I try as hard as possible to hang on to summer; one last dinner on the patio, one last walk through the perennials…but today it’s becoming cllear I had better get ready. It’s a rainy cold day outside and that chill in the air that makes me think of fall foods; a bit heavier and spicier than summer fare. This recipe does that for me; the smell of apples and cinnamon is a bread perfect for a fall day! Many thanks to Salt and Chocolate for her inspiration; made modest adjustments with the addition of some brown sugar and walnuts but couldn’t have done it without here!
Her photo was better; that’s the problem with cooking at high altitude; getting a cake to NOT cave takes a couple of tries to determine perfect balance of leavening vs flour…still, unbelievably good and I’ll make some more soon; think this will be my bread addition for the gift baskets I make for friends and family as holiday gifts.
Bread:
4 Cups apples, peeled, cored and chopped 4 eggs
1 Cup of Canola Oil
2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
2 tsp of baking soda
2 tsps of salt
2 tsp Apple Pie Spice 3 Cups of flour
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chpd walnuts, optional
Topping:
3⁄4 Cup flour
1⁄4 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon of Apple Pie Spice
1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
1⁄2 Cup of butter, room temperature
Preheat oven to 350. Spray two standard bread loaf pans with non stick spray. Peel, core and slice the apples. Cut into good-sized chunks, about 1 inch in size. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Add the oil and beat until combined. Add the vanilla, baking soda, salt and apple pie spice. Beat until combined.
Add the flour and sugar and mix on low just to combine. Turn the mixer to high and beat until mixture is smooth. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the chopped apples and walnuts if using them and mix by hand so the apples do not get broken up. Divide the mixture between the two pans. Since the batter is so thick, it is easiest to spoon the batter into the pans.
To prepare the topping, combine flour, sugar, apple pie spice and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut the butter into the mixture with a fork until all ingredients are moist and crumbly. Sprinkle equal amounts of topping on each loaf. Bake for 55- 65 minutes; test with a toothpick for doneness. Remove and place on a cooling rack. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pans
