This Praline Apple Bread is delicious and delightful for fall season. It has a light and moist crumb, features chunks of fresh apples in every bite, a strong cinnamon aroma and further topped with a heavenly Praline Sauce.
This Praline Apple Bread is a cherished favorite as it is filled with warm apple chunks and the Praline Sauce elevates the bread further.
Overall, I love baking quick breads as they are a delightful combination of bread-like and cake-like texture. These breads do not require yeast, taking less time to bake as compared to the traditional bread baking methods.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe?
- This quick bread has a sweet, moist and a decadent crumb.
- The generous chunks of fresh apple and chopped pecans will remind you of the essence of the fall season just like apple cinnamon muffins.
- The Praline topping crowning this bread is simply sensational and adds depth of flavors to this bread.
- This bread will be a delightful addition to your breakfast spread, a tempting option for brunch, or a satisfying mid-afternoon indulgence just like my brownie bread, banana bread without baking soda, 4 ingredient banana bread or this all time favorite peanut butter bread.
Apples for Baking
When it comes to baking, selecting apples that maintain their shape and flavor after baking is crucial. Granny Smith Apples are an excellent choice for this purpose, as they are both flavorful and firm, providing delightful crunchiness in every bite of bakes like this apple loaf.
You may use some other apples for baking as well like:
- Honeycrisp Apples
- Fuji Apples
- Pink Lady Apples
- Braeburn Apples
What is Praline Sauce?
Praline sauce is a sweet treat that originated from the Southern States, typically featuring nuts, often pecans, coated in a sweet candy mixture.
However, in this recipe, we've opted to create the sauce without nuts, offering a delicious alternative for those with nut allergies or preferences.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Apple Bread
Ingredients for Praline Sauce
- All-purpose flour provides base and structure to this bread.
- Buttermilk gives tanginess and moistness to this bread. Use fullfat buttermilk for perfect results.
- Apples are the hero of this recipe. Use peeled and finely chopped. I prefer Granny Smith apples but you may use any other variety. (See the note above).
- Pecans gives crunch to this apple loaf. Use high quality pecans.
- Cinnamon powder will add a great aroma to the bread.
- Brown sugar (light) for Praline Sauce.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Substitute sour cream or greek yogurt for buttermilk in this recipe.
- Make sure the apples are crispy to get crunch in every bite of this bread.
- Substitute cinnamon for apple pie spice in this bread.
- Use walnuts or any other nuts of your choice in place of pecans in this apple praline loaf.
- Dark brown sugar can be substituted for light brown sugar for the praline sauce.
This recipe hasn't undergone testing with alternative substitutions or variations. If you decide to replace or incorporate any ingredients, we'd appreciate hearing about your experience. Please share your feedback in the comments section below!
Baking Pro Tips
1. Unless a recipe says otherwise, always use room-temperature ingredients. This helps them mix together smoothly and evenly, for perfect results every time.
2. Ditch the measuring cups and grab your digital scale. Weighing dry ingredients in grams ensures perfect accuracy and consistent results.
How to Make Praline Apple Bread
Detailed Instructions Below! See the key steps here, then head to the recipe card below for full instructions.
Step 1: Toast the pecans in a shallow saucepan. Let it rest for a while and then cut them into pieces.
Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients into a bowl.
Step 3: Toss the apple pieces in all purpose flour.
Step 4: Using an electric mixer beat the sugar and butter together in a bowl.
Step 5: Add in the eggs, vanilla extract and buttermilk and beat again until combined.
Step 6: In a large mixing bowl add in the flour mixture including all purpose flour, baking powder and salt into the wet ingredients. Beat until combined.
Step 7: Add in the apple pieces and chopped pecans (half of them).
Step 8: Fold them with a light hand into the quick bread batter.
Step 9: Pour in the quick bread batter into the 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Step 10: Sprinkle the rest of the pecans on the top of the batter. Press them lightly into the quick bread batter.
Step 11: In a heavy saucepan melt the butter and add brown sugar to it.
Step 12: Let it boil for about a minute until it thickens a bit. Take it off the stove.
Expert Tips
- Do not overbeat the batter as it will activate gluten strands in the flour and you will get a tough and dry bread.
