Try this Loaded Apple Cider Bread recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups (240 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 57 g) butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (112 g) granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) hard apple cider*
- 2 1/4 cups chopped apples (about 3 small apples peeled and cored)**
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Carbohydrate 8.04793249206351 g
- Cholesterol 1337.31666666004 mg
- Fat 204.858147498542 g
- Fiber 1.57781663099925 g
- Protein 29.9351016611824 g
- Saturated Fat 123.289066165759 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (512g)
- Sodium 1674.83508315936 mg
- Sugar 6.47011586106426 g
- Trans Fat 16.3068925832588 g
- Calories 1955 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 8x5-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves.
- In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add in flour mixture alternately with cider—about half at a time, ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
- In a small bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Stir apples into the batter using a rubber spatula or large spoon.
- Transfer batter into the prepared pan. Bake 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for at least 20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Standard quick breads rely on neutral dairy or water for moisture, whereas this iteration builds deep fruit character by utilizing hard apple cider alongside a heavy proportion of chopped fresh fruit. Creaming the butter and sugars thoroughly incorporates tiny air pockets that expand under heat, which is essential when lifting a dense batter loaded with heavy pieces of fruit. Alternating the dry ingredients with the liquid prevents gluten over-development by hydrating the flour gradually rather than all at once.
Transforming Day-Old Slices
Quick breads often dry out slightly by the second day, making them ideal candidates for structural revival through heat and fat. Cut the loaf into three-quarter-inch slices and submerge them briefly in a standard French toast custard, or fry them directly in a skillet with foaming butter until the exterior develops a crisp, caramelized crust. Storing the loaf wrapped tightly in parchment paper and foil at room temperature for up to three days preserves the crumb moisture without encouraging mold growth.
- Overmixing the batter activates excess gluten, resulting in a rubbery crumb rather than a tender quick bread.
- Tossing the diced apples in lemon juice lowers the pH on the fruit surface, slowing down enzymatic browning and adding tart contrast to the spiced batter.
- Baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for fifty minutes ensures the interior temperature reaches the point where starches fully gelatinize before the exterior over-browns.
