Cinnamon Apple Bread

This is a fantastic and relatively quick-to-make sweet loaf that's perfect for an afternoon treat or a special breakfast. While there's a generous amount of fruit in this bread, making the chopping the most time-consuming part, the end result is well worth it! The secret to its incredible moisture is a combination of yogurt and oil, which ensures it stays fresh and delicious for days. You can also add toasted walnuts for a delightful, soft crunch, and an elegant apple slice topping for a beautiful finish. Both are optional, allowing you to easily customize the recipe to your liking.

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F) or 180°C (350°F) for a fan-forced oven. Place a shelf in the middle of the oven.

2. 2

   Prepare your loaf pan (21.5 x 11.5 x 7 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 x 2.75"). Spray it with canola oil, then line the long sides and the base with a single piece of baking paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal. You do not need to line the short sides.

3. 3

   To make the topping, mix the demerara sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set this mixture aside.

4. 4

   For the cinnamon apple mixture, combine the diced apples, cinnamon powder, and brown sugar in a separate bowl. Let this sit while you prepare the batter; the sugar will start to draw out some of the juices from the apple, which is exactly what you want.

5. 5

   In one bowl, whisk together all the dry batter ingredients: cinnamon, ginger, allspice, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the wet batter ingredients: brown sugar, yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just smooth. Stir in the prepared apples (along with any juices that have collected) and the walnuts. The batter will be thick but "dollop-able"—it shouldn't be a thin stream, but it also won't be as thick as a sticky bread dough. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface.

6. 6

   For the topping, take a quarter of the thinly sliced apple and fan out the slices, arranging them on top of the batter. Repeat this process with two more quarters of the sliced apple. You will likely only use about three-quarters of the sliced apple to cover the surface. Once the apples are arranged, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top.

7. 7

   Bake for 60 minutes. After this time, loosely cover the pan with foil to prevent the top from burning, and continue to bake for a further 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out smooth and clean.

8. 8

   Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes before using the paper overhang to carefully lift it out onto a wire rack. Allow it to cool for at least 1 hour on the rack before slicing.

9. 9

   This bread is moist and flavorful enough to eat plain, but it is also wonderful lightly toasted and served with a generous slathering of butter.

Recipe Notes

• Apple – You'll need about 650g (1.4 lbs) of apples in total, which is roughly three large apples. Most apple varieties will work well here, but I prefer Granny Smith for its slight tartness and ability to hold its shape during baking. If you use a very sweet apple variety, you might want to reduce the brown sugar in the batter to 1/2 cup. I found that only about three-quarters of the sliced apple will fit on top, but you can certainly try to fit all of it if you prefer.

• Demerara sugar – This is a coarse sugar with a subtle molasses flavor that creates a beautiful, jewel-like crust on top of the bread. You can substitute it with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.

• Spices – I love the combination of cinnamon, ginger, and allspice for this loaf, but if you don't have all of them, feel free to use more cinnamon to make up the difference.

• Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) – Baking soda is more potent than baking powder, and a combination of the two works best to achieve the perfect crumb and a lovely domed top. If you don't have baking soda, you can substitute it with an extra 2 teaspoons of baking powder. The bread will still be delicious, though the top might be a bit more level instead of domed. You can also use self-raising flour instead of the plain flour, baking powder, and baking soda combo, but the loaf may not rise quite as well.

• Room temperature ingredients – It's best to use eggs and yogurt that are at room temperature to prevent the batter from becoming too stiff. However, this recipe is quite forgiving, so don't worry too much if they are cold from the fridge.

• Toasted walnuts – To toast the walnuts, spread them on a tray and bake for about 8 minutes at 180°C (350°F) or 160°C (320°F) for a fan-forced oven, shaking the tray once halfway through.

• Loaf pan – The recipe is designed for a 21.5 x 11.5 x 7cm pan, but if your pan is a different size, that's fine; the loaf just may not be as tall as the one pictured.

• Storage – This bread stays fresh for up to 5 days. It's best to store it in the fridge and serve it warm (you can heat it in the microwave, oven, or a toaster). It also freezes well for up to 3 months.