Cinnamon Apple Bread
Posted Sep 25, 2023
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This cinnamon apple bread is rich and moist with a cinnamon crumb topping & lots of warm fall spices. It’s a delicious quick bread to make and serve for breakfast or dessert!
If you’re looking for a cozy fall quick bread, then you are in the right place! This cinnamon apple bread embodies all that is warm and delicious about fall.
This apple bread recipe is easy to make (no mixer required) with a handful of simple ingredients.
It’s topped with an irrestitible buttery crumb toping and loaded with fresh fall apples so there are some in every bite.
Apple Bread: Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. Bread flour or cake flour are great substitutes.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter and ghee can be used in place of butter.
- Light Brown Sugar. For a bolder molasses taste, use dark brown sugar.
- Granulated sugar. use white granulated sugar or organic cane sugar.
- Applesauce. Use unsweetened store-bought or make your own homemade applesauce.
- Whole milk. half and half is a good substitute for whole milk.
- Apples. Choose your favorite apple variety! I recommend pink lady, honey crisp, gala, jazz, granny smith, McIntosh, etc. An apple that is a good blend of sweet and tart is my favorite.
How to Make Cinnamon Apple Bread
Let’s walk through this apple bread recipe step-by-step. You can also watch the video for additional support.
Make the crumb topping:
Begin by combining the flour brown sugar, cinnamon and sea salt in a small bowl.
Then, cut in butter with a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside to use later in the recipe.
Make the Apple Bread
Now we’ll make the batter for the apple bread. Begin by combining the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl, then set it aside.
Next, melt the butter in a large glass bowl.
Then, whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, milk, eggs and vanilla into the melted butter until smooth (make sure all ingredients are room temperature).
Once the mixture is smooth, stir in the dry ingredients.
Then gently fold in the finely diced apples.
Assemble the apple cinnamon bread
Spread batter evenly into the bottom of a prepared loaf pan.
Then, sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the bread, then gently press it down with your hands or a spatula.
Bake & Cool
Bake the apple bread for 55-60 minutes, or until the bread is set and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the apple bread cool in the loaf pan completely (about 3 hours) before removing and transferring to a serving plate.
Serve
Serve the apple bread with a healthy spread of this cinnamon honey butter. It is a delicious breakfast, snack or dessert!
Store
Store leftovers in an an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freeze
Freeze either an entire loaf or individual slices by letting the cinnamon apple bread cool completely. Then, wrap the loaf/slices in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Recipe FAQs
I prefer using a sweet/tart apple variety like pink ladies. Here are some of my top suggestions:
Honeycrisp
Gala
Jazz
Jonagold
Braeburn
Golden Delicious
Granny Smith
Yes, you can double it and bake it in two, 9×5″ loaf pans.
Yes, this apple bread tastes amazing with or without the topping.
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Cinnamon Apple Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ cup apples finely diced
Cinnamon Crumble Topping
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch sea salt
- ¼ cup salted butter softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a 9×5” loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly grease, set aside.
Make the crumb topping:
- In a small bowl, combine flour brown sugar, cinnamon and sea salt.
- Cut in butter with a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Make the Apple Bread
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, set aside.
- In a large glass bowl, melt the butter.
- Whisk in brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, milk, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Add dry ingredients and stir until combine.
- Gently fold in the finely diced apples.
Assemble
- Spread batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the bread, then gently press it down with your hands or a spatula.
Bake
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the bread is set and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool & Serve
- Let the apple bread cool in the loaf pan completely (about 3 hours) before removing and transferring to a serving plate.
- Slice with a sharp knife and serve.
Video
Notes
- All-purpose flour. Bread flour or cake flour are great substitutes.
- Salted Butter. Unsalted butter and ghee can be used in place of butter.
- Light Brown Sugar. For a bolder molasses taste, use dark brown sugar.
- Granulated sugar. use white granulated sugar or organic cane sugar.
- Applesauce. Use unsweetened store-bought or make your own homemade applesauce.
- Whole milk. half and half is a good substitute for whole milk.
- Apples. Choose your favorite apple variety! I recommend pink lady, honey crisp, gala, jazz, granny smith, McIntosh, etc. An apple that is a good blend of sweet and tart is my favorite.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This bread was so good! My grandkids and I had so much fun making it, it came together so quickly in one bowl! Thank you. We made the applesauce using your recipe, love not peeling the apples, and we picked from the apple tree in the yard.
What is your favorite banana bread recipe?
This one: Best Banana Bread!