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How to Make Chocolate-Almond Pull Apart Bread

This pull-apart sweet bread is soft and buttery, filled with almond and dark chocolate.

Print Recipe
Make it a breakfast to remember with this soft and buttery, made-from-scratch sweet pull-apart bread loaf, exploding with dark chocolate pieces and almond slices and paste. 
With this pull-apart bread, you will get layer after layer of sweet and soft bread, perfectly covered with chocolate and almonds.  There’s nothing like peeling off the first slice (the next, and the next after that!) when this sweet bread is still warm from the oven, and the chocolate is still hot and melted.  Perfect sweet bread to dunk in a hot cappuccino, if you ask me! This recipe is not too hard to make if you own a stand mixer. This is the mixer I have and love!  This recipe is not too hard to make if you own a stand mixer. This is the mixer I have and love! All you have to do to make the dough is add the dough ingredients in the big bowl of a stand mixer,  with the exception of salt and butter which are added at the end. Watch and let the mixer dough hook do all the work.  Mix in the butter and salt, and keep mixing for several minutes until you end up with a smooth and elastic dough that easily peels off the sides of the bowl.  

Notes when making the dough:

I’m using warm milk (not cold from the refrigerator) which will help activate the yeast. Be careful not to use hot milk, because a too high temperature will kill the yeast and the dough will not rise.  You can also proof the yeast by mixing it with half a cup of lukewarm milk, mix, and let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.  Make sure to give enough time for the dough to rise, cover with plastic wrap, in a warm place, draft-free place.  I waited at least three hours at room temperature for the first time (but my kitchen was colder than usual). After rolling, brushing with butter, and folding, I waited one more hour. 

To make the pull-apart layers:

When the dough is nice and soft, roll it out into a rectangle ona lightly floured surface.  Spread with the almond paste and chopped chocolate. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter,  cut in rectangles that you will stack, one on top of the other, a few at a time. Place vertically inside the loaf pan.
You can adjust the dimensions based on the size of your loaf pan. The idea is to cut so the slices will fit standing inside your loaf pan.  My pan is a 9 by 4 inches.  I rolled out my dough into a rectangle about 7 x 18 inches. I cut it in half lengthwise and then in rectangles about 2.5 inches high.  I ended up with about 14 rectangles, each about 3.5 x 2.5 inches.  NOTE: When you get to the last rectangle, make sure the side with the almond/chocolate filling faces the inside of the loaf bread (away from the pan). So that no chocolate will stick to the pan. 
Ready to try it too?!? Happy baking!

How to Make Chocolate-Almond Pull Apart Bread

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This pull-apart sweet bread is soft and buttery, filled with almond and dark chocolate.

Servings:

8

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Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

45 min

Resting Time

3 hr

Total Time

4 hr, 15 min

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 4 cups (500 gr) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup (50 gr) granulated sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons (4.5 gr) active dry yeast
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup (180 ml) whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons (30 gr) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the filling

  • 3 tablespoons (45 gr) unsalted butter, melted divided
  • 1/4 cup (25 gr) sugar
  • 1/2 cup (50 gr) almond flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 egg , divided
  • 1/2 cup (50 gr) sliced almonds
  • 4 oz (113 gr) dark chocolate, chopped

 

Instructions

  1. In a stand up mixer bowl with hook attachment, add flour, sugar, and yeast. Mix to combine.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together the milk and eggs.
  3. Add the milk/egg mixture to the dry ingredients while mixing at low speed.
  4. Add the salt and butter cut in small pieces (a piece at a time while mixing). Mix for several minutes until smooth and elastic and the dough easily come off the sides of the bowl.
  5. Make into a ball, sprinkle lightly with flour, cover and let rise inside the oven (turned off with light on) until doubled in size, about 2 to 3 hours.
  6. On a lightly floured counter, roll dough out into a 1/4 inch thick large rectangle. Brush with melted butter (about 1 tablespoon), fold in three, cover and let rise for at least one more hour on the counter.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
  8. Make the filling: in a medium bowl mix 2 tablespoons of melted butter, with the sugar, almond flour, almond extract and 1 egg white (save the yolk for the egg wash at the end).
  9. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 7 x 18 inches. Spread the almond paste on the dough. Top with sliced almonds and the chopped chocolate. If you like, lightly roll the pin on top to press the chocolate/almond in the bread dough (to keep in place!).
  10. Cut in half lengthwise and then in rectangles about 2.5 inches high. You should end up with about 14 rectangles, each 3.5 x 2.5 inches. These are approximate measures. You can roll and cut as you wish, as long as it fits inside your loaf pan.
  11. Grease your pan with butter or line with parchment paper. Stack a few of the rectangles on each other and place vertically inside your loaf pan (mine is 9×4 inch). When you get to the last rectangle, make sure the side with the almond/chocolate filling faces the inside of the loaf bread (away from the pan).
  12. Mix one tablespoon of water with the egg yolk, and brush the top of the loaf .
  13. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes until golden on top. Cover loosely with foil after the first 20 minutes to avoid browning the top too much. Serve warm!

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