The Comfort Spoon

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🍎 Moist Apple Bread: Your New Go-To Comfort Food (Yes, Even in July!)

Hey there, fellow food adventurer! Imagine this: crisp autumn air, a flannel shirt you’ve had since college, and a kitchen that smells like a cinnamon-spiced hug. That’s the magic of this apple bread recipe—a loaf so tender, so ridiculously moist, it’ll make you want to fist-bump the oven. But here’s the secret: you don’t need falling leaves to bake it. This bad boy works in flip-flops weather, snowstorms, or that weird Tuesday where you just really need cake for breakfast. Let’s turn those apples into something that’ll have your crew hovering around the counter like seagulls at a fry cart. 🍞✨

The Time I Accidentally Fed a Whole Orchard to My Bread

Moist Apple Bread – The Taste of Fall, All Year Round

Print Recipe

This apple bread recipe holds a special place in my heart. I first baked it on a chilly morning with apples we picked ourselves—juicy, sweet, and full of flavor. The kitchen smelled like cinnamon, love, and home. This bread is tender, moist, and bursting with chunks of fresh apple. Whether served warm with a pat of butter or as a sweet snack, it’s the kind of recipe that brings everyone back for “just one more slice.”

• Author: annareynolds
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 10 slices 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

2 cups all-purpose flour

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg (optional)

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup applesauce

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1½ cups peeled, chopped apples (about 2 medium apples)

Optional: ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or line with parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In another bowl, whisk oil, applesauce, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Fold in apples (and nuts if using).

Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a rack.

Notes

Rich in: Fiber, vitamin C, warm spices, and natural sweetness

Nutrition

• Calories: 230 per slice

Picture 14-year-old me, arms full of apples from our backyard tree, convinced I’d invented the world’s first “apple-only diet.” (Spoiler: I had not.) My grandma—queen of side-eye and sass—watched me dump what looked like 10 pounds of fruit into a bowl and said, “Honey, that’s not bread, that’s a fruit salad with commitment issues.” Turns out? She was right. The first version could’ve doubled as a doorstop. But after tweaking ratios, burning three batches, and learning that nutmeg is NOT optional (fight me), I cracked the code. Now, this recipe’s my edible love letter to imperfection—and proof that sometimes, too many apples is just enough.

🛒 Your Grocery List (Plus Chef’s Dirty Little Secrets)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour – The backbone. For gluten-free pals, swap 1:1 with Bob’s Red Mill GF blend. Texture’s shockingly good!
• 1½ tsp baking powder – Not soda! This gentle riser keeps things fluffy, not soapy.
• ½ tsp salt – The flavor DJ. Balances sweetness like a boss.
• 1½ tsp cinnamon – Autumn’s MVP. Cheap stuff works—we’re not dusting lattes here.
• ½ cup vegetable oil – Makes it moist AF. Melted coconut oil? Hell yes.
• ½ cup applesauce – Secret weapon! Unsweetened keeps it from becoming cloying. No applesauce? Greek yogurt’s your wingman.
• ¾ cup granulated sugar – Sweet spot (pun intended). Brown sugar = deeper flavor, but texture changes.
• 2 large eggs – Room temp, please! Cold eggs = sad, dense bread.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract – Splurge on real stuff. Your taste buds will write thank-you notes.
• 1½ cups chopped apples – Granny Smith for tartness, Honeycrisp for sweetness. Mix ’em!

👩🍳 Let’s Get Messy: Baking Without Adult Supervision

Step 1: Fire up that oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your loaf pan like you’re buttering up a grumpy cat—get into all the corners. Pro tip: Use the wrapper from your butter stick. Zero waste, maximum street cred.

Step 2: Whisk dry ingredients. Pretend you’re in a cooking show: “Flour… baking powder… a kiss of cinnamon…” Camera not required but highly encouraged.

Step 3: Wet team assemble! Oil + applesauce = BFFs. Whisk until it looks like liquid gold. Eggs? Add one at a time. Vanilla? Pour with reckless abandon.

Step 4: Marry wet and dry. Gentle does it—overmixing is the enemy of fluff. Some lumps? Totally legal.

Step 5: Fold in apples. Channel your inner grandma: “That’s it, sweetheart, show them who’s boss.”

Step 6: Bake 50-60 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN FOR FIRST 45 MIN. I’ll know. Use that time to lick the bowl (salmonella disclaimer goes here).

🍴 How to Serve It (Besides “Shoving It Directly Into Mouth”)

Warm slices with melty butter = chef’s kiss. Feeling fancy? Drizzle salted caramel or dunk in vanilla yogurt. For next-level vibes, toast a slice in a skillet—crispy edges, soft center. Yes, you’re welcome.

🔥 Spice Up Your Life: 5 Wild(ish) Variations

• Bourbon Glaze: Mix ½ cup powdered sugar + 1 tbsp bourbon. Drizzle like you’re Jackson Pollock.
• Vegan Swap: Flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 5 tbsp water) + coconut oil. Works shockingly well!
• Savory Twist: Add ½ cup shredded cheddar + 1 tsp thyme. Trust. Me.
• Crunch Time: Top with streusel—brown sugar, flour, butter rubbed together with your fingers. Get primal.

👨🍳 Confessions of a Bread Obsessive

True story: I once made this with zucchini instead of apples during a kitchen panic. Called it “Zapple Bread.” My friends still don’t trust me. Lesson? Baking’s part science, part improv. Also—this recipe freezes like a dream. Wrap slices in parchment, toss in a bag, and future-you will weep with gratitude at 3 AM.

❓ Burning Questions (Literally, Maybe?)

Q: Why’s my bread dense enough to build furniture?
A: Overmixed batter or old baking powder. Treat the batter like a fragile ego—handle gently.

Q: Can I use muffin tins?
A: Absolutely! Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes. Perfect for portion control (lol, who are we kidding?).

Q: Apples sinking to the bottom?
A: Toss them in 1 tbsp flour before folding in. It’s like giving them little life jackets.

📊 Nutrition Facts (Because Adulting)

Per slice: 230 cals • 9g fat • 35g carbs • 1.5g fiber • 3g protein. Basically a health food if you eat it while jogging.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Apple bread might sound like fall on a plate, but this loaf’s magic knows no season. Whether you’re knee-deep in sweater weather or sweating through a July thunderstorm, this moist, spiced beauty delivers warm comfort with every bite. It’s the kind of recipe you’ll memorize by accident—the one you whip up for bake sales, midnight snacks, or just because the apples were on sale. So trust your spatula, embrace the mess, and let your kitchen smell like a cinnamon-scented hug. You’ve got this, baker!