I was gifted a delicious apple bread loaf for Mother’s Day from our neighbor and friend Karen, and I have to say this apple bread loaf was outstanding. I’ve never had an apple bread loaf before, so naturally I didn’t know what to expect.  What I tried I liked very much 😋.

The loaf itself is unusual as it is not like a cake but rather it had a whole grain nutty texture, which got me wondering if it was made with whole-wheat flour?  I asked Karen for the recipe and she graciously shared it with me, and yes, it was made with whole-wheat flour.

This apple bread loaf had a thick topping of a yummy cinnamon sugar and nut mixture, while the loaf itself was not very sweet.  In fact, it was so mild on the sweetness scale that if we wanted to we could have had it with some jam. But wait; there was a surprise inside when I cut the loaf!

No need for jam after all, inside the loaf was a yummy surprise of a soft apple spice mixture. Totally unexpected and totally delicious.

A delicious apple loaf with whole wheat flour, yummy spices, and fresh apples?  What’s not to like with this wholesome recipe?

With so many apples waiting to be harvested, now seemed like the perfect time to make this delectable loaf with fresh apples from the garden. Here is the recipe for apple bread loaf courtesy of Karen.

Apple Bread Loaf
adapted from King Arthur flour packaging
with a few modifications by Karen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plus 2 tbsp white whole wheat flour
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter plus 2 extra tbsp for topping
• 3/4 cup sugar for loaf.  plus 2 tbsp for topping
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 2 cups peeled and diced apples
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp buttermilk or sour cream
• 2 tbsp chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325.  Place parchment paper at bottom of a 9×5 inch baking pan. Butter and flour the parchment paper. Set aside.
• Make batter: Using an electric mixer blend together 1 stick softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat into the sugar and butter until well incorporated. Add baking soda to buttermilk and then add to butter and blend in. Add vanilla and mix-in.  Next add flour until well incorporated. Add apples and mix-in.
• Make the topping: Cream 2 tbsp sour cream with 2 tbsp sugar. Stir in 1 tsp cinnamon, nuts, and cinnamon.
• Bake the loaf: Pour batter in the baking pan. Top with sourcream topping.  Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan and then cool on a wire rack.
• Cool completely before serving.