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Filled with fall apples, studded with pecans and dried cranberries, and crowned with a sweet streusel topping, this Apple Pie Bread is what breakfast dreams are made of!
I know it’s only September 9th and it’s still blazin’ hot outside, but you guys, I kind of think I’m ready to decorate for fall.
I probably shouldn’t have walked into both Kirkland’s and Home Goods yesterday, but ever since seeing all the pumpkin decor, I’ve been thinking about pulling the fall/Halloween bins up from the basement.
Tell me..when do you decorate for fall?
Not only am I ready to decorate for fall, but I am also pretty excited about fall baking – especially apple recipes like this Apple Pie Bread!
MY FAVORITE APPLE CINNAMON BREAD
This time of year, things get pretty pumpkin serious around here.
I’m waiting to share my first pumpkin recipe on the blog this year, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t made a loaf of pumpkin bread or a stack of pumpkin pancakes for my family yet.
But don’t think I forget about one of my other favorite fall treats: apples!
We love to go apple picking, and Old Fashioned Apple Crisp, Crockpot Applesauce, and Slow Cooker Apple Butter all get made multiple times throughout the season around here.
Another recipe we make a lot every year is this Apple Pie Bread.
Simply calling this “apple cinnamon bread” doesn’t do it justice. It’s so much more than just an apple cinnamon bread.
To start, it uses my homemade apple pie spice, which has nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cardamom in addition to the cinnamon.
And before baking, the batter – which is full of grated apple, chopped pecans, and dried cranberries – is sprinkled with a pecan streusel topping. The streusel gets wonderfully crunchy in the oven and adds the perfect amount of texture and sweetness to this bread.
It really is like biting in a piece of apple pie in bread form.
Apple Pie Bread is delicious for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or even as a bite of dessert when you just need something sweet. But don’t get me started on all the other dirty things we could do with it, like French toast or bread pudding.
My oh my, this Apple Pie Bread is the stuff my dreams are made of.
HOW TO MAKE APPLE PIE BREAD
Apple Pie Bread comes together like most of the quick bread recipes we make.
The wet ingredients get combined together, then the dry ingredients get added to the wet ingredients. Next, fold in the mix-ins – in this case, shredded apple, chopped pecans, and dried cranberries.
Because apples are a little bit of a harder fruit, I like shredding them for this recipe instead of dicing them to make sure they cook through. It’s similar to what we do when making carrot cake or zucchini bread.
If your apples give off a lot of liquid after shredding them, give them a light squeeze to wring out excess moisture before adding them to the bread.
Once the bread batter is made, mix together the streusel. Stir together the dry ingredients and then cut the butter into them with a pastry blender.
Sprinkle this streusel on top of the bread batter and bake for about an hour.
You can serve the bread the same day it is baked, but I prefer to wrap it up after it has cooled and wait to serve it the next day. I love the way the flavors really shine through the next day!
HOW TO STORE APPLE PIE BREAD
If you are planning to eat this bread within a day or two, you can go ahead and wrap it up or put it in an airtight container and store it at room temperature.
Because the apples make this bread pretty moist, especially after the first couple of days, I would recommend storing the bread in the refrigerator if you don’t plan to eat it within 2 days.
If stored in the refrigerator, it should last 4-5 days.
If you’d like the bread to have a longer shelf life, simply wrap it in foil or plastic wrap and place it into a freezer bag and freeze it for up to 3 months. You can freeze the loaf whole or cut it into slices and wrap those individually for quick breakfasts throughout the week.
Apple Pie Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons homemade apple pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded peeled apple (about 4 medium or 2 large) (see note below)
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup dried cranberries
For the streusel topping
- ¼ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon homemade apple pie spice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed for about 30 seconds.
- Add in sugars and mix until well combined.
- Add buttermilk and baking powder; beat until combined.
- Add eggs and vanilla; beat until thoroughly incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, apple pie spice and salt, whisk until combined.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low speed until just incorporated.
- Fold in apples, pecans and cranberries.
- Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. Prepare the streusel topping.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour and apple pie spice. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans. Spoon streusel topping over the batter, pressing them gently into the batter.
- Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This apple pie bread looks wonderful. Its on my list of “things to bake when i get back to my kitchen”. I musy admit i clicked it open bcos i thought it was a bread, its ckearly a cake, but i need to expand into more cake baking, so i will definately try it.
Thanks for the great post!
This bread was amazing! Loved it! Has anyone tried baking this recipe in muffin tins? I’d like to make a batch of muffins for a new mom I know, but I’m hoping they will turn out just as delicious and moist as the bread.
I am so happy to hear you loved the recipe, Lisa! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
My son was just told that he is a diabetic. What sugars can I use to make this bread.
Hello, Theresa-
I am quite unfamiliar with baking for people with diabetes. I’d recommend checking out this post. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
I want to marry this bread. It’s been on my to-bake list for weeks and I had to wait until I could get my hands on some apple pie spice. I made it yesterday and I’m eating a slice right now at my desk and you’re right, it’s even better the next. I’m going to make three more loaves by the end of this week so that I can share them with co-workers, family and friends. Thank you for bringing this bread into my life! <3
Youngmi-
I’m so glad that you are enjoying the recipe! Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
I would love to make this bread for Thanksgiving. Do you think I could make it now and freeze it? It sure would help to be able to do it early. Thanks
Jennie-
I would suggest wrapping it in plastic wrap tightly and then a layer of aluminum foil over that. It should work fine to freeze it. I hope this is helpful.
-Jamie
Omg. Amazing! I make mini breads to sell at my shop and this bread is simply scrumptious! Moist but sturdy, sweet and tart, and the topping gives it an incredible apple pie taste…I’m very impressed with this recipe! Thanks! !
Debbye-
I am so glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for visiting.
-Jamie
I made a loaf of this over the weekend. Was very good – thanks for sharing!
Patricia-
I’m so glad to hear that you liked the Apple Pie Bread. Thanks for visiting.
-Jamie
I saw this post last week on fb and have been drooling over the thought of it…
Its in the oven right now fingers crossed , although i have no doubt this bread is going to be amazing… I couldnt stop tasting the batter… Love your recipes… Looks like a winner .thanks for sharing :)
I hope you love as much as we did. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
Better than apple pie itself….and it really does taste better the next day…. My day is made:)
Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie
Tried this recipe this morn. Couldn’t resist and cut myself a slice the same evening. Omg. It’s so moist and yummy. I sub buttermilk w milk and lemon, cardamom and allspice with more nutmeg, cinanmon, walnut for pecans.
Worked out just fine. Loving it. Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by. I am so glad you liked the recipe.
-Jamie
Absolutely delicious bread ! Only deviation from the recipe was to use 1/3 cup Mariani dried cherries(which I chopped up a bit) in place of the craisins. Will make this over and over again! TFS
Great idea with the cherries, I’m glad you enjoyed the bread. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie