5 from 21 votes

The Best Apple Bread Recipe

Name: The Best Apple Bread Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 66 min
Total time: 81 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 2 Tablespoons butter (melted (salted or unsalted is fine)); 1 ½ cups finely chopped apples (peeled & cored (about 2 apples)); 2 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour; ½ cup light brown sugar (firmly packed ); ¼ cup granulated sugar; 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¾ teaspoon salt; ½ cup unsalted butter (melted ); ¾ cup sour cream; ¼ cup whole milk; 2 large eggs (lightly beaten); 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

By Sam MerrittUpdated Oct 01, 2024

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38 Comments

Servings: 10 servings

1 hr 21 mins

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My super moist and tender Apple Bread recipe is loaded with sweet apples and topped with a crisp cinnamon sugar crust. This recipe is easy, with just 15 minutes of prep! Recipe includes a how-to video.

loaf of my baked apple bread recipe that's been sliced with three slices resting nearby

A New Fall Favorite

While we technically have a few more weeks of summer left, apple season is here, and that basically means it’s fall. I’m ready for all the fall baked goods, including my new apple bread recipe!

This is a moist and tender bread recipe, sweetened largely with apples (though of course there’s sugar in there too!) and topped with a buttery, cinnamon sugar crust. It’s very similar to my apple cake, but designed for a bread pan and handheld eating.

Plenty of apples throughout the bread and the right ratio of sugar and cinnamon makes for a flavorful, perfectly sweetened and spiced bite. My absolute favorite part of this apple bread recipe is that cinnamon sugar topping; it creates a buttery, crisp crust that is utterly irresistible!

I love this recipe because it’s easy to make and comes together quickly (just make sure you don’t overmix the batter!). It does bake for quite a long time–most quick breads (like banana bread) do–but it’s 100% worth the wait!

What You Need

overhead view of ingredients including milk, apples, sour cream, and more

Just a handful of basic ingredients come together to make my apple bread recipe. Let’s highlight a few of the important ones:

Butter. Use unsalted butter for the bread itself, but you can use either salted or unsalted butter for the topping since its such a small amount.
Apples. Peel, core, and chop your apples into tiny pieces so they blend seamlessly into the bread. Every bite should have bits (not chunks!) of apples in it! I talk more about my favorite apples for this bread below.
Sour cream. Like buttermilk, sour cream tenderizes our apple bread recipe and adds a lovely depth of flavor (without making it taste like sour cream!). You can also use plain, full-fat greek yogurt if you don’t have sour cream.
Sugar. I use a blend of granulated and light brown sugar for extra flavor and moisture.

SAM’S TIP: By tossing the apples with some of the cinnamon sugar mixture before baking, we are essentially macerating them. This enhances their flavor and draws out their sweetness, much like macerated strawberries! It’s an easy extra step that really does make a difference (i use this trick in my apple pancakes, too, and it’s a game changer!).

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Apple Bread

collage of four photos showing bread batter being prepared

Stir 1.5 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar in with the chopped apples (remember, this helps draw out their flavor!), then set the rest aside.
Whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the wet ingredients. Don’t worry if everything doesn’t come together seamlessly here, just do your best to make sure things are well incorporated.
Fold the wet and dry ingredients together (using a wooden spoon or spatula) until the wet and dry ingredients are about 50% combined.

collage of four photos showing bread batter being poured into a loaf pan, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and baked

Add the apples and fold them in until everything is just combined. As with all quick breads, you want to take care not to over-mix or the apple bread will be dense, tough, and dry.
Spread the batter into a parchment lined bread pan. I like to create a parchment sling (shown above), it makes it easy to simply lift the bread out of the pan once it’s cooled, rather than awkwardly flipping it over on top of that pretty cinnamon crust we’ve worked so hard to create!
Drizzle the top of the bread with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.
Bake on a foil lined cookie sheet (more on this below…!) for 65-70 minutes/until a wooden skewer (not a toothpick, it’s not long enough) comes out clean or with moist crumbs, then let the bread cool in its pan before removing and slicing.

SAM’S TIP: Drizzling the bread with butter before baking creates a cinnamon sugar coating that’s next level. If we were to just sprinkle the cinnamon sugar straight on the bread, a lot of it would fall off when slicing. Using melted butter allows the sugar to adhere and create a buttery, almost candied surface (yum). The only downside to adding the butter this way is it has the potential to drip off the bread as it bakes; to avoid melted butter leaking all over your oven, simply bake your apple bread on a foil-lined baking sheet. That way, if there are any spills, cleanup will be easy!

head-on view of a loaf of apple bread that's been sliced to show its texture

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you store apple bread?

I like to store mine in an airtight container, but you could also just wrap it in plastic wrap or even foil. Apple bread will last for 5 days at room temperature when stored either way.

Why is mine dense?

To be clear, apple bread is denser than, say the light and fluffy stuff that white cake is made of. However, if your bread is brick-dense or tough, it was most likely over-mixed. It’s important to be careful with quick bread recipes, especially when combining the wet and dry ingredients. Stir until everything is just combined, and then stop!

What kind of apples are good for bread?

Opt for firm, less sweet/more tart apples like Granny Smith, Gala, Pink Lady, and Cortland. These are great choices for everything from Dutch apple pie to apple butter. Avoid softer apples like McIntosh.

stacked slices of apple bread resting against the remaining loaf

If you enjoy my apple bread recipe, be sure to give my apple muffins a try!

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook