How to Make Apple Bread with Cinnamon Sugar Swirl

Learn how to make this moist cinnamon apple bread from scratch this fall. Made with real chunks of apple and a tasty cinnamon swirl, this delicious quick bread recipe is sure to become a family favorite. Serve it for a seasonal breakfast, or enjoy it as a flavorful autumn snack or dessert.

Apple Cinnamon Bread

I look forward to making this quick apple bread recipe with cinnamon sugar every autumn. Sure, you can make this easy apple bread year round. However, it definitely tastes the best when apples are in season. This farmhouse apple bread recipe is sweet and moist. It has a cinnamon swirl inside with a crispy and deliciously crisp, sugared crust on the outside.

I mainly use this cinnamon apple bread loaf as a dessert bread as I don’t consume a lot of sweets. However, this recipe is also perfect to enjoy as a delicious breakfast or snack. I eat mine plain, but you can also top it with real butter or homemade apple butter from the farmer’s market.

My recipe yields one, full size bread loaf. As I’m both single and an empty nester, this tends to be a LOT of bread for just myself. If, like me, you don’t have a large family, you can always freeze any leftovers to enjoy later. Alternately, you can also gift a few slices to your neighbors! With that in mind, this bread loaf also makes a wonderful food gift for the holiday season.

What Are the Best Apples for Bread?

Choosing the best apples for your easy apple bread is important. I like to use apples that are in season, but there are several varieties that work well for this application. When choosing apples to make bread, you want to use an apple that is both a little tart and slightly sweet. I recommend using one of the following apples for baking cinnamon and apple bread:

• Granny Smith apples are both sweet and tart.
• Pinata apples withstand heat well when baked in bread.
• Honeycrisp apples are deliciously sweet.
• Gala apples have a wonderful vanilla note.
• Fuji apples are sweet and crisp.

Do I Need to Peel the Apples?

Yes, you should peel apples before using them to make bread. If you don’t, the skins could separate from the flesh of the apple during baking. You can still eat the bread with apple peels. But keep in mind that it may negatively affect the texture of the bread. Therefore, I recommend you remove the peels for this recipe.

Should I Use Salted or Unsalted Butter to Make Bread?

You can use either salted or unsalted butter in this farmhouse apple bread recipe. If you use salted butter, you can omit the extra salt if you’d like. I’ve made it with salted butter and used the additional salt, and I did not find it too salty. However, if you are following a low sodium diet, then you can use unsalted butter.

Can I Make Apple Cinnamon Swirl Bread Ahead of Time?

You can make the batter for your apple cinnamon swirl bread ahead of time if needed. Simply store it in the fridge for up to 48 hours prior to baking.

However, it is important to keep in mind that the batter will start to oxidize as it’s exposed to air. This can cause it to turn a dark brown. Despite the color change, this won’t affect the integrity or flavor of the apple bread. It may just be slightly darker color than if you had baked the bread loaf right away.

You can also bake this apple bread with cinnamon, then store it covered for up to 5 days. In addition, you freeze the loaf, or any leftovers, for up to one month.

Tips for Making the Best Cinnamon Apple Bread Loaf

Although this is an easy apple bread recipe, here are some tips to help you make it perfectly the first time:

• You can customize this recipe by adding raisins or nuts, if desired. It’s also tasty with chocolate chips.
• Take care not to overmix the batter. Stir the ingredients just until just mixed, similar to how you would if you were making muffins. Otherwise, your bread may be too dense.
• Make sure you grease your loaf pan really well. As this is an incredibly moist bread, you don’t want it to fall apart when transferring it from the pan to a wire cooling rack after baking.
• Rather than cutting your apples into cubes, you can shred the apples instead. This keeps chunks of apples from sinking to the bottom. It also ensures that the apples stay evenly distributed throughout the loaf. If you choose to shred your apples, simply use a box grater to handle the task.
• This recipe is considered a quick bread as there’s no yeast and no need for the bread to rise. However, the prep time does take a while as peeling, coring and chopping the apples can be time consuming. You can shave some time off the prep by using an apple peeler and corer.
• Often bread can appear to done on the outside, while the inside needs additional cook time. Avoid undercooking this loaf by inserting a toothpick into the center of loaf to test for doneness. If it comes out clean, then your bread is ready. 
• You can store the batter in the fridge up to 48 hours. So it’s not a problem to make the batter and cook it later if you are short on time.
• Keep your cinnamon apple bread loaf covered after baking to maintain freshness. You can store it either wrapped on the counter or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• You can also freeze it for up to one month. I recommend covering a cooled loaf in plastic wrap, then placing it in a freezer bag.

