Apple Cinnamon Bread
This homemade Apple Cinnamon Bread is moist and delicious and full of cinnamon-spiced tender apple chunks. It’s also topped with a scrumptious topping made of brown sugar, cinnamon & crunchy nuts. This is a delicious bread for breakfast or anytime and it freezes beautifully if you want to keep some on hand for last-minute company.
I love the flavors of cinnamon & apples, and I don’t think I’ve met anything with these flavors I didn’t like. I also like quick sweet bread that I can eat for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. That’s where this yummy recipe comes into play. I wanted something with fruit and I had never made any type of bread with apples. Of course, apples and cinnamon go hand in hand, so that was my starting point. I also wanted to add some sort of crunchy topping. That was easy! I already knew that brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon always make a great crumbled topping, and I love nuts, besides they add more crunch, so I threw in some nuts. This bread is SO good, you can eat it plain or warm with a spread of butter. It’s great either way!
This bread takes no time to prep. It makes one loaf, and it freezes beautifully. It’s nice to keep one in the freezer in case you have unexpected company. Just thaw and serve!
BATTER
The bread is moist and buttery from a combination of butter, buttermilk, and sour cream, and it has a sweet cinnamon flavor. Once the batter is mixed, chopped apples are folded in.
TOPPING
The topping is a mixture of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and crunchy nuts. The topping gets sprinkled over the top of the batter and slightly swirled in with a knife.
Tips for making this recipe
- Don’t over mix the batter. You can mix the batter by hand if you don’t have a mixer but don’t over mix. The apples get folded in last. Gently fold them in but don’t keep mixing, if you’re using a mixer.
- When sprinkling the crumb topping over the batter, sprinkle it, then swirl it into the top half of the batter with a knife. Once you swirl it in, lightly pat the crumb topping into the top of the batter. This keeps the crumb topping from falling off after the bread is baked. Alternately, if you want the crumb topping to be all throughout the loaf of bread, you can transfer half the batter to a loaf pan, sprinkle half the crumb topping over it, then sprinkle the remaining crumb topping over the top. Again, swirl it into the top and gently pat it down.
- Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
- If freezing, make sure the bread is completely cooled, wrap the bread securely with at least 2 layers of plastic wrap, then wrap tightly with foil. Thaw for at least 2 hours before serving. If you want to slightly warm the bread in the microwave, make sure you wrap it with paper towels so that it doesn’t change the texture.
More great apple recipes you might like…
Apple Crumb Muffins With Vanilla Glaze
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Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 60 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 10 Slices 1x
- Category: Bread/Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This homemade Apple Cinnamon Bread is moist and delicious and full of cinnamon-spiced tender apple chunks. It’s also topped with a scrumptious topping made of brown sugar, cinnamon & crunchy nuts. It’s perfect for breakfast or anytime!
Ingredients
CRUMB TOPPING
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (I used pecans)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
BATTER
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup melted butter, unsalted
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled & chopped Granny Smith apples
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
CRUMB TOPPING
- Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and mix together with a spoon or your hands. The mixture should be just moist enough to slightly stick together. Set aside while you mix the batter.
BATTER
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cinnamon and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the melted butter, buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla and mix well by hand or with an electric mixer. Add the dry ingredients and mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overmix. Fold in the apples.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan, using an offset spatula to evenly spread the mixture.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter. Using a knife, swirl it through the topping and the batter in a figure-eight motion, then use your hand or a spatula and gently press the topping into the batter.
- Bake the bread for 50 minutes and check the bread by inserting a toothpick into the center for doneness. The toothpick should come out almost clean, with moist crumbs on it. If it’s still doughy continue baking and test every 5 minutes until done. Ovens vary, but it should not take longer than 70 minutes. If the bread begins to brown too much on top before it’s done in the middle, place a foil tent over it. Allow bread to rest for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges and invert the bread onto a wire cooling rack to cool.
- Slice bread and serve warm with butter or at room temperature.
- Wrap the leftover bread tightly in plastic wrap. Bread will stay fresh for up to 4 days.
- Bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the bread securely in 3 layers of plastic wrap and freeze.
This is a wonderful recipe but don’t make the same mistake I made. Although the 2/3 cup sugar is included in the ingredients list, adding sugar is not included in the directions. I was working quickly and just followed the directions – not checking that all ingredients were included in the directions. Anyway, the loaf still tasted good without the sugar. I made it a second time including the sugar and of course it was even better. I also just melted the 2 T of butter for the topping which made it easier to combine the ingredients. I definitely recommend this recipe.
The sugar is listed under Batter in the instructions. I just made the very same mistake with lemon tarts. Sadly, I threw them out.
Do you think nuts are optional for the topping? (I love them but thinking of making for a group that includes nut allergies.)
Question regarding the buttermilk.
Did you use whole milk buttermilk, or the low fat? It’s nearly impossible for me to find the whole, unfortunately.
TY
Hi Carla, I used full-fat buttermilk, but feel free to use the low-fat.
I recently came across your site. All your recipes sound amazing. I’m heading to the market to buy the ingredients for Apple Cinnamon Bread. Question…did you toast the pecans or is it better not to? Thank you.
Hi Andrea, It’s not necessary to toast them. They’re a little more crunchy toasted. However, some of them will get toasted as they are on the top of the batter.
Just made it. SOOO yummy! There was quite a heavy layer of topping. The batter is thick so doing the “figure 8” weaving with a knife was difficult. I think next time I’ll put half the batter in the pan, put some topping on it then cover with the rest of the batter and put the remaining topping on top. Interesting that you combine the sugar with the dry ingredients. But I followed the recipe and it worked! Thanks – will make this again for sure! (PS: I only had red “Cosmic Crisp” apples and it was fine!)
Hi, I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for the tips too. I hope you’ll give it a rating. 🙂