Apple Cider Pull-Apart Bread

For the Dough:

Grease a large bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the apple cider, granulated sugar, and yeast, and let sit until the yeast has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and salt and mix on low until well combined. Add the flour, mixing on low speed until incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the butter, one piece at a time, mixing until completely incorporated after each addition. Increase the speed to medium and beat the butter into the dough until all the little butter pieces are incorporated, 1 minute. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl. The dough will be sticky.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 30 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and fold the dough over itself several times. Cover the bowl again and let the dough rise for another 30 minutes. Repeat this series of folding the dough three more times, every 30 minutes, for a total rise time of 2 hours.

Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 72 hours. If the dough is sticky, it is advisable to refrigerate overnight.

For the Filling:

In a small bowl, mix together the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

To Assemble:

Grease and line a 9 by 4 by 4 in [23 by 10 by 10 cm] Pullman pan with a parchment sling. Lightly flour your work surface, then roll the dough into a 20 by 12 in [50 by 30.5 cm] rectangle with a short edge facing you. With a pastry brush, spread the melted butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the dough and press it gently into the dough with your hands.

Using a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut the dough crosswise into five strips (about 12 by 4 in [30.5 by 10 cm]) each, then stack the five rectangles on top of each other.

Slice the stack of rectangles to create six equal strips about 4 by 2 in [10 by 5 cm]. Fit these layered strips into the prepared loaf pan, cut edges up and side by side. Sprinkle any leftover cinnamon-sugar over the top of the bread.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Place a sheet pan on a lower oven rack to catch any drips.

Bake the bread until the top is golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes, or registers 200F [95C] on an instant-read thermometer. Check halfway through baking – cover with foil if browning too quickly.

For the Glaze:

In a medium saucepan, cook the apple cider and salt over medium-high until reduced to ¼ cup [60 g], about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and apple brandy, if using. Whisk until smooth (there may be a few tiny cream cheese lumps, but they will come out when whisking in the confectioners’ sugar). Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar to the apple cider mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Transfer the loaf pan to a wire rack and immediately pour half of the icing over the bread, then let sit for 15 minutes. Use the sling to remove the loaf from the pan, then drizzle the remaining icing over the loaf. Let cool slightly before serving.