Cinnamon Apple Bread with Crumble Topping
Oh My Apples! This is a good one friends. Run to your kitchen, grab a tart fresh apple and whip up this apple bread asap!
When September comes around I get giddy with excitement. Not only is fall approaching and with it everything that entails: cooler temps, colored leaves, and decorations, but it’s also apple season! Growing up in the PNW, apples were a big deal. And still, when I see apples in Tennessee, often times that have the grown in Washington table on them. And I smile. A little piece of home 2,000 miles away.
But I digress.
This Cinnamon Apple Bread Is Special Because . . .
Each year, along with canning and preserving all the apple goodness, it’s fun to play around and experiment with new recipes. Sure, I have my go-to’s and staples, but playing in the kitchen is something I enjoy. Yesterday, I thought I’d experiment with an apple bread recipe. After doing some research, most recipes I saw had issues with the middle not cooking through, being too sweet, or too bland, and we don’t want any of those problems.
So I sat down, messed with ingredients and measurements a bit, and came up with what I feel is the best of the best. Dense, but not heavy. Sweet, but not sickeningly so. Just enough spices to complement and bring out the apple goodness, without going over the top. And being thick enough to cook through completely. No runny gooey middle.
How to cut the apple for the bread
I like to use an apple peeler anytime I’m working with apples. It’s my go-to for not only being quick, (An apple can be peeled and cut in under 10 seconds) but it’s efficient. Taking off the littlest meat as possible when removing the skin. It’s an investment I highly recommend.
If you don’t have one, no worries, just make sure to slice the apple very thin, and mince well. We want small pieces, so they cook though and incorporate into the bread well. Huge chunks mess with the breads ability to evenly bake.
I used a honeycrisp in this recipe. But most any apple on the tart side would do. I used one large apple, and left out about 1/4 cup to sprinkle over the crumb topping.
Apple Bread Recipe
Double the recipe and give the others to a neighbor or friend. Anyone will feel loved when receiving this made from scratch loaf!
Apple Bread With Crumb Topping
This bread is the perfect way to usher in the fall season. Filled with the taste and smell of autumn, this apple bread is great alongside coffee in the morning, or as a yummy warm dessert fresh out of the oven after dinner. Serve along side vanilla ice cream!
Ingredients
- 1 minced apple (save 1/4 cup for sprinkling over top)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup room temp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup apple sauce
- nuts (optional)
- Crumb Topping:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp room temp butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- dash cinnamon
Instructions
Cream together brown and white sugar, and butter. Add in eggs and vanilla, stir until just combined. Add in apple sauce and mix.
Sift in, spices, salt and baking powder. Slowly whisk in flour until well incorporated.
Fold in apple pieces.
Pour into bread dish. You can grease and flour dish, but I like to use parchment paper. Once the bread is cooled its easy to lift out of pan and slice.
Smooth batter down with spoon. Tap on counter to remove air bubbles. Make crumb topping and sprinkle over batter. Then take the remaining apples and evenly drop over topping.
Bake in oven for 50min - 1 hour. Keep an eye on the bread, checking every few minutes towards the end. To check if baked through, gently shake pan, seeing if middle holds firm or has more a jello appearance. If more like jello, continue baking and check every 5 minutes.
Allow to cool for 30 to 1 hour. The longer you let it cool, the more the slices will hold together. Slicing too quickly will cause it to crumble. However, it's delicious when warm, even if it's a little more messy!
Make sure to follow along with all my baking and homesteading in real time on Instagram. Stories is my favorite place to be! And for more apple content, including recipes and how to plant an apple tree, find it here!
