Author: Half the Sugar

There’s nothing like a good quick bread to start off your morning, have for dessert, or just enjoy as a snack. This cinnamon apple quick bread combines the delicious flavor of apple pie and the texture of a tender and moist loaf. Adding some chopped nuts to the batter gives the bread another element of texture and flavor that is just so good. The lower sugar percentage of this recipe allows the apple flavor to really shine through, and it should, because apples are added in three different forms! There are hearty chunks of diced apple, shredded apple to add flavor and moisture, and applesauce too. I recommend dicing the apples pretty small because this will help the bread slice easier. The same goes for the nuts, during testing, I found that although the large pieces of nuts tasted good, it created a real problem when trying to slice the loaf so instead, make sure you chop your nuts into smaller pieces. Another trick to getting cleaner slices is to let the bread cool completely on a cooling rack. It may be tempting to cut a piece straight out of the oven but I promise, the loaf will be so much easier to cut once it has cooled. The cinnamon sugar mixture on top gives this bread a beautiful brown and crisp top that is perfect with the soft inside and all the spices combine to make this so flavorful. It also made my kitchen smell so, so good while it was in the oven!

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Servings 1 9×4 inch loaf

Ingredients

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
• ¼ cup applesauce
• ½ cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour*
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup finely diced baking apple, about 1 apple (I used granny smith)*
• 1 cup shredded apple, from 1 apple (I used the largest holes on a box grater)
• ¼ cup nuts, chopped*
• ¼ cup raisins (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350º Farenheit. Grease a 9×4 inch loaf pan with oil or butter. Line the pan with parchment paper going across the long side to act as a handle.
2. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon until combined. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy.
4. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the melted butter and applesauce followed by the milk and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined.
5. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg to the mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
6. Add the diced and shredded apples to the batter and fold them into the batter with a spatula.
7. Spoon ? of the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle about ? of the brown sugar mix on top. Then spoon the remaining portion of the batter over the brown sugar followed by the remaining brown sugar. Using a knife or toothpick, swirl the batter briefly. Don’t overdo this.
8. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the bread is browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean. Let the bread in the loaf pan rest on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then using the parchment handles, remove the loaf and let it cool on the rack completely. It will be much easier to cut once it is cooled. 

Notes

*use ½ cup whole wheat and ½ cup almond flour for a lower carb version

*I find that the smaller you dice the apple, the better the bread will hold together

*If your nuts are too large, they might cause the bread to fall apart when you slice it

The bread should keep for around 4 days on your counter, covered with tin foil

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