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Baklava Pull Apart Bread

Baklava Pull Apart Bread

It’s hard to beat a pull-apart loaf when you need a quick and easy brunch option. The loaves start with store-bought buttermilk biscuits, which are sliced into thin layers and stacked together with tasty fillins to form a sweet, sticky, fun-to-eat breakfast dish! You could make buttermilk biscuits from scratch, but part of the fun of this dish is how simple it is to make – and storebought biscuits really streamline the prep time! This Baklava Pull Apart Bread is inspired by classic baklava and has a filling made with ground nuts, brown sugar and spices.

I used a mixture of almonds and pistachios in my filling, though you could really use just about any nut. I like the rich nuttiness of the almonds and the butteriness of the pistachios together, and the pistachios add a hint of green color to the filling. I strongly recommend using toasted almonds, but the pistachios can be toasted or untoasted. The nuts are combined with brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamon, then ground in a food processor or blender. Once it is prepared, the filling is layered between thin sheets of flaky biscuits. Building the loaf is a little bit messy, but it’s worth getting a few crumbs on the countertop. I added a smear of honey butter between the biscuit layers, both to add flavor and to help the filling remain in place.

The loaf bakes up to be golden brown and aromatic. It may not exactly capture the flavors of traditional honey-soaked baklava, but it certainly captures the spirit of the pastry – especially if you drizzle a little honey on top before you let your guests go to work on the loaf. Serve it on an attractive platter and let people pull it apart, layer by layer. You’ll get buttery sugar and spices in each bite, along with a bit of crunch from the nuts. The loaf is best when it is still warm, so don’t wait too long before you dig in.

Baklava Pull Apart Bread

Baklava Pull Apart Bread
1/4 cup whole, toasted almonds
1/3 cup whole pistachios (toasted or untoasted)
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
3 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 tube refrigerated biscuit dough (8-ct)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly grease.
In a food processor or blender, combine nuts, sugar, salt and spices and blend until nuts are chopped very finely.
In a small bowl, stir together butter and honey.
Open tube of biscuit dough. Separate biscuits and cut each in half lengthwise, to form 16 thin biscuit rounds. Flatten slightly with the palms of your hands if the shapes are irregular.
Spread about 1/2 tsp of butter on top of a biscuit round, then generously heap the nut mixture on top. Place a second piece of biscuit on top of the filling, spread with a little butter and again heap the nut mixture on top. Repeat with all biscuits, until you have a neat tower (make 2 towers if it makes the loaf easier to handle!). Working carefully (or by separating the stack into smaller pieces), turn the tower on its side and place in the prepared loaf pan. Spread any remaining butter on top and sprinkle with 2-3 tsp of the remaining sugar mixture.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until deep golden brown and completely set. Lift the loaf out of the pan after 5-10 minutes and serve slightly warm.

Serves 8-12.

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