This easy, gluten-free quick bread is filled with diced apples and applesauce, and topped with a cinnamon sugar crust, for the best gluten-free Fall breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Bread!
Do me a favor, picture the best Fall morning you can…
Does it include crisp Fall air? A beautiful view? Hot coffee, perhaps? 🙂
Mine includes all of these, and warm, fresh bread out of the oven. What can I say? This girl LOVES carbs! 😉
I love to bake with applesauce, so every Fall I look forward to putting applesauce in all of my muffins and breads. Adding applesauce creates an incredibly moist bread, and I like to reduce the sugar in my breads too for a healthy breakfast.
A while ago I shared my Cinnamon Applesauce Oat Bread and got mixed reviews. Delicious, yet not enough apple flavor. I love making the Cinnamon Applesauce Oat Bread – but for me it’s a simple, lightly-sweetened (with some applesauce) bread that I enjoy year round, without any real Fall vibes (aka apple cinnamon).
Now THIS Apple Cinnamon Bread is what you apple lovers were looking for. Apple Cinnamon in a warm quick bread is the BEST combination for an epic Fall morning. 🙂
So, let’s talk important details to make the best, gluten-free Apple Cinnamon Bread.
First, don’t skimp on the cinnamon sugar topping. Usually I like to say this kind of stuff is an extra step and sort of optional.
This time it’s really not. The cinnamon sugar crust that forms on top of this bread pairs beautifully with the sweet apples throughout. It’s an easy way to take this bread from great to outta-this-world.
Next: yes, you read that right… this recipe has one TABLESPOON of cinnamon in it for the bread. I love cinnamon and I don’t like to skimp on it.
Not to mention, the topping that has a little more cinnamon in it as well. Needles to say, this Apple Cinnamon Bread is definitely Apple Cinnamon. 🙂
For a super moist bread, and a healthy breakfast bread addition, applesauce is your best friend here.
You can use sweetened or unsweetened. I use both, just depending on what I have on hand. Just be sure that it’s fresh applesauce and it hasn’t been sitting around in your fridge for a while, or it won’t be as sweet.
Last, but not least, the APPLES!
I recommend granny smith, my favorite apples to bake with. In a pinch you can use gala or fuji.
You can also add a little more apple to this Apple Cinnamon Bread if you like. I cut up two granny smith apples very finely and used them (although I think both of my kids snagged a slice too!).
You’ll see in the picture, below, how the apples are flecked throughout the bread so you get just enough apple. Too much apple and I don’t think it’s the right texture, but another 1/2 cup or so wouldn’t hurt.
So, there you have it. Apple fiends, this one is for you. I’m with you, I am you! I hope you fall in love with this recipe and enjoy it as much as I do.
Till then, I’ll be enjoying another slice of warm bread, with a piping hot cup of coffee, watching the leaves change out my window…
Need more Fall recipes for your repertoire? You should look at my gluten-free Snickerdoodle Cupcakes, Apple Cinnamon Oat Muffins, or maybe my Soft Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. 🙂
- 2 cups all purpose gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 all purpose)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (or butter)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1- 1 1/2 cup apples, finely diced (about 2 medium apples) (Granny smith, fuji or gala)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
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To begin, preheat your oven to 350 and line a bread pan with parchment paper, with two sides sticking out for easy removal.
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In a small bowl, add your gluten-free flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir them together.
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In a large bowl, add your coconut oil, brown sugar and applesauce and whisk them together. Next add your milk, eggs and vanilla and whisk them into the wet ingredients.
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Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir them together till well combined, forming your bread batter.
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Add your apples to the bowl and gently fold them into your batter. Pour the batter into the bread pan.
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In a small, separate bowl, add your cinnamon sugar topping ingredients and stir them together. Sprinkle the topping evenly across the top of your bread batter.
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Bake the loaf in the oven for 65-75 minutes, or till the top of the loaf is springy to touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
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Let your loaf cool, remove it from your pan, then slice it up and devour it!
Store this bread in an airtight container in the fridge for it to last about a week.
Looks delicious! Could I make these in small loaf pans? Looking for some holiday gifts for neighbors. thanks!
Yes, these should work just fine in smaller loaf pans. Start checking at about 30 minutes with a toothpick, and go from there.
I made this last weekend. I live in Colorado Springs, so I omitted the baking powder like you had written due to my higher altitude. It turned out perfect-fully baked and didn’t fall flat!!! It was delicious!! Thank you!!!!!
So great to hear, thanks Cathy!
Looks like a great way to use up the apples my kids have decided are ” too old”. Yours looks beautiful, I hope mine turns out that well/
Thanks Gina!