- Cool the bread completely (about 30 minutes) before pouring over the praline sauce. Do not add the sauce to the warm bread as the praline sauce will melt away. I usually place the bread on a wire rack for about 20 minutes out of the oven before adding the praline sauce over it.
Recipe FAQs
In this recipe, the absence of oil or butter in the bread batter is compensated for by using buttermilk. Buttermilk adds moisture and also contributes to the steam and tenderness during baking. Its acidic nature reacts with leavening agents like baking powder to provide a good rise and a fine crumb texture.
Peeling and cutting the apples into small pieces is a common practice for this recipe, but using pre-peeled apples is a convenient alternative. Just be sure to cut the pieces small to ensure that you still get that delightful apple crunch in every bite and that they are evenly distributed throughout the bread.
Absolutely, you can swap the regular quick bread pan for a smaller mini loaf pan to create individual-sized portions. Depending on the amount of batter you have, you may need 4 to 6 small pans. Keep in mind that the baking time will likely be shorter for the mini loaves compared to the regular-sized bread, so be sure to adjust accordingly and keep an eye on them as they bake.
Preparing your bread pans in advance is a smart practice before diving into baking preparations. For quick breads, I recommend spraying the pans with a quality baking spray and lining the bottom with parchment paper. This ensures easy removal of the bread once it's baked, simplifying the process and preventing any sticking issues.
It's true that oven behavior can vary, and understanding your specific oven's quirks is key to successful baking. To prevent excessive browning on the top of your bread, simply cover the pan with a piece of foil during baking. It will help regulate the heat and ensure that your bread bakes evenly without becoming too brown on top.
How to Store
Room Temperature
To maintain the freshness of this bread, store it in an airtight container at room temperature on the counter. It should stay fresh for up to 3 days when stored this way.
Refrigerator
Wrapping the bread in aluminum foil and storing it in the refrigerator is another option for extending its freshness. By doing so, you can keep the bread fresh for up to 5 days.
Freezing Instructions
To store this bread for longer periods, freezing is a great option. Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap to protect it from freezer burn. Then, wrap it in aluminum foil for additional insulation. Place the wrapped bread in an airtight container or a freezer-safe ziplock bag to further prevent freezer burn and maintain freshness for up to 2 months.
Note: Do not apply the glaze if you are freezing the bread. The glaze may affect the texture and taste upon thawing
Reheating Instructions
To defrost frozen bread, transfer it from the freezer to the fridge overnight. Then, microwave in 30-second bursts until warm enough. Drizzle with glaze and savor.
Related Apple & Quick Bread Recipes
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Recipe
Praline Apple Bread
Equipment
- 1 9 x 5 inch loaf tin
Ingredients
Apple Bread:
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (260 grams)
- 1 cup buttermilk (245 ml)
- 1 cup castor sugar (220 grams)
- 1 ½ cups pecan (190 grams) chopped coarsely
- 2 eggs (large) at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (13 grams)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder (10 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (2.4 grams)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder (1.4 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (1.5 grams)
- 1 ½ cups apples (Granny Smith) (180 grams) peeled and finely chopped
Praline Sauce:
- ¼ cup butter (57 grams)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (packed) (50 grams)
Instructions
Apple Bread:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray the baking spray to a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper in the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
- Bake½ cup pecans in a shallow tray/pan and place it in the oven for about 8 minutes until the pecans are toasted. Stir the pecans halfway through and change the side of the pan.
- In a large bowl beat the sour cream and then add sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.Mix it well at a low speed for about 2-3 minutes.
- In another bowl sift through the flour, salt, cinnamon powder, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Add ½ cup pecans and the apples and mix until combined. The batter will be lumpy.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining pecans on the top and gently press the pecans into the batter.
- Bake it for 55 – 65 minutes. Check at 50 minutes and take out the bread when a tooth-pick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with a few crumbs and not the liquid batter.
- Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes and then move it to a wire rack.
Praline Sauce:
- Boil the butter and sugar together in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Keep stirring throughout and boil for about a minute. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
- Pour the praline sauce over the apple bread.
Notes
- Do not overbeat the batter as it will activate gluten strands in the flour and you will get a tough and dry bread.
- Cool the bread completely (about 30 minutes) before pouring over the praline sauce. Do not add the sauce to the warm bread as the praline sauce will melt away. I usually place the bread on a wire rack for about 20 minutes out of the oven before adding the praline sauce over it.
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