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
Measure the apples after peeling and chopping. You'll need approximately 1½ cups.
Cut the apples small. Pieces around ¼ inch work particularly well. Large chunks can create overly wet pockets in quick bread.
Don't overmix. Once you've added the flour, use a gentle hand. A few small lumps in quick-bread batter are perfectly fine.
Check early. If you know your oven tends to run hot, start checking the loaf at approximately 45 minutes. If necessary, loosely cover the top with foil while the middle finishes baking.
Use the toothpick test in several places. Accidentally sticking the toothpick into a juicy apple can make a completely baked loaf look underdone.
Let it cool before cutting. Apple bread continues setting as it cools. Cutting it immediately can make the center appear gummy even when it's properly baked.
For extra cinnamon flavor: Increase the cinnamon in the batter from 1 teaspoon to 1½ teaspoons.
For a crunchy top: Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon coarse sugar over the cinnamon mixture before baking.
No mixer needed: This recipe is intended to be mixed by hand.
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