Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe
This old-fashioned apple cinnamon bread is a soft, moist quick bread filled with fresh apples and a ribbon of brown sugar and cinnamon. It’s made from simple pantry ingredients and requires no yeast or mixer.
The apples keep the bread tender while it bakes, and the cinnamon-sugar layer running through the middle gives each slice that cozy apple-cinnamon flavor.
It’s wonderful warm from the oven, but like many old-fashioned quick breads, it’s arguably even better the next day after the apples and cinnamon have had time to settle into the loaf.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Cinnamon Bread
This is the sort of recipe that makes the kitchen smell like fall before you’ve even taken it out of the oven.
It’s also wonderfully uncomplicated. You don’t need yeast, a stand mixer, or unusual ingredients. Everything can be mixed by hand in a couple of bowls.
The bread is:
- Made completely from scratch
- Filled with real apples
- Moist without being soggy
- Flavored with cinnamon and brown sugar
- Easy enough for an everyday bake
- Freezer friendly
- Delicious for breakfast, an afternoon treat, or dessert
What Apples Are Best for Apple Cinnamon Bread?
You want an apple that holds some texture during baking rather than disappearing into the batter.
Granny Smith is an excellent choice because its tartness balances the sweet cinnamon bread.
You can also use Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Fuji, or Gala.
I particularly like combining a tart apple with a sweeter apple if I have both available.
Peel the apples and chop them fairly small—about ¼-inch pieces. Small pieces distribute throughout the loaf better and help prevent wet pockets around large chunks of fruit.
Do I Have to Peel the Apples?
No, but I recommend it for this particular bread.
Leaving the peel on won’t hurt anything, but peeled apples give the finished loaf a softer, more traditional texture.
The Secret to a Moist Apple Bread
There are two important things: don’t overmix the batter and don’t overbake the loaf.
Once the flour goes into the wet ingredients, stir only until you no longer see dry streaks of flour.
Overmixing develops more gluten and can turn a tender quick bread into something heavier and tougher.
The apples themselves provide plenty of moisture, so there’s no need to add applesauce or excessive oil to make the bread moist.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Swirl
Instead of simply adding cinnamon to the batter, this recipe has a cinnamon-brown sugar mixture layered through the center and sprinkled over the top.
When you slice the cooled loaf, you’ll get little ribbons and pockets of cinnamon sugar among the apples.
Don’t worry about creating a perfect swirl. This is homemade apple bread—it can look homemade!
How to Store Apple Cinnamon Bread
Once completely cool, wrap the bread tightly or store it in an airtight container.
It will keep at room temperature for approximately 2 days.
Because fresh apples add considerable moisture, I recommend refrigerating it if you’re keeping it longer. Refrigerated apple bread should remain good for approximately 4–5 days.
Individual slices can be warmed in the microwave for about 10–15 seconds.
Can You Freeze Apple Cinnamon Bread?
Yes.
Let the loaf cool completely before freezing. You can freeze the entire loaf or individual slices.
For individual servings, wrap the slices and place them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to approximately 3 months.
Thaw at room temperature or warm an individual slice briefly in the microwave.
What to Serve With Apple Cinnamon Bread
This bread doesn’t need much of anything.
A warm slice with a little butter is hard to improve upon.
It’s also lovely with coffee or tea for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or warmed slightly and served with vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Apple Cinnamon Bread
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. For easier removal, you can also line the bottom and long sides with parchment paper, leaving enough parchment extending over the sides to use as handles.
- In a small bowl, combine the ⅓ cup brown sugar and 1½ teaspoons cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk the melted butter and granulated sugar until combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
- Add approximately half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently stir.
- Add the milk, followed by the remaining dry ingredients. Stir only until almost combined.
- Gently fold the chopped apples into the batter. Stop mixing as soon as everything is evenly distributed.
- Spoon approximately half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it gently toward the corners.
- Sprinkle approximately half of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture over the batter.
- Spoon the remaining batter over the cinnamon layer and gently spread it evenly.
- Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-brown sugar mixture over the top.
- Using a butter knife, make just two or three gentle swirls through the batter. Don’t mix it completely—you want visible cinnamon ribbons in the finished bread.
- Bake at 350°F for 50–60 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Because ovens vary, begin checking the loaf at about 45–50 minutes. If the top is browning faster than the center is baking, loosely tent the loaf with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan completely on a wire rack.
- Once cooled or nearly cooled, cut into slices and serve.
- For the cleanest slices, allow the loaf to cool completely.
Notes
Optional Vanilla Glaze
I actually prefer this bread without a glaze because the crackly cinnamon-brown sugar top is part of its old-fashioned appeal. But if you want a sweeter bakery-style loaf, mix:- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
