This cozy recipe for Apple Pie Bread is the perfect way to bring in the season!
What better way to celebrate fall than with steaming mugs of cider, pumpkin spice lattes, and of course, a thick slice of this delicious bread. Apple bread is tender and moist with lots of sweet cinnamon flavor just like a piece of apple pie!
A Fall Bread You Need to Try
- Warm and spicy, sweet and simple to make, this recipe is a winner all the way around!
- Apple pie bread is like the bread version of an apple fritter with lots of cinnamon apple flavor, but it is quicker to prep with no deep fryer required!
- A slice of apple pie bread makes a perfect snack for a lunchbox surprise, a breakfast or even a special Sunday morning french toast.
- It can be made into a dessert with a dollop of whipped cream and a simple drizzle of Easy Caramel Sauce.
What’s in Apple Pie Bread?
APPLES The best apples for baking are tart and firm, crispy and crunchy. Granny Smith always fits the bill, but this recipe works well with a sweeter apple, too, like Honeycrisp or Fuji. Applesauce can be replaced with 1/2 cup butter for an even richer quickbread.
CINNAMON SUGAR Brown sugar and cinnamon are layered into the cake with apples, and also used for the tasty streusel topping. For something more complex tasting, try using Apple Pie Spice instead of plain cinnamon.
DAIRY Butter, eggs, and milk add rich flavor to the bread that makes it taste almost like a brioche, but much more crumbly with a cake-like texture.
ADD-INS In place of the applesauce, try adding leftover Cranberry Sauce or make an apple raisin bread. Mix in pumpkin puree in place of applesauce, either from a can or homemade. Try a mashed banana for a new take on an old fave. Shredded zucchini will taste great as well.
TOPPING Simple brown sugar and cinnamon make a delicious topping, especially when brushed with butter during baking. Add some chopped walnuts or pecans to the streusel for extra crunch, if desired. If you have leftover cinnamon sugar, you can use that too.
How to Make Apple Bread
The only machine needed for this quick bread recipe is a hand mixer. Just chop, mix, and bake:
- Peel & chop apples, prepare the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Cream butter & sugar, add other wet ingredients.
- Mix, then add dry ingredients to the wet mixture.
- Layer batter, apples, & topping in a bread pan.
- Bake as per recipe below.
Best Quick Bread Tips
- One of the best tips for fluffy quick bread is to be sure not to overmix the batter. It might seem wrong to not mix thoroughly—but for quickbread, it really works!
- When adding mix-ins, be sure that the substituted ingredient has the same basic texture/dryness/wetness as the original ingredient. Then add it in the same amount as the recipe calls for. Nobody likes bread to turn out tasting like pudding. (Unless making a delicious Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce, of course!)
Serve this bread with apple butter, cinnamon butter, pumpkin butter, or honey butter.
How to Store
Apple pie bread stores well. Wrap it carefully, or cover it in an airtight container and it will keep on the counter for two days. If it’s not all gone by then, move it to the refrigerator so the apples stay tasting fresh.
Apple bread can be frozen, simply seal the entire loaf in a zippered freezer bag, or wrap and freeze individual slices for a quick grab-and-go snack.
Delicious Apple Dessert Recipes
- Classic Apple Pie – easy to make
- Easy Apple Cake Recipe – perfect for the holidays
- Apple Crisp – freezer friendly
- Apple Cheesecake Pie – sweet & creamy
- Apple Hand Pies – ready in under 30 minutes
Did you make this Warm Apple Bread? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Warm Apple Pie Bread (Apple Bread)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ⅔ cup brown sugar divided
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup applesauce note: you can use ½ cup butter and skip the applesauce if you prefer
- 2 eggs well beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 large apple (or 2 small), peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8×4 loaf pan
- Combine cinnamon with ⅓ cup of the brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
- With mixer on medium, cream white sugar, remaining brown sugar and butter until fluffy. Mix in applesauce (if using), beaten eggs and vanilla.
- Stir together flour and baking powder. Add flour to egg mixture along with milk and stir just until combined. Do not overmix!
- Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Sprinkle with ½ of the apples and ½ of the cinnamon mixture.