Apple Bread Additions and Variations

If you’re like me, once you make a recipe once, you mix it up a bit the next go round. If you’re looking for easy ideas to make this apple bread with cinnamon your own, try one of these variations:

• Add chopped walnuts or pecans.
• Include dried cranberries, dried pineapple, dried coconut or raisins.
• Use applesauce in place of the oil.

Cinnamon and Apple Bread Ingredients

You will need the following to make my quick apple bread recipe with cinnamon sugar:

• Apples
• All purpose flour
• Sugar
• Butter or oil
• Eggs
• Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Brown sugar
• Cassia cinnamon powder

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Bread

Follow these steps to make my recipe for scrumptiously moist, cinnamon swirl apple bread:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray, then set aside.

2. While the oven preheats, peel and chop the apples into small cubes. You can also use a box grater to quickly shred the apples if you like. (Just be careful and don’t be like me. I’m forever catching my knuckles on these things.)

3. Once you’ve prepared the apples, measure out the brown sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon swirl. Combine in a small bowl, then mix with a whisk or a fork. Set aside.

4. In a separate large bowl, add the eggs and white sugar. Then melt and add the butter. Mix to combine. (Alternately, you can use a neutral flavored cooking oil place of the butter.)

5. Now add the vanilla extract, baking powder and baking soda to the bread batter. Stir to blend the ingredients together.

6. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing it into the batter as you go.

7. Once the ingredients are evenly incorporated, fold in the chopped or shredded apples.

8. Next, pour one half of the cinnamon and apple bread batter into the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle about three-fourths of the cinnamon swirl mix over top of the batter you just poured. Then add the remaining batter to the pan. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon swirl mix over the batter.

9. Finally, bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. When it is done, the top should be golden brown. In addition, a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf will come out clean

10. Let your bread loaf cool completely on a wire rack. Then turn the bread out the of pan. Slice the bread to serve.

Yield: 8 servings

Apple Bread with Cinnamon

Print

Make this moist apple bread with cinnamon swirl from scratch for a seasonal breakfast. Or enjoy it as a flavorful autumn snack or dessert.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Apple Bread Ingredients

• 2 baking apples, peeled and chopped
• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup melted butter or neutral oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Swirl

• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray and set aside.
2. Prepare the apples by removing the peels, then dicing them into small cubes.
3. Next, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon swirl in a small bowl. Mix gently, then set aside.
4. Now add the eggs and white sugar to a large bowl, along with the melted butter or oil. Mix well to combine.
5. Then stir in the vanilla extract, baking powder and baking soda.
6. Now add the flour, a little at a time, to the bread batter. Stir the mixture just until combined.
7. Fold in the chopped apples.
8. Add one half of the bread batter to the greased loaf pan. Then sprinkle about three-fourths of the cinnamon swirl mixture over the batter. Pour the remaining batter into the pan, topping it off with the remaining cinnamon swirl mix.
9. Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. The top should be golden brown. It is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
10. Place the bread pan on a wire rack to cool.
11. Allow the loaf to cool completely. Then turn it out of the pan. Slice to serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 328Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 319mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 4g

How to Store Leftover Bread

This cinnamon apple bread loaf will stay fresh and moist for up to five days on the counter. I recommend only cutting off the slices that you will eat and storing the rest as a loaf. If you cut it all at once, the slices tend to dry out quicker than a loaf will.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container. I keep mine on the counter, but you can also store it in the fridge.

Can I Freeze Apple Bread With Cinnamon?

Yes, you can freeze your cinnamon apple bread loaf. To do this, let it cool completely. Then wrap in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped loaf in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to a month. Then allow the loaf to thaw on the counter at room temperature prior to serving.

What Other Recipes Can I Make With Apples

Besides eating apples plain, try one of these other delicious recipes to use any remaining apples:

• Apple Oatmeal: If you don’t have a favorite recipe, try my cinnamon pear oatmeal recipe with apples instead.
• Braided Apple Cinnamon Bread: This is fun twist off a traditional loaf bread made using apples.
• Apple Butter: This easy recipe can be made in your crockpot and is perfect for canning or freezing.
• Applesauce: Make applesauce in your instant pot with honey. Or try homemade applesauce with strawberries for a unique variation.

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