Apple Bread
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With a hint of spice and everything nice (including juicy apple bits), this easy and quick apple bread recipe is moist with a tender-crisp crust on top.
My family has always loved quick bread recipes (hello, pumpkin bread and banana bread). They make a delicious snack, a simple dessert, or a great quick bite for breakfast as you head out the door. This is the best apple bread recipe as it has a taste very much like my apple spice muffins and greets your family with a heavenly aroma as soon as they walk in the door. It bakes up moist and tender, studded with juicy bits of chopped apple, with a decadent soft crisp crust on top. It’s great on its own or spread with a smear of butter or apple butter.
Like my apple spice muffins, this is a recipe you can use any kind of apple you want in, even apples that are going a little soft. What other ingredients do you need? Just a bunch of kitchen staples you probably already have on hand, like sugar, flour, vegetable oil, milk, vanilla extract, eggs, allspice, and cinnamon.
If the ingredients aren’t simple enough, the instructions are just as simple! All you need to do is mix the ingredients together, pop the batter in a loaf pan, and wait for it to bake. I mean, they don’t call it apple quick bread for nothing, right? But I guess we could also call it easy apple bread as well, right?
In the interest of being neighborly, I also like to double this so I have one loaf to keep and one to give away as a nice surprise to someone who would enjoy a little pick me up. Who’s ready to get baking?
Recipe Ingredients
- Apples
- Sugar
- Self-rising flour (see my FAQs for how to make homemade self-rising flour).
- Vegetable oil
- Milk
- Vanilla
- Eggs
- Allspice
- Cinnamon
How to Make Quick Apple Bread
Peel and dice your fresh apples, then place them in a large bowl.
Then add in the wet ingredients, including the eggs…
Oil…
Milk…
And vanilla.
Give that a stir before adding the sugar.
Mix ingredients together until well combined like above.
Now we’re going to dump in the remaining dry ingredients, including flour…
Ground cinnamon…
And allspice.
Stir until well combined and there are no dry spots.
Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Spread batter into the prepared bread pan.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the apple bread to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before turning out.
Look at all of those juicy chopped apple pieces!
Enjoy!
Storage
- Store the bread loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- You can also freeze apple bread slices for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Now, I’m just using granulated sugar for this quick bread recipe, but you can use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar if you like.
- Any neutral oil will work for this recipe, including vegetable oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or lightly flavored olive oil.
- To make self-rising flour according to my recipe, you’ll need all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Instead of allspice, you can use a combination of ground ginger and ground nutmeg or just ground nutmeg.
- Another option is to use apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice instead.
- If you like, fold in a cup of chopped nuts before placing the batter into the pan. Pecans and walnuts are always good options.
- Alternatively, fold in a cup of raisins, craisins, or chopped dates.
- Instead of diced apple, you can use shredded apple.
- Don’t overmix the batter!
- Add a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on top of the bread before baking for added sweetness and crunch.
- Speaking of added sweetness, you can also top the cooled bread with a dusting of or a simple vanilla glaze.
- For a healthier cinnamon apple bread recipe, substitute all or a quarter of the oil for apple sauce. This has the bonus of adding more apple flavor.
Recipe FAQs
How do you serve apple bread?
Simply serve your homemade apple bread warm with a spread of butter or apple butter. For dessert, turn it into caramel apple bread with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. YUM.
What are the best apples for baking?
Granny Smith apples are the most popular baking apple. But other good apple varieties include Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Braeburn, , Fuji, Pink Lady, and Jazz apples.
You may also like these appetizing apple recipes:
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium apples, peeled and diced about two cups
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Peel and dice apples, then place them in a large bowl. Add eggs, oil, milk, vanilla, and sugar. Stir with a large spoon until well blended.3-4 medium apples, peeled and diced, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 cups sugar
- Add flour, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir again by hand until well combined.2 cups self-rising flour, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- Grease a loaf pan with cooking spray and spoon batter into the pan.
- Bake at 350 for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow it to cool in the loaf pan for five minutes, then turn out.
Video
Nutrition
Hi Christy. Would you please tell us what size loaf pan you used? Several readers have asked, but I don’t see any guidance. 9 x 5? 8 1/2 x 4 1/2? It would make a difference to the baking time. Thanks!
I use mostly 9 x 5 but I do have a bit smaller one. I don’t alter the time for any of it though, and I always touch the center to make sure it’s done before pulling it out of the oven 🙂
OK. Thanks for the quick reply! Happy baking … ;D
May be a silly question, but do you cook on middle oven rack?
No silly questions here! I usually cook in the middle but often cook on the top rack as well. I don’t think it makes much of a difference as long as you don’t cook it on the bottom. Thanks for stopping by and holler if you have any other questions as I’m always glad to help!
You may want to reconsider the auger to flour ratio. My bread turned out a burnt caramelized mess.
*sugar
I’m so sorry it didn’t work for you! This is the exact recipe I use to produce the bread pictured.
I like to try using part nut oil in cake recipes that call for oil. It gives an interesting depth of flavor. Obviously you need to tell anyone you are doing this because of nut allergies.
Nut oil like walnut, hazelnut or almond can get pretty pricey, but I find it at local closeout stores, and places like Aldis, Marshalls and TJ Maxx . Look for the clearance tables, especially. And refrigerate after opening.
I’d use less than half combined with a neutral oil first time I try a recipe, and keep adding if you feel you want to. It’s fairly strong tasting.
PS I love your recipes and am delighted to find this blog. Thank you.
In the oven now and smells divine. Still runny in the middle at one hour in a 9×5 loaf pan, so baking longer. Guessing at least another half-hour based on the way the middle looks. I noticed that the batter is much thinner than a similar fresh apple cake I cook in a tube pan. Even if it takes longer, I expect it to be delicious and we love the aroma while it cooks.
It took one hour and twenty minutes cooking time in the 9×5 loaf pan. Cooled 10 minutes then turned out on cooling rack for a half hour or so before slicing. It sure
lives up to its name – Amazing Apple Bread! Delish!!!!!
I have 1% milk. Is that alright to use in this recipe?
I made this and it completely bombed. The inside is nothing but goo but the outside looks fantastic and tastes pretty good. Not sure what happened but don’t think I’ll be trying this again. I was so desperately wanting this to be great and now I’ve wasted all my fresh apples. So sad.
We’ve got a temperature problem. Either my oven is cooking high or yours is cooking low…that is one option. Another is that your pan may have been deeper than mine and therefore requiring more cooking time. Either way, I’m sorry it didn’t work out and I understand the disappointment with the apples. I wish I had of caught this in the process so I had time to tell you to check for doneness before removing from the oven but with you not planning on making it again I’m afraid there isn’t much help I can offer.
Hopefully though, this is the worst thing that happened to you today because if that is the case, life is pretty good!