Apple Bread

Disclosure: This featured post originally appeared on (a) Musing Foodie. This blogger has partnered with Kauffman’s Fruit Farm to review and post about products that they receive for free.

My September Mix ‘n Match Apple-Peach-Plum box from Kauffman’s Fruit Farm arrived a couple weeks ago, filled to the brim with goodies! Two different kinds of apples, the juiciest peaches EVER, and little plums that my kids adored.

Back to those apples, though.

In our house, zucchini breadis a staple. My daughter LOVES zucchini bread “sandwiches” for lunch, filled with a generous slather of plain cream cheese. I love warming a piece, and eating it with butter. Mmm…

When I sliced the final bit of our last loaf, I thought I’d try my hand at making a different kind of bread. Kauffman’s sent a few different apple varieties, two of which were green — a little tart, a little sweet. Perfect for baking.

Yes, that’s right. Apple bread!

Instead of shredded zucchini, I used shredded apples – skins and all. You can see little flecks of them peppered throughout the bread.

I also used a jar of their homemade apple butter spread, which I received in last month’s sampler gift box.

I baked my loaves for about 10 minutes less than I should’ve, hence the slightly dough-y appearance in the slices.

But, it doesn’t hurt anything, and I’ll take a little “underdone” instead of “overdone” any day. (I’m not offended if you want to bake yours for another 10 – 15 minutes.)

Melt in your mouth…

Apple Bread

Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Total time: 1 hour 20 mins
Serves: 2 loaves

Ingredients:

5 apples, shredded
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ pint jar of Kauffman's Homemade Apple Butter
1 cups canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Use non-stick spray (or butter) to coat 2 large loaf pans.
3. Use a whisk to combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl, and leave a little bit of a well in the center.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil until they turn a creamy color, then add the sugar and vanilla and use a hand mixer to beat the ingredients for a minute or two.
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix for 1 minute. Add the jar of apple butter, and then continue mixing with the hand mixer until it's just combined. The batter will be very thick!
6. Add the shredded apple to the batter, and using the mixer on low, gently incorporate the two. The moisture from the apples should loosen up the batter and make it easier to mix.
7. Pour the batter into your prepared pans about half-way, and then bake them for about an hour (or until the top springs back when you press gently with your finger, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
8. Let the loaves cool for about 15 minutes in the pan, and the remove them. Continue letting them sit on a rack until they've cooled completely.

Note:

Sometimes I use a variety of pans instead: tube pan, muffin tins, cake pans, etc., instead of just loaf pans. If you plan on freezing these, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap once they've cooled, and then put them into freezer zip top bags.