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The Best Apple Bread (+Video)

Apple Pie Bread is a homemade, sweet and moist dessert bread that has a layer of yummy brown sugar with chunks of fresh apples.

AN APPLE PIE INSPIRED BREAD RECIPE

This Apple Pie Bread is AMAZING! After you make it the first time, you are gonna be hooked (so consider yourself warned.) It’s a simple homemade sweet bread filled with a layer of cinnamon sugar and fresh apples and topped with more cinnamon sugar and apples. The fresh apples combined with the sweet bread almost makes it taste like cake that is shaped into bread form.

sliced Homemade Apple Pie Bread on a long with tray with milk and sliced apples pictured in the background.

TIPS FOR MAKING APPLE BREAD:

  • Feel free to use your favorite apples in this. I am using a couple of Rome apples. They are great for baking since they are slightly sweet and tart. But these aren’t always available at the store so a good substitute might be a Gala apple or even Golden Delicious or Granny Smith varieties.
  • You can switch out the apples in this recipe for pears or even peaches.
  • Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar can be used. Dark brown sugar just contains a bit more molasses than light brown sugar.
  • Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing. It cuts easier when it is cooled. However, if you can’t wait – then dig into it warm, it may just be a bit more crumbly.
  • If you want to make your apple bread more flavorful, you can add chopped nuts, raisins, or dried cranberries to the batter.
  • To keep your apple bread moist, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

How can I tell if my apple bread is done?

Oven times do vary with baked goods. The factor depends on many things like if you have an electric, gas or convection oven. It also changes depending if you use a metal pan versus ceramic or Pyrex. It also varies depending on which oven rack you use. A toothpick inserted should not have any wet batter on it. Start with the lowest baking time and go up from there. Use your best judgement based on your own personal knowledge of your particular oven.  

Can this bread be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze apple bread for up to 2 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap then aluminum foil, and place it in a freezer-safe bag or container.

The Best Apple Pie Bread recipe from The Country Cook, pictured sliced on a small white plate.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE) 

  • brown sugar
  • ground cinnamon
  • sugar
  • salted butter
  • eggs
  • vanilla extract
  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • milk
  • chopped apples
brown sugar, ground cinnamon, sugar, salted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking powder, milk, apples.

HOW TO MAKE APPLE BREAD:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a large loaf pan (about 9×5-inch) with nonstick cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it – like Baker’s Joy.) In a bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

brown sugar and ground cinnamon mixed together with a fork in a small white bowl.

Using a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with an electric mixer), mix together sugar and butter until smooth. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract until fully combined. Finally, stir in flour and baking powder and milk. Mix until combined. Pour half the batter into prepared loaf pan. Cover batter with half the diced apples. Press the apples down slightly into the batter.

bread batter poured into the bottom of a bread pan and topped with chopped apples.

Sprinkle the apples with half the cinnamon sugar mixture.

batter topped with cinnamon sugar mixture.

Pour the remaining batter over the apple layer.

final layer of apple bread batter spread on top of cinnamon sugar spread with a small wooden spoon.

Top with remaining diced apples (again, pushing the apples gently into the batter.)

final layer of chopped apples pushed into bread batter.

Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top.

top of bread mixture sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for about 50-60 minutes (until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.) Allow to cool completely before removing from baking pan.

sliced Apple Pie Bread on parchment paper.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Originally published: October 2016
Updated & republished: August 2020

The Best Homemade Apple Pie Bread

The Best Apple Bread (+Video)

