Apple Butter Cinnamon-Swirl Bread

1. In a large bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In a small saucepan heat and stir the 3/4 cup buttermilk, butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt until warm (120°F to 130°F) and butter almost melts. Add to flour mixture along with 1 of the eggs. Stir with a sturdy spoon until combined. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining flour to make a soft dough that is smooth and elastic (about 3 minutes). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease surface of dough. Cover; let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (1 1/2 to 2 hours).

3. Punch dough down. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. In a small bowl combine apples, 1/3 cup sugar, and cinnamon. Roll dough into a 14x12-inch rectangle. Spread with apple butter, leaving 1-inch unfilled along one of the long sides. Sprinkle evenly with apple mixture. Roll up rectangle, starting from the filled long side. Pinch dough to seal seams. Press ends of roll toward each other to form a 12-inch roll. Using a serrated knife, cut roll in half lengthwise. Turn dough strips cut sides up. Carefully twist the two dough strips around each other, keeping cut sides up. Pinch ends together. Place dough twist in prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double (45 to 60 minutes).

4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°F. Whisk together the remaining egg and 1 Tbsp. buttermilk. Brush over loaf. Bake 70 to 75 minutes or until golden and bread sounds hollow when gently tapped (internal temperature of bread should be 180°F to 190°F). Loosen loaf from pan and remove. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Apple Butter

1. Cut apples into 1-inch pieces. Place apples, apple cider, and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar in a Dutch oven; bring to a rolling boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-high; cover (leaving lid slightly ajar) and boil until apples are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

2. Transfer cooked apples and cooking liquid to a blender. Secure lid on blender, and remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening. Process until almost smooth, about 10 seconds.

3. Return blended apple mixture to Dutch oven; stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high; reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until thickened, about 15 minutes. (To test whether it's thick enough: Using a wooden spoon, draw a line through apple butter on bottom of Dutch oven. If the line holds for 5 seconds before the apple butter merges back together, it's finished cooking.)

4. Remove from heat. Let cool 45 minutes. Spoon into airtight container; seal and refrigerate up to 2 months, or freeze up to 6 months.