Indulge in autumn bliss with this moist and flavorful apple bread! Packed with tender apple chunks, warm baking spices, and pecans, it’s the perfect cozy treat.
Apple Tea Bread
Simple, classic, and delicious! This old-fashioned apple tea bread is full of sweet apple pieces and chopped pecans. It is moist and satisfying. Perfect for breakfast, with tea or coffee, or even for dessert.
As fall approaches, I start craving the classic autumn tastes such as apples.
When I was growing up, Granny’s yard had three large apple trees that produced a bounty of fruit every fall. We kids loved snacking on apples right from the tree! We had golden and red delicious. Some of my neighbors had Granny Smith apples. I have so many memories of my friends and I picking apples throughout the fall.
This easy apple bread recipe takes about half an hour to get all the ingredients ready and mixed up. Then it bakes for about one hour. The hardest part is waiting for it to be done baking! But it is absolutely worth the wait!
Once you take your first bite, you will be a fan of this old-fashioned apple bread.
The inside is dense and moist, sweet but not overly sweet, delicately flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest. These essences really compliment and bring out the apple flavor! There is also a lovely bit of crunch from the pecans.
While apples remind me of the autumns of my childhood, this apple bread is great year round, using any of your favorite apples!
— Sara
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups apples (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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- 9×5 inch loaf pan
- Medium & Large Mixing Bowl
- Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer
Instructions
To Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Peel apples and finely chop. This takes about 1 ½ to 2 apples. Place in a medium bowl with the nuts.
- Cream butter with the sugar in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs and add lemon zest.
- In a separate mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- Add 1/2 cup of the flour mix to the apples and chopped nuts and mix together.
- Blend remaining dry ingredients into bowl of wet ingredients, alternately with the milk and vanilla. Stir in the coated apples and nuts.
- Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake for about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean. (Check after about 50 minutes).
- Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn the bread out onto wire rack to finish cooling.
Prep Tips
- Spices – The recipe calls for cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I didn’t have cloves on hand and left those out. If all you have is cinnamon on hand, you can use 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
- Nuts – Pecans and walnuts are the classic nuts that go with apple bread. If you don’t enjoy nuts, feel free to omit and leave them out.
- Sifting – To sift the dry ingredients, you can put them in a mesh strainer and gently shake the flour onto a piece of wax or parchment paper.
- Storage – Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the bread as a whole loaf, or individual slices, for up to 1-2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Best Apples For Baking In Bread?
The best apples for baking are those that hold their shape and provide a balance of sweet and tart flavors. However, you can generally use any apples that you have on hand or even a combination of varieties.
Here are some of our favorites:
- Granny Smith – This is a classic baking apple because it has a firm texture and its tartness balances out sweet recipes.
- Honeycrisp – Known for their juicy crunch, Honeycrisp apples are a common variety with a good balance of sweet and tart flavors.
- Braeburn – This variety has a classic apple taste and a firm texture, so it holds up well in baking recipes.
- Fuji – A sweeter variety and one of my favorites! Gala and Golden Delicious apples are two other common sweet apples that could be used here as well.
What not to use: I recommend staying away from Red Delicious and McIntosh apples because they may become mushy when baked.
More Apple Recipes To Try:
- Apple Hand Pies
- Stovetop Cinnamon Apples
- Applesauce Date Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
- Homemade Applesauce
Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Easy Apple Bread
Equipment
- Stand or hand mixer
- large mixing bowl
- 9x5 inch loaf pan
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 `cups apples (about 2 apples, peeled and chopped)
- 1/2 cup butter (one stick)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts pecans or walnuts
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- To Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- Peel apples and finely chop. This takes about 1 ½ to 2 apples. Place them in a medium bowl with the nuts.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter with the sugar.
- Beat in the eggs and add lemon zest.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- Add ½ cup of flour mix to the bowl of apples and chopped nuts and mix.
- Blend the remaining dry ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, alternately with milk and vanilla.
- Stir the coated apples and nuts into the batter.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean (Check after about 50 minutes).
- Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn bread out onto wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Nutrition information is an estimate only.
- The recipe calls for cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I didn’t have cloves on hand and left those out. If all you have is cinnamon on hand, you can use 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon.
- Pecans and walnuts are the classic nuts to go with apple bread. If you don’t enjoy nuts, leave them out.
- To sift the dry ingredients, you can put them in a mesh strainer and gently shake the flour onto a piece of wax or parchment paper.
Nutrition
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