Apple Bread

Recently my daughter and I took a little drive to Atlanta to see my husband.  He's there doing some training and we wanted to catch some of the Atlanta sites anyway, so why not?  I knew he'd be missing home a little bit so I wanted to make him something that was easily transported, somewhat healthy, and delicious. 

The grocery stores are packed full of apples so I knew apple would be the theme.  This bread was awesome.  I didn't get any pictures of the inside since we cut it - well actually we tore pieces off while we were at the hotel.  We ate this pretty much any time of day that we wanted a little snack but I think it's perfect for breakfast.  My daughter (miss picky eater) even liked it.  In our household that is a MAJOR win!

Spray a 8x4 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray; then add some parchment paper and spray that as well.

I made some slight alterations to the original recipe that was posted on Brown Eyed Baker's recipe, just to keep it a little healthier.  I added 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour to the recipe as you can see above.  I honestly thing you could do the whole thing with whole wheat and it would be just as good.  In fact, I'll try that next time.

This does have a cup of sugar, but I did say this is "mostly" healthy.  I should note here also, I added all applesauce when the original recipe does have some oil.  So I added 1/2 cup of apple sauce total.

I think next time I'll cut the apples slightly smaller.  But I did enjoy the burst of apple flavor that these larger pieces added.

Once you've combined the flour and the wet mixture together, add the apples and stir by hand to incorporate.

This is the cinnamon sugar topping.  Yum.  This could have been left out if you really wanted to cut back on some sugar.

Ready to bake.

Yum, so good.  Makes your house smell wonderful.  Try to let this cool before cutting especially if you have big chunks of apple like I did.  I will be making this again for sure.

Here is the recipe from Brown Eyed Baker, I noted my changes below. Here is the link to Brown Eyed Baker's recipe: Apple Cinnamon Bread

Yield: One 8×4-inch loaf

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 50 to 55 minutes

1½ cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
¼ cup canola oil (I didn't use oil at all)
¼ cup applesauce (I used 1/2 cup of applesauce instead of the oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups peeled and chopped apples (about 1½ to 2 apples)

Topping
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper; set the pan aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice and cloves. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add in the oil, applesauce and vanilla and mix until smooth. Next, add the sugar and mix until well-combined.
4. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the flour mixture and mix until the flour is just barely combined. Gently fold in the apples with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
5. In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the loaf is golden and a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a dull knife around the sides of the loaf and turn it out on a cooling rack, remove the parchment paper and place right-side up. Cool completely before slicing. Wrap leftover loaf in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.