Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe: A Moist and Easy Quick Bread

Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe

This Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe is the loaf I start baking the moment the mornings turn cool and crisp. It is moist, sweet, and packed with fresh apples and cinnamon, and the crumb is so soft it tastes like a cake baked in a loaf pan.

You do not need any special skill or fancy equipment either. If you can stir a batter and layer a few ingredients, you can bake this bread today.

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Every fall I make a loaf for my family, and the smell of cinnamon and apples drifting through the kitchen is honestly the best part of the season. The bread is generous and tender, with little pockets of apple in every slice.

It is an easy fall baking recipe that works for bakers of any skill level. If you enjoy simple loaf baking, this bread sits nicely on the same baking list as Lemon Blueberry Bread or Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.

Why You Will Love This easy Bread Recipe?

There are plenty of reasons this loaf earns a permanent spot in my recipe box, and most of them come down to how simple and forgiving it is.

• It is a quick homemade bread. You use basic ingredients you likely already have on hand: flour, sugar, butter, and milk.
• It is full of fall flavors. Fresh apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon do all the heavy lifting here.
• It is easy for any skill level. There is no yeast, no kneading, and no waiting for dough to rise.
• It is super moist and stays fresh for days. That soft crumb holds up beautifully, so you can bake it ahead.
• It fits any occasion. Serve it for breakfast, snacks, dessert, or a get together with friends.

I usually bake mine on a Sunday afternoon and we eat it all week long, sometimes plain and sometimes with a cup of coffee. It is the kind of bread that makes a house smell like home.

The best part is that the batter comes together in one bowl with a hand mixer, so cleanup is quick and there is no rising time to plan around.

Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread Overview:

This recipe uses a short list of familiar ingredients: all purpose flour, sugar, light brown sugar, butter, milk, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and apples. Nothing here is hard to find, and the whole process stays friendly for beginners.

The texture is what makes this loaf stand out. It is light and soft with very moist crumbs, and it is loaded with apple chunks and cinnamon swirls. Think of it as a cake that decided to live in a loaf pan.

Here is the smart part. The apples and the cinnamon sugar are layered in the pan instead of folded into the batter. Folding the apples straight into the batter would make the bread too wet instead of just moist. Layering keeps the crumb tender while still delivering apple in every single bite.

There is also a reason for the two sugars. Granulated sugar goes into the dough, while brown sugar is only sprinkled in the layers. Creaming brown sugar into the batter would give you a heavy, dense loaf, and nobody wants that.

Apples and cinnamon are the stars of the show. The layered apples and cinnamon sugar sink slightly while the bread bakes, so each slice ends up dotted with soft apple and warm spice.

Because the loaf is tender but not overly sweet, it fits both dessert and breakfast duty, and it slices cleanly once it cools.

Layer, do not fold. Keeping the apples between layers of batter is what gives you a moist loaf instead of a soggy one.

What are The Best Apples for Baking?

Firmer apples are the best choice for most apple recipes because they keep their structure instead of turning to mush in the oven.

• Granny Smith. The go to baking apple in this kitchen. Crisp and quite sour, and they hold their shape beautifully.
• Golden Delicious. Sweet with a rich, mellow flavor, and they keep their shape after baking.
• Honey Crisp. Crisp, juicy, and sweet, a lovely choice for a tender loaf.
• Fuji. Sweet and firm, and easy to find all year round.
• Gala. Mild and sweet, a great option for anyone who prefers less tang.
• Pink Lady. Sweet with a little tartness, and they bake up nicely.

The recipe uses only two apples, so honestly you can use whatever you have on hand. If your fruit bowl is full of something else, go ahead and bake with it.

One tip from my kitchen: dice the apples into even 1/2 inch chunks so they soften at the same rate and every slice gets a similar amount of fruit.

How to Make Cinnamon Apple Bread?

This loaf is made step by step, and the order matters. Follow along and you will have a beautiful bread cooling on your counter before you know it.

1. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with baking spray, then line it with parchment paper and leave a large overhang on the sides so you can easily lift the bread out later. Adjust the oven rack just below the center, to the lower third position, and preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Mix the ground cinnamon and brown sugar for the cinnamon sugar layer, and set it aside.
3. Peel and dice the apples into small 1/2 inch chunks, and set them aside too.
4. Beat the room temperature butter with the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients, which are the flour, salt, and baking powder, and mix to combine. Slowly pour in the milk and mix just to combine. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure no lumps remain.
5. Toss the apples with the cinnamon and 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar, and set them aside.
6. Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Scatter half of the apple mixture over the batter, then sprinkle with one half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Spoon the remaining batter on top and gently smooth it out. Scatter the remaining apples and sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 55 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This is a heavy loaf full of apples, so if your bread takes a little longer, that is okay. Just tent it with aluminum foil after 30 to 40 minutes to keep the top from browning too much.
8. Remove the bread from the oven and cool it for 20 to 30 minutes in the pan set on a cooling rack. Then use the paper overhang to lift the bread out of the pan.
9. To make the glaze, stir the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together until smooth. Drizzle it over the cooled bread.

A few things I have learned after baking this loaf many times. Room temperature butter and eggs blend into a smoother batter, so pull them out of the fridge about 30 minutes ahead if you can. Also, do not skip the parchment overhang.

It turns that final lift out of the pan into a two second job, and it keeps the loaf from sticking.

Once the glaze sets, slice the bread into thick pieces and serve it warm with coffee or tea. Store leftovers covered at room temperature, and they will stay moist for days.

If your loaf starts to look dark before the center is done, tent it with foil and keep baking. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean when the bread is ready.

My recommendation

If you want an even more decadent take on apple cinnamon baking, try Apple Crisp Cheesecake Bread. It takes the same cozy apple and cinnamon idea and turns it into something rich enough for a celebration.

And if you simply love apple desserts, Apple Cake is a wonderful next bake. Both are lovely ways to keep the fall baking going after this loaf disappears, which in my house happens fast.

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Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe

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Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe This Apple Cinnamon Bread Recipe is the loaf I start baking the moment the mornings turn cool and crisp. It is moist, sweet, and packed with fresh apples and cinnamon, and the crumb is so soft it tastes like a cake baked in a loaf pan.

• Total Time: 80 min
• Yield: 1 loaf 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Cinnamon-sugar
6 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Apples
2 medium apples (Granny Smith, Gala…), peeled and diced in 1/2 pieces
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Bread
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

1-Grease 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with: Grease 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with baking spray, line with parchment paper leaving large overhang the sides so you could easily lift the bread from the pan. Adjust the oven rack just below the center (to the lower third position) and preheat the oven to 350 F.
2-Mix ground cinnamon and brown sugar, and: Mix ground cinnamon and brown sugar, and set aside.
3-Peel and dice apples in small 1/2: Peel and dice apples in small 1/2 inch chunks, set aside, too.
4-Beat room temperature butter with sugar and: Beat room temperature butter with sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs and mix to combine. Add mixture of dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking powder) and mix to combine. Slowly pour in milk and mix just to combine. Scrape down the bowl with rubber spatula to make sure there’s no lumps remain.
5-Toss apples with cinnamon and 2 Tablespoon: Toss apples with cinnamon and 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar sugar, set aside.
6-Spread half of the batter in prepared: Spread half of the batter in prepared pan, scatter half of the apple mixture and sprinkle with one half of cinnamon sugar mixture. Spoon remaining batter and gently smooth the top. Scatter remaining apples and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
7-Bake in preheated oven about 55-70 minutes,: Bake in preheated oven about 55-70 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This is a heavy loaf full of apples, so if your bread takes longer, that’s OK. Just tent it with aluminium foil after 30-40 minutes to prevent the top from browning too much.
8-Remove from the oven and cool 20-30: Remove from the oven and cool 20-30 minutes in the pan set on a cooling rack. Then using the paper overhang lift the bread from the pan.
9-To make the glaze stir powdered sugar,: To make the glaze stir powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled bread.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 0 min
• Method: bake