A Little Guide to Making Applesauce Bread

This applesauce bread recipe is quick, cheap and tasty. It is just sweet enough some call this applesauce cake! We will let you decide what to call it. A classic, applesauce bread has been a staple in Appalachian homes for centuries. It is not only a delicious bread, it is very affordable as the ingredients are typically cheap. Due to the unique properties of apples it can replace some or all of the sugar, fat and eggs in many recipes. As a result, this bread will be lower in calories than other quick bread recipes without sacrificing taste. This was often made for celebrations such as birthdays or gatherings at reunions or church functions. There are several versions of this classic. This is our favorite.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Below, we will teach you how to make this applesauce bread recipe by breaking the process into simple steps.

Step 1: Zest and Juice an Orange

We will need the zest and juice from half of an orange. You can read more details including watching a video on how to zest an orange here. For this recipe, we are assuming you know the basics of zesting.

Step 2: Gather the Ingredients, Preheat that Oven & Prepare your Pan

Gathering all the ingredients needed for a recipe prior to starting ensures you have enough of everything and ensures you will not leave out an important part of the recipe.

Next, you are going to preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) while you prepare a 9×5 (23x13cm) bread pan. You will want to grease and flour the bottom and sides. Adding a piece of parchment to the bottom will ensure this bread will release. Due to the low fat content and the moisture from the applesauce, this bread tends to want to stick to pans, even those coated with non-stick surfaces.

Step 3: Combine your Dry Ingredients

In a small bowl, mix together your flour, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Even though the sugar is dry, it is considered a wet ingredient in baking. The sugar will be added separately with other ingredients. Whisk these together until well combined.

If you like, you can use a sifter to really get that leavening well distributed. This will prevent issues like excessive air pockets in your bread. But it isn’t necessary as this is a quick bread and minor imperfections are typical of quick breads like cornbread, banana and this applesauce bread.

Step 4: Combine your Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl, we are going to combine our wet ingredients. It doesn’t matter what order you put the ingredients in, but I like to start with the sugar, zest and orange juice to give the sugar an opportunity to bring out the oils in the orange zest and flavor the bread with that hint of citrus. Do you have to use orange juice? No, but it helps with the rising and tenderness of the bread. Without it, the bread can be dense or claggy from the weight of the applesauce. After adding the sugars, zest and juice we are going to put in the rest of the ingredients. Whisk in the eggs, oil, vanilla and applesauce.

It will be a thin batter. It may be a little thicker or thinner than you see pictured based on the brand of applesauce.

Step 5: Combine your Wet & Dry Ingredients

Now you want to fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Do not over mix at this stage and work quickly. You want to mix until it is just combined and you don’t see any bits of flour. Some lumps are okay. You want to get this in the oven quickly as the acidic ingredients start working with the baking soda immediately. This will ensure a lighter more pleasant texture to a typically dense quick bread.

Step 6: Bake your Applesauce Bread

Pour the batter into the already prepared bread pan and get this into the oven for 55 – 75 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches between 200 – 210°F (93 – 99°C) in the center.

You can insert a toothpick to see if comes out clean, but this only tells you the bread is baked; it doesn’t tell you that it is over-baked. When it comes to low fat desserts and breads like this applesauce bread recipe, there is a fine line between properly baked and overdone. This can be especially tricky for darker colored breads as you can’t just go by the browning around the edges. If you want to get serious about baking, a thermometer will be a great investment.

Step 7: Let Cool Before Serving

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 – 15 minutes and then remove to a wire rack. If you fail to let the bread cool for that few minutes prior to removal, expect the bread to crack or break open. Ask me how I know. It needs time to finish setting. The applesauce makes this bread a bit fragile. Great for flavor and a delicate crumb, but is not yet structurally sound when hot out of the oven. Once it has cooled at least 10 minutes, carefully move to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Wait at least an hour before slicing into it for best results. Quick breads need that time to settle. Cutting too soon can lead to a gummy texture or bread that dries out too fast.

Step 8: Time to Eat!

After all that waiting around, you are now ready to serve this fall inspired applesauce bread.

Substitutions and Tips

Here are some common substitutions and tips for this applesauce bread recipe.

