While this apple bread is simply delicious as is, the fall-friendly recipe is also ripe for improvisation, so feel free to add your favorite dried fruits.
Apple bread is one of our favorite recipes for fall, when crisp weather beckons and makes us hungry for warming spices and treats featuring seasonal ingredients.
This recipe, in particular, provides a wonderful, simple framework from which you can improvise. Just remember, in order to break the rules, it helps to know them first. For example, a core concept in baking is to balance the ratio of carbohydrate, protein, and fat, because each macronutrient brings its own flavor, texture, and benefit to a recipe. If that piques your interest, you may want to take a look at our guide to everything baking. It will help you gain knowledge and, therefore, confidence. Now let’s get baking!
Apple Bread Ingredients
All-purpose flour: Among the popular types of flour, all-purpose flour has the right balance of protein for a variety of recipes. It’s strong enough to hold together bread, but light enough for flakier baked goods.
Sugar: Granulated sugar features a uniform texture that easily blends with other ingredients in this recipe for apple bread.
Cinnamon: This warming spice combines wonderfully with apples. If you’d like, you can also grate in some ginger or other spices like clove and allspice.
Baking soda: Baking soda reacts with acids to create little air pockets in baked goods, helping them rise and become fluffy.
Baking powder: A combination of baking soda, cream of tartar, and cornstarch, baking powder comes with the acidic ingredient necessary for the baking soda to react. This is perfect for recipes that are otherwise low in an acidic component.
Eggs: The fat from the yolk of an egg helps combine all the ingredients, while the protein from the white helps provide the dough with needed structure. Note that this recipe calls for room-temperature eggs.
Canola oil: Canola oil is neutral in flavor, so it’s a popular option. That said, you can substitute it for butter or coconut oil using a 1-to-1 ratio.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla provides a wonderful aroma and, of course, flavor. If you make homemade vanilla extract, you’ll save both money and a trip to the grocery store.
Apples: The star of the show, we recommend a slightly tart and crisp apple for this recipe. A variety like Pink Lady or even Granny Smith would work well.
Walnuts: Ever notice that ingredients that ripen together go well together? Well, both walnuts and apples are harvested in the fall, making this nut a natural choice for this recipe.
