Valentina's Corner
This Apple Bread Recipe results in a moist bread loaf that’s baked and topped with a creamy glaze for the perfect finish. The whole family will fall in love with this simple yet delicious loaf!
Nothing beats homemade sweet bread! Be sure to try our Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and rich Blueberry Lemon Loaf recipes.
Easy Apple Bread Recipe-
This Easy Apple Bread Recipe is a melt-in-your-mouth bread loaf filled with all the flavors of fall. The soft and fluffy cinnamon bread is packed with juicy apples and walnuts and is finished with a perfectly-sweet brown sugar glaze!
Your house will be filled with the best aroma while you wait impatiently for the loaf to come out of the oven.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- A great way to use up extra apples!
- The stress-free instructions will bring this together in no time.
- It’s an easy, no-yeast recipe that is fool-proof!
- Enjoy the bread recipe all year round.
APPLE BREAD Ingredients:
The ingredients for this apple bread recipe are super simple and complement each other so well.
For the bread:
- Flour- all-purpose flour, measured and sifted.
- Cinnamon- compliments the apples and gives a warm flavor
- Baking powder- the leavening agent in apple bread.
- Granulated sugar- white sugar to sweeten the bread, adjust to ¾ cup for a less sweet loaf and to 1 ¼ cup for a slightly sweeter loaf.
- Butter- use unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.
- Large eggs- the binding agent for the loaf bread.
- Milk- for a lighter texture of the loaf.
- Vanilla- enhances the flavors of the bread.
- Apples- pick a crisp apple that won’t get soft and mushy during baking.
- Walnuts- chopped walnuts or pecans give some crunch, they may be left out as well if you don’t like nuts.
For the icing:
- Butter- unsalted butter is the base for the icing.
- Brown sugar- as the sweetener.
- Vanilla extract- adds a hint of flavor.
- Heavy whipping cream- adds creaminess to the glaze.
- Powdered sugar- thickens and sweetens the glaze.
How to Make the Apple Bread:
The farmhouse apple bread loaf is quick to whip up! It’s ready for baking with just 15 minutes of easy prep time.
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 355°F at step 7.
- Prepare pan: Line a 9”x5” loaf pan with parchment paper, lightly spray, and dust with flour.
- Prep apples: Peel and cube your apples; set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, and baking powder.
- Wet ingredients: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer or whisk, beat together the room-temperature butter and sugar until creamy. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the milk and vanilla and mix just until incorporated.
- Mix in flour: Fold the flour and cinnamon mixture into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula.
- Fold in apples and nuts: Gently fold the apples and walnuts (or pecans) into the batter.
- Pour and bake: Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Completely cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make icing: In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar and vanilla, stirring continuously. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Add the heavy cream and whisk together. Cool completely! Once cooled, add powdered sugar and stir until well incorporated.
- Drizzle icing: Add icing to a pastry bag with a corner snipped. Once the loaf is cooled completely, drizzle the prepared glaze over the loaf.
- Serve and enjoy, friends!
Substitutions and Variations-
The bread with apples is warm and comforting as is, but can be modified to suit your preferences.
- Add streusel: Sprinkle a crumble topping over the loaf before baking, such as the one we use in our Blueberry Muffin recipe.
- Different add-ins: Nuts give a nice crunch to the loaf, but you can swap them out with raisins or chocolate chips if you don’t like nuts.
- Grate apples: If you prefer smaller pieces of apples, you can grate the apples instead of dicing them.
- Make it mini: Easily convert this recipe into apple muffins or mini loaves. The baking time will be shorter, about 17-22 minutes for muffins and 22-30 minutes for mini loaves. Keep an eye on your oven and check for doneness at 17 minutes, as each oven and the pan are different.
Serving Suggestions:
- Honey butter: Whip together room-temperature butter with honey and some sea salt for honey butter!
- Warm drink: Warm up with a Pumpkin Spice Latte or double up on apple flavor with some Apple Cider.
FREQUENTLY asked questions?
Yes, peel the apples to prevent the skin from separating from the apple bread.
Granny Smith is the gold standard for baking, but Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Melrose are all delicious options! Avoid using Gala, Red Delicious, or Golden Delicious, as they tend to get mushy during baking.
The bread loaf may turn out dry if you over-mixed the flour or didn’t measure it correctly. To measure, always spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it with the back of a knife.
Substitute a gluten-free flour mix for all-purpose flour if you are gluten intolerant!
Store & Freeze –
- STORE: The bread with apples can be stored on the counter at room temperature for up to 5 days, covered to prevent it from drying out and hardening.
- FREEZE: Cool the apple cake completely, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Or, slice bread, wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap, and freeze. Thaw completely before enjoying.
- REHEAT: Microwave until warm, or place into a warm oven until reheated.
More Sweet Bread Recipes:
If you enjoyed this cinnamon apple bread recipe, be sure to try our other popular sweet and quick bread recipes:
Apple Bread Recipe
Ingredients
bread-
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, measured then sifted
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp (1 stick)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 cups apples, peeled and diced (3 apples)
- 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
icing-
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup powder sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla
- 2 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
Instructions
prepare bread-
- Preheat oven to 355°F at step 7. Line a 9"x5" bread pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray with baking spray and dust with flour. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients; flour, cinnamon, and baking powder and set aside.
- Pour in the milk and vanila and mix until combined.
- Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold to combined.
- Add the apples and walnuts(or pecans) and fold the batter.
- Pour mixture into bread pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 355°F. Set onto a wire rack to cool completely.
prepare the icing-
- In a saucepan melt the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a light simmer. Remove from heat.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and mix. Set aside to cool completely.
- Once cooled, add the powdered sugar and mix together until sugar dissolves.
- Once bread loaf is completely cool, drizzle the icing over bread loaf.