A New Fall Favorite
While we technically have a few more weeks of summer left, apple season is here, and that basically means it’s fall. I’m ready for all the fall baked goods, including my new apple bread recipe! This is a moist and tender bread recipe, sweetened largely with apples (though of course there’s sugar in there too!) and topped with a buttery, cinnamon sugar crust. It’s very similar to my apple cake, but designed for a bread pan and handheld eating. Plenty of apples throughout the bread and the right ratio of sugar and cinnamon makes for a flavorful, perfectly sweetened and spiced bite. My absolute favorite part of this apple bread recipe is that cinnamon sugar topping; it creates a buttery, crisp crust that is utterly irresistible! I love this recipe because it’s easy to make and comes together quickly (just make sure you don’t overmix the batter!). It does bake for quite a long time–most quick breads (like banana bread) do–but it’s 100% worth the wait!
What You Need
Just a handful of basic ingredients come together to make my apple bread recipe. Let’s highlight a few of the important ones:
Butter. Use unsalted butter for the bread itself, but you can use either salted or unsalted butter for the topping since its such a small amount. Apples. Peel, core, and chop your apples into tiny pieces so they blend seamlessly into the bread. Every bite should have bits (not chunks!) of apples in it! I talk more about my favorite apples for this bread below. Sour cream. Like buttermilk, sour cream tenderizes our apple bread recipe and adds a lovely depth of flavor (without making it taste like sour cream!). You can also use plain, full-fat greek yogurt if you don’t have sour cream. Sugar. I use a blend of granulated and light brown sugar for extra flavor and moisture.
SAM’S TIP: By tossing the apples with some of the cinnamon sugar mixture before baking, we are essentially macerating them. This enhances their flavor and draws out their sweetness, much like macerated strawberries! It’s an easy extra step that really does make a difference (i use this trick in my apple pancakes, too, and it’s a game changer!). Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Apple Bread
SAM’S TIP: Drizzling the bread with butter before baking creates a cinnamon sugar coating that’s next level. If we were to just sprinkle the cinnamon sugar straight on the bread, a lot of it would fall off when slicing. Using melted butter allows the sugar to adhere and create a buttery, almost candied surface (yum). The only downside to adding the butter this way is it has the potential to drip off the bread as it bakes; to avoid melted butter leaking all over your oven, simply bake your apple bread on a foil-lined baking sheet. That way, if there are any spills, cleanup will be easy! If you enjoy my apple bread recipe, be sure to give my apple muffins a try! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
More Fall Baking to Try!