The Best Apple Bread is a homemade, sweet and moist dessert bread and has a layer of yummy brown sugar with chunks of fresh apples.
4.94 from 87 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a large loaf pan (about a 9×5-inch) with nonstick cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it – like Baker's Joy.)
  • In a bowl, mix together 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Set aside.
  • Using a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with an electric mixer), mix together 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup salted butter (1 stick), softened to room temperature until smooth.
  • Stir in 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until fully combined.
  • Finally, stir in 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 cup milk. Mix until combined.
  • Pour half the batter into prepared loaf pan.
  • Cover batter with half the 1 1/4 cup peeled and chopped apples (into 2-inch chunks) diced apples. Press the apples down slightly into the batter.
  • Sprinkle the apples with half the cinnamon sugar mixture.
  • Pour the remaining batter over the apple layer.
  • Top with remaining diced apples (again, pushing the apples gently into the batter.)
  • Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top.
  • Bake for about 50-60 minutes (until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.) Allow to cool completely before removing from baking pan.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Please note, oven times do vary with baked goods. The factor depends on many things like if you have an electric, gas or convection oven. It also changes depending if you use a metal pan versus ceramic or Pyrex. It also varies depending on which oven rack you use. A toothpick inserted should not have any wet batter on it. Start with the lowest baking time and go up from there. Use your best judgement based on your own personal knowledge of your particular oven.  
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Sodium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Recipe Rating




98 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    The apple bread recipe worked out perfect! Light, fluffy and yummy! I forgot to add the brown sugar mix in the middle but still turned out fabulous 🙂
    Brandie, I love your recipes 🙂 The instructions are nice and clear and I usually have the ingredients on hand. You are the only person I follow. Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    Brandie, you did it again, girl!! This is soooo yummy! I can’t wait for coffee in the morning..this is going to go so well together! Thanks for all you do!

  3. 5 stars
    You say to use a large loaf pan. Can you be a little more specific? The largest I have is 10″. Is that too big?

  4. 5 stars
    Delicious! It fell apart pretty easily (I assume because of the Apple chunks) but it was totally worth it for the flavor!

  5. This was delicious! I want to make multiple loaves and freeze them. Have you tried freezing and does it work with this recipe?

  6. 5 stars
    Oh I can’t wait to make this! I usually make breads for Christmas gifts for neighbors and friends. This will be perfect.

  7. Did I do something wrong? While cooling my loaf shrunk below the crust of cinnamon/sugar topping, which then fell off in chunks . . .

    1. These types of questions are always hard because I’m not in the kitchen with you to watch every single step so they aren’t easy to answer. It could be a few things. Maybe it was cooked on an upper rack and the outside got done first before the inside was completely done. That is usually the case with collapsing baked goods. Did you insert a toothpick or something similar to make sure it was completely done in the center? Also, the pan might’ve been too small to where the bread didn’t have enough room to properly expand and therefore didn’t cook properly. It really could be a few more things but like I said, unless I am watching you, its hard to say when it comes to baked goods. The good news is, if it is fully baked in the center, it should still taste good. Just not as pretty to slice.

  8. 5 stars
    I used to buy this type of bread, but finally figured out since I make everything else from scratch, why not this?! I actually make it as a base for the most incredible french toast you will ever have or make. I do slice it thick and leave it out overnight, allowing it to get a bit stale. It takes the custard better. I think this recipe may be one of those that captured my girlfriend’s heart.

  9. Brandi,
    Looks like a great recipe! One question, why is the milk added after dry ingredients? I am old school and this just doesn’t make sense to me! Thanks

  10. I’d like to give these as gifts, making more loaves in smaller pans, how long would you recommend they be baked?

    1. H Julie! I haven’t tested it in smaller loaves, I am sorry. So I really couldn’t tell you. It’s one of those things that would need to be tested first since baking is more of an exact science than cooking. You may need to play this one by ear and just figure it out as you go and as it bakes. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean.

  11. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for the amazing recipe! I can’t believe this doesn’t have more reviews. It’s seriously the best apple bread ever! I prepared it for a friend for Mother’s Day and she couldn’t believe it was homemade, it looked so profesional and was so delicious. And for me I prepared another loaf replacing the butter for apple sauce, since I can’t eat grease at the moment, and it was perfect. Thanks again!

  12. 5 stars
    My husband ate the entire loaf by himself in one day!!! He’s 6’ tall and weighs 147 pounds. This is a real winner.