Browned Butter Apple Bread (A Tale of an Apple Thief)

A couple of week's ago I made Sprinkle Bake's Pumpkin Browned Butter Cupcakes. I tried them out for dessert and then on my son's preschool class and both times they were gobbled up and seconds were requested. Not bad.


This week, as I left a friend's house, she graciously gave us over a dozen apples and 6 incredibly tasty apple muffins. Again, both kids loved them and it was handy to have something so tasty to give the kids between school pickup and our afternoon activity of the day.


As I began contemplating what would become of the apples, my amateur baker brain started turning. What if I combined these two flavors? There is already butter in most cupcake recipes, so why not brown it?




After searching through my files trying find the right "base" recipe, I found Smitten Kitchen's Whole Wheat Apple Cupcake recipe AND I had all of the supplies at home already. I was ready to get started and after considering the week's schedule, I decided to make two loaves, not muffins/ cupcakes.


While I was baking, I noticed that my littlest one was very quiet, a sure sign of trouble. As I scanned the kitchen, I noticed one apple with a little bite...and then another...and then a trail. Another friend had dropped a bag of her delicious apples by during a visit (I love living here) and someone had scattered them across the floor.

Finally, I turned the corner and there she was chomping away on the one that seemed to satisfy her apple needs. In the mean time, her brother ate 4 of them. Yes, 4. Why do I bother baking and what how the heck am I going to keep him fed when he is in high school!?!

After rounding up the remaining apples, I finished the loaves and put them in the oven. There was a sweet request that we leave the light on so we could see when they are ready.

The result was delicious and someone couldn't keep her apple thief-y little fingers off of it.

Attempting a photo shoot

Note the piece of bread in her hand. Now you know that the picture at the top of this post was a wee bit challenging.

=~=~=~=~=~==~=~==~=~==~=~==~=~==~=~==~=~==~=~==~=~==~=~==~=~==~=~==~=~=

Browned Butter Apple Bread

Yield: 2 - 9x4 loaves


Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic whole wheat flour
• 2 cups organic all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup flax seed
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons organic cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted organic butter, at room temperature, divided
• 1 cup granulated organic sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 large organic brown eggs
• 1 cup organic yogurt
• 1 cup organic sour cream
• 4 cups of organic apples, peeled, cored and diced **

Procedure:
1) Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease 2- 9x4 bread pans.

Favorite OXO tool - The apple corer and divider

==Helpful Hint==

To peel, core and dice your apples try the following:

1) Cut off the top and bottom of your apples.

2) Peel using a potato peeler.

3) Use OXO Apple Corer and Divider to chop into slices 

4) Dice slices into bite size pieces.

2) Add 3 tablespoons of butter over high heat in a skillet until just brown and then add diced apples for 2 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.

When it is brown, you are finished. DON'T BURN YOUR BUTTAH!

3) Mix together the dry ingredients (flours, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon) and set aside. 
4) In a mixer bowl, mix the remaining butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. 
5) Add the egg and beat until completely mixed. Add yogurt and sour cream and mix until smooth.
6) Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix on slow for 2 minutes. 
7) Fold in the apple chunks.
8) Divide the batter evenly among the prepared bread pans.
9) Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar on top.
10) Bake for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 375°F and bake for an additional 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.
11) Cool the loaves for 5 minutes in the pans, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

SIDE NOTE:
** Apples are the number one item on the Dirty Dozen list. Buy organic or know your source.

Pin It