Apple bread features fresh apple pieces, lots of brown sugar and cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, applesauce, vanilla bean paste, and pecans. This brunch treat is topped with brown sugar and cinnamon before being baked in a hot oven. The delicious apple bread is brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with finely chopped pecans and drizzled with apple glaze.
Why You Should Make This Quick Bread
- its seriously good.
- only requires one apple.
- apples + pecans.
- its rich enough to serve for dessert.
- properly covered it stores well for days.
How To Make This Apple Bread
The oven is preheated to 350 degrees F. A 9 x 5-inch bread loaf pan is buttered.
Diced apples are tossed with brown sugar and cinnamon. They are set aside momentarily.
All-purpose flour, kosher salt, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg are added to a small mixing bowl, whisked, and set aside.
Butter is creamed with sugar and light brown sugar until light and fluffy. Eggs are added to the sugar mix and beaten on low. Vanilla bean paste, applesauce, and milk are added to the sugar mixture and beaten on low long enough to incorporate.
The bowl is removed from the stand mixer. About half the reserved flour mixture is added to the sugar mixture and folded in with a large spatula. The remaining flour is added and folded in just until no streaks of flour can be seen. We do not want to over mix.
The reserved diced apples are folded in. The batter is transferred to the prepared baking pan and spread evenly into the corners with a small offset spatula.
A mix of brown sugar and cinnamon is liberally sprinkled over the top of the apple bread batter. The bread is baked for about an hour in a preheated oven.
Once the bread has cooled it is inverted and removed from the loaf pan. It might be necessary to run a sharp thin knife along the edges to help with the process.
The apple bread is brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with finely chopped pecans.
Apple glaze is drizzled over the pecans. Apple bread is sliced and served at room temperature.
The bread can be wrapped in foil and stored for a day at room temperature, or for several days in the refrigerator.
Other Quick Breads and Muffins You Might Enjoy
Some of our most popular quick bread and muffin recipes include banana bread, jumbo pumpkin muffins, raspberry cheesecake muffins, and lemon ricotta blueberry muffins.
Apple Bread
Ingredients
Apples:
- 180 grams apple (1-1/2 cups), peeled, cored and diced
- 36 grams light brown sugar (3 tablespoons)
- 1 gram ground cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon)
Apple Bread:
- 244 grams all-purpose flour (1-3/4 cups)
- 3 grams kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon)
- 8 grams baking powder (1-1/2 teaspoons)
- 3 grams baking soda (1/2 teaspoon)
- 3 grams ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
- 1 gram ground nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon)
- 113 grams unsalted butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
- 67 grams granulated sugar (1/3 cup)
- 67 grams light brown sugar (1/3 cup)
- 100 grams egg (2 large), room temperature
- 80 grams unsweetened applesauce (1/3 cup)
- 80 grams milk (1/3 cup)
- 5 grams vanilla bean paste or extract (1 teaspoon)
- 50 grams pecans (1/2 cup), roughly chopped
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Topping:
- 12 grams light brown sugar (1 tablespoon)
- 1 gram ground cinnamon (1/4 teaspoon)
Butter Pecan Topping:
- 14 grams unsalted butter (1 tablespoon), melted
- 25 grams pecans (1/4 cup), finely chopped
Apple Glaze:
- 30 grams powdered sugar (1/4 cup)
- 15 grams unsweetened applesauce (1 tablespoon)
- 30 grams heavy cream or milk (2 tablespoons)
Instructions
Apples:
- Add diced apples, light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon to small bowl. Toss to combine. Set aside.
Apple Bread:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 X 5-inch bread loaf pan.
- Add all-purpose flour, kosher salt, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg to small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add unsalted butter to stand mixer. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.
- Add sugar and light brown sugar. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.
- Add eggs and beat on low until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Add vanilla bean paste, applesauce, and milk to stand mixer. Beat on low until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer. Gradually add flour mixture and fold in with large spatula.
- Fold in reserved apples.
- Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and smooth evenly with offset spatula.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Topping:
- Add brown sugar and ground cinnamon to small bowl. Stir to combine. Sprinkle over apple bread batter.
- Bake bread in preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until firm to the touch, and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool bread in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert pan and remove bread. Cool completely.
Butter Pecan Topping:
- Brush top of cooled apple bread loaf with melted butter. Sprinkle finely chopped pecans over melted butter. Press lightly to adhere.
Apple Glaze:
- Add powdered sugar, applesauce and heavy cream to small bowl. Stir to combine. Add extra drops of heavy cream if glaze is too thin. Drizzle over apple bread.
- Serve individual slices at room temperature.
- Store bread in foil at room temperature for 1 day, or refrigerate for several days.
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