- Stir the remaining apples into the remaining batter and pour into the pan. Top with remaining cinnamon mixture.
- Bake approximately 40 minutes. Brush topping with melted butter. Continue baking an additional 5-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Originally published August, 2013
Adapted from Allrecipes
More Quick Bread Recipes You’ll Love
- Zucchini Bread
- Pecan Coconut Banana Bread
- Easy Banana Bread
- Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
- Chocolate Banana Bread
Always looking for new recipes to try, anxious to get the email
Welcome Lucille! To receive emails with new recipes, you can click here to sign up to receive emails. Look forward to sending you recipes!
Your recipes always look great.
Has anyone made this in a bread machine? I am hoping that I can figure out how to get back to a response lol I still haven’t figure that out.
I haven’t tried this in a bread machine.
The apple bread is absolutely delicious. I made the bread twice this week and was lucky to get one slice had all ingredients on hand for this bread. This is a keeper recipe and it made the house smell like fall. Thank you for the delicious recipes can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Aww thanks for the kind words, Shawnette! :)
! It was my first time to make ‘loaf’ bread but didnt have a loaf pan haha. I used a round 7” cake pan (instant pot) and baked it for about 50mins. Half-way through I had to lower the temp to 325 because I was using an air fryer oven… the coconut palm sugar made it differently sweet. I’ll add more apples and some walnuts to give it more texture. The ‘crust’ was also perfect!
excited to start receiving recipies!!
This recipe wasn’t for me. I was looking for a cake like sweet bread and this was more dry …..almost biscuit like (and I did NOT over bake or over mix). The middle of the loaf was underdone which is very strange because the toothpick came out clean in multiple spots. Edges and bottom were dry. I did use the 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup of butter. Maybe it would be better with all butter?
Hmm, that is strange Becky. I am not sure what happened. You can use all butter if you prefer but it should work out both ways.
We loved this – a go to recipe for sure. I also baked it in a loaf pan which worked out very well!
Great idea Debbie! That is awesome.
Just fyi, there isn’t any salt in the ingredient list… I ended up adding about a half teaspoon, hoping that’s enough. Otherwise, I’m super excited to see how this turns out! It smells amazing right now!
Correct Debbie, there is no salt in this recipe. It always smells amazing!
My family loves this! never lasts longer than 4 hours and everyone that has tried it has asked me for the recipe!!
I am so glad this recipe has been well received with your friends and family Ashley!
I made this recipe for the first time last fall and LOVED IT! I have a few favorite Apple bread recipes but this one wins for me! The layering is the best part.
So happy to hear that! Thanks CM!
Cake came out soo good and tasty :)
Thank You so much for the wonderful simple recipe :)
So happy you enjoyed it Nirmala. It is perfect for Fall!
Need that’s recipe
It is so delicious Claire!
My 10 year old made this tonight and I tell you it’s absolutely amazing! She said she added a 1/4 of the apple slices on the bottom and then did 1/2 in middle and rest on the top.
It is so so good! Thank you for sharing this!
That is so awesome Melanie! You have a little baker on your hands, so happy to hear that she loved this recipe.
Hi Holly,
Thanks for this recipe, but I have a que for you.
I followed the directions just as you wrote them and the bottom of the bread was dry and the top (with the apples) was moist and perfect.
I noticed several reviewers mixed the apples in the entire dough, and this looks like a better solution.
Do you have any ideas why the bottom would be dry?
Thanks
Bobbi
I haven’t had a problem with the loaf being dry. Did you use a dark pan? Was your bread place in the middle of the oven (or on the bottom)?
Can you substitute oil for the butter..and how you you incorporate it into the recipe.
I have only made this recipe as written Ann, but I think you could make it with oil if you prefer.
I love to bake and try new recipes!
Enjoy it Angela!
I am going to try this recipe.It looks delicious..I wish you you had recipes like this that are gluten free.
I just now put tbis in tbe oven! This recipe did not call for salt…but I always add salt to all my desserts so i added it! It looks delish…i can’t wait to have a piece!
Delicious! Just the right amount of apples
So glad you loved it!