Caramel-Glazed Apple Bread

Jan 5, 2014

It’s weird. As a self-proclaimed caramel hater (okay, maybe “hate” is strong, but “non-lover”), I somehow made two different awesome recipes within a couple weeks back in November where caramel was the star. The first was the caramel pear crumble pie I made for Thanksgiving, and the second was this fall-worthy gem.

Obviously, apple and cinnamon are a can’t-miss combination. But the caramel glaze really elevates this bread beyond what a regular powdered sugar glaze would. It gives not just a sweetness but a warmth, and the burnt sugar caramel flavor deepens everything.

This is one of those beautiful quick bread recipes that’s super easy to throw together—I mean, the bread takes as long as it takes to chop the apples, basically. And you get not one, but two, loaves of sweet bread that can feed hungry overnight guests for breakfast, delight your co-workers, or punt as an easy dessert.

You start with a couple of these bad boys…

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 (8×4-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray or butter. Shred or finely slice and dice the apples.

In a large bowl, stir together the apples, 1 cup of brown sugar, the buttermilk, oil and eggs (and the apple butter, if you’re using it). Stir in the remaining dry ingredients, combining until they’re just barely moistened.

Divide evenly between the two pans and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I like mine a bit gooshy in the middle, so the rest of the loaf doesn’t get too dried out.

Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes on a rack, then loosen the sides of the loaves from pans and place them on the rack to finish cooling. Let them cool completely, for about an hour.

About half an hour before the loaves are cool, make the glaze. Melt the butter over medium heat in a 1-quart saucepan and stir in 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to low. Boil and stir for 2 minutes.

Quickly stir in the milk and heat the mixture to boiling again, then remove from the heat.

Cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes. Gradually stir the powdered sugar into the glaze, beating it with a spoon until it’s smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Mine was a bit thick, but I made it work. If it’s too stiff, you can add a tiny bit more milk (like 1/2 teaspoon at a time), or heat over very low heat, stirring constantly.

Drizzle glaze over the loaves and let it sit until the glaze sets.

Serve warm, with other delicious things like coffee.

Mmmm, warm cinnamon-y apples…

Caramel-Glazed Apple Bread

Bread

• 1 1/2 cups of shredded or thinly sliced apples (about 2 large apples)
• 1 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of buttermilk
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• Optional:  1/2 cup of apple butter for extra moistness
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1teaspoon of salt
• 1teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Glaze

• 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of milk
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, sifted

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 (8×4-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray or butter. In a large bowl, stir together the apples, 1 cup of brown sugar, the buttermilk, oil and eggs (and apple butter, if you’re using it). Stir in the remaining bread ingredients, combining just until the dry ingredients are moistened, then pour equal amounts into the two pans.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (I do like mine a little gooshy in the middle). Cool for about 10 minutes on a rack, then loosen the sides of the loaves from pans and place on the rack. Cool them completely, about an hour.

About half an hour before you’re ready for the glaze, melt the butter over medium heat in a 1-quart saucepan. Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar. This was harder than I thought, but you must persevere. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to low. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Quickly stir in the milk and heat to boiling again, then remove from the heat. Cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes. Gradually stir powdered sugar into the glaze mixture, beating with a spoon until it’s smooth and thin enough to drizzle (mine was a little thick, but I made it work). If the glaze becomes too stiff, you can stir in a tiny bit of additional milk (like 1/2 teaspoon at a time), or heat over low heat, stirring constantly. Drizzle glaze over loaves and let sit until it sets.

Original recipe here