Apple Bread - Multicultural Ovens Bake Amazing Bread

Sunday dinner at our house is usually a crapshoot. Dinner meaning the evening meal - you see my people get that meal confused. Supper, dinner, lunch - whatever. Somehow I always have to explain what time of day that meal is. Anyway... the evening meal is usually mac and cheese for the kids, leftovers, or other randomness for Andy and me. Not this Sunday, we had Apple Bread with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Butter. What? Oh my yes. I got a new French Oven - which just looks like an oval Dutch Oven - but who am I to judge? Bronwyn had a particularly rough morning - being six is hard. So we decided baking was a need, not just a want. After the kids' lunch at noon I looked at the recipe - 8 hours for the first rise?! or overnight? Wow no - not happening. Yuck. What did I do instead? The recipe says cool water? Nope! Warm water and a warm oven - done. Oh, I used another yeast packet from the county fair too - so no 1/2 tsp of yeast for us - we did the full 2 1/2 tsp packet! Let's get this rising! Actually, the packet suggested 1/2 tsp of yeast per cup of flour so it really was well within the science of yeast.
Bronwyn mixed it all up until most of the flour was absorbed and we tossed a towel over it and tossed it in the warm oven. A few hours later it had doubled so we added chopped apples tossed with cinnamon and sugar (lots of tossing happening here). Then we folded the apples in as well as we could and put it in the French Oven (not to be confused with Dutch Oven) and back into a warm oven, because who has time for a super long rise? Not these girls.
We opened the lid of the pot an hour later - oh wow! It more than doubled - time to bake! Turned the oven on and the house began to smell amazing.
I made some cinnamon brown sugar butter - not the maple this recipe calls for. Basically, I did half of everything and did not add the maple syrup - mostly because I think it's overrated and why would you add maple to something that's already awesome.
I asked the kids if they wanted a slice - YES! So we ate that for dinner - dessert was popcorn. YES, we are feeding our children healthy food - coming - apple bread - that's a fruit and popcorn is a grain. Done and done.
So... amazing... SO good. You can easily make this in a dutch oven - no sweat - Dutch, French, whatever.

Apple Bread
Ingredients
Apple Bread Dough (Do this the night before)
4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Instant yeast
1 3/4 cups cool water
Chopped Apples (Start this after bread has proofed 8 hours)
2 to 2 1/2 cups apple, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Maple Butter
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Apple Bread Dough (Do this the night before)
In a large bowl that is not metal, mix the flour, salt, yeast, and water in a large bowl. Stir, and then use your hands or a dough whisk to mix and form a sticky dough.
You will want to work the dough just enough to incorporate all the flour.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight. It'll become bubbly and rise quite a bit.
AFTER DOUGH HAS PROOFED 8 HOURS
Prepare your apples. Peel and dice 2-3 apples so that you have 2 1/2 cups of apple pieces. Place pieces in a medium bowl and add the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Stir and make sure each piece is coated.
Pour the apple pieces into the bowl with the bread dough and using your hand, knead the apple pieces into the dough. Some pieces will not incorporate and that's ok.
Pour the apple dough into the French Oven that has been lightly greased.
Place the lid on the French Oven and let the dough rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, until it's puffy. It should rise noticeably, but not as big as the first rise.
WHEN YOU ARE READY TO BAKE
With the lid on the French Oven, place the bread in a COLD oven. Now set the oven temperature to 425°F.
Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the top is deeper brown in color.
Carefully remove the bread from the oven, turn it out onto a rack.
When cool enough to touch, tear off a piece, add some Maple Butter, and enjoy!
Store airtight at room temperature for up to a week; freeze for up to 3 months. (Make sure it is completely cool before placing in the freezer.
MAPLE BUTTER
In the bowl of stand mixer, mix together the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon until well blended, about 5 minutes on medium-high speed.
Remove from mixer bowl and drop onto a clean piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the butter tight and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
For storage, cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also place in a sealable container or jar for storage.