• Nutmeg and cloves can be used instead of allspice.  Substitute 1/4 tsp each.
• Pumpkin pie spice can be used as a substitution.  Use 1 1/2 tsp (3g) and omit all other spices.
• Baking soda can be replaced with equal amounts (1 tsp or 4g) of baking powder.
• Orange juice can be replaced with 1 tbs (15mL) of vinegar or lemon juice.
• Make them into muffins! Simply divide the batter equally into a muffin tin that holds 12 standard sized muffins and bake for 16 – 24 minutes or until fully baked.
• You can swap out the baking soda for baking powder. Use 2 1/2 tsp (10g) of baking powder. Please note, the bread will be lighter in appearance like you see below with the muffins.
• You can omit the baking powder but you must keep the orange juice (or replace orange juice with vinegar or lemon juice) for it to rise properly. You need to get the batter in the oven quickly as the baking soda will stop rising the batter in time. The bread will be more dense without the addition of the baking powder.

Storage

To store, let the bread cool completely. Wrap in aluminum foil and keep refrigerated up to 5 days. Due to how perishable applesauce is, it is essential to store leftovers chilled. For longer storage, wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze. Thaw overnight in refrigerator.

The Recipe

Below you will find the recipe for applesauce bread along with a video tutorial on how it is made. If you didn’t read the above step-by-step directions, now is the time. Here at Jackson’s Job, we strive to stick to the details about the recipe with very little fluff. You may actually learn some valuable skills along the way. So scroll back and at least skim over our efforts to make this a rewarding and successful bake!

Applesauce Bread

Start off your fall baking with the spicy applesauce bread that is almost cake like it is so tender and just sweet enough to go great with ice cream or apple butter! By adding just a bit of citrus, you really let those apples and spices shine.

Print Recipe

Prep Time45 minutes minutes

Cook Time1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Cooling1 hour hour

Total Time3 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings12

Calories 235.7

Ingredients

• 2 ⅓ cups (350g) flour
• 1 ½ cups (339g) unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup (120mL) oil
• 2 large (100g) eggs
• ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (56g) brown sugar
• 2 tbs (30mL) orange juice
• 1 ½ tsp (6g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (3g) baking soda
• 1 tsp (2g) freshly grated orange zest
• 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla
• 1 tsp (2g) cinnamon
• ½ tsp (2.5g) salt
• ½ tsp (1g) allspice

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C.)
• Grease and flour a 9 x 5" (23x13cm) bread pan. If desired, add a piece of parchment to the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
• Rinse and dry an orange with cool water. Zest and juice the orange. You will need 1 tsp (2g) of orange zest and 2 tbs (30mL) of the orange juice.
• In large bowl, add the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix or sift together until well combined and there are no lumps. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the sugars, applesauce, orange juice, zest, oil, vanilla and eggs until smooth. Pour ingredients into the flour mixture. Gently stir together until just combined and you no longer see and flour. Avoid over mixing.
• Pour batter into prepared bread pan. Bake 55 – 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Center temperature should read between 200 – 210°F (93 – 99°C) when fully baked.
• Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack to finish cooling before serving. Wrap any left overs in aluminum foil and keep refrigerated up to 5 days. Due to how perishable applesauce is, it is essential to store leftovers chilled.

Notes

Substitutions:

• Nutmeg and cloves can be used instead of allspice.  Substitute 1/4 tsp each.
• Pumpkin pie spice can be used as a substitution.  Use 1 1/2 tsp (3g) and omit all other spices.
• Baking soda can be replaced with equal amounts (1 tsp or 4g) of baking powder.
• Orange juice can be replaced with 1 tbs (15mL) of vinegar or lemon juice.

Nutrition Facts

Applesauce Bread

Serving Size

 

1 slice

Amount per Serving

Calories

235.7

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

10.2

g

16

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.9

g

6

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

2.5

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

6.3

g

Sodium

 

274.4

mg

12

%

Carbohydrates

 

36.9

g

12

%

Fiber

 

0.5

g

2

%

Protein

 

3.3

g

7

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

* Calories provided as a courtesy and not guaranteed.