look at the cutting and rolling technique for this wool bread.

I continue to work on my food-on-the-move videography series, and I’ve included my latest Food in Motion video above featuring this Wool Bread with Apple Filling for your viewing pleasure.

You can watch the video fullscreen within this post, or you can click over and watch it full screen over on YouTube. If you opt to watch this video on YouTube, please consider subscribing to my channel on that platform too.

The full recipe I used follows the video below.

Food in Motion