Wanna know the biggest problem I had with my Applesauce Bread this morning?!
I only made one loaf! What was I thinking?!
We downed the whole loaf very quickly…
And then, “Mom, did you make anymore?” say all the boys as they peek around in hope at all the countertops and at the oven.
So, be warned, you might want to double this recipe if you’re going to wake your family up some morning to the delicious smell of this bread baking.
And, it is a great way to wake your family, I promise!
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup sucanat or ½ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ cup applesauce
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup melted butter
- Mix dry ingredients.
- Make a well in the center and add applesauce, eggs, and butter.
- Stir well.
- Pour batter into one buttered bread pan or stone.
- Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Check out these cutie boys eating their Aplesauce Bread this morning with butter melted on it, with a glass of milk…
See, Malachi has his green cell phone handy right there – ready to call someone to let them
know what a great breakfast he’s having. (I can’t believe my kids were actually this little once!)
This is one of our favorite fall recipes! Put some in the oven, and your whole house will smell like fall. Or Christmas. Or comfort. Or all of the above.
Hint: If you have some apples that are beginning to get mushy and no one wants to eat them – simply core them and put them into a food processor or blender. Puree them, then stir them into this recipe. Works like a charm!
Mary~4boys4me says
Thank you for posting this recipe. It sounds yummy; can’t wait to try it. :)
dot says
the recipe doesn’t say what to do with the honey?
Laura says
If you’re using honey instead of rapadura/sucanat…just add it with the liquid ingredients.
mzzterry says
A PINK iron?!!! Sounds fun, more fun than mine anyway! Thanks for stopping by & commenting on my blog.
Suezque says
Yum-o! We had good breakfast this morning! :-) This was soooo good! (I added pecans to it too.) Thanks for sharing all these great, healthy recipes! :-) MMMMM!
Jill says
Just came across this recipe. We are allergic to eggs, do you think we could make it without? I have an egg replacer powder. Just wonder what you think. Thanks so much.
Cara says
This recipe is delicious! I made it to go with our lunch the other day. Thank you for sharing it. Also, I really enjoyed your series on Real Food. I appreciate all your work and effort you put into writing that. I blogged about your bread, if you are interested in reading it @ simplycara.com.
Thanks for all the encouragement!
Gina says
Thanks so much for this recipe, we all love it!!! Last time I made it I had run out of nutmeg, I substituted pumpkin pie spice – YUM!!!!
Julie says
Oh, my son would love this! Going on the menu for next week….thanks!
Arlene says
I’ve made this a few times now, and I just wanted to thank you for sharing this recipe! Our family loves it and I love that I don’t have to feel guilty while eating it (unless I eat a whole loaf by myself… then I feel a liiiiiiittle guilty. Just a little. LOL!)
Rachael says
This is such a wonderful recipe! I have made it once using applesauce and once using mashed bananas (which would make it banana bread instead of applesauce bread, really). Both times it has been sooooo goooood. In fact, I like this banana bread recipe more than any other that I can recall. The texture is perfect. Thank you!
Erin H. says
I used your recipe today but made it with pureed peaches instead. I also had a small bit of rapadura left and used half graham flour and half white. It turned out really well. Not overly peachy. You should try it if you haven’t already.
Stephanie says
This looks great! I used 3 egg whites and low-sat. fat butter. It is in the oven right now!
BushMama68 says
This looks great! I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks
Katie Brown says
I made this yesterday for the first time and after the loaf disappeared (mostly by me) I decided to make more today. I have applesauce muffins in the oven as we speak! And since I have some bananas on the counter that would be perfect for banana bread I may try that too. I was thinking about it so I was glad to see that Rachael tried it with success! Thanks for the wonderful recipes!
Katie Brown says
I wanted to come back and add that this has become my “go-to” muffin recipe! I’ve done applesauce muffins, banana muffins, pumpkin muffins, and even blueberry muffins (just add blueberries at the end). I love them and so do my kids. And I really love that they don’t have refined sugar. I use honey. Just wanted to say thank you again!
I made my first batch this morning with grain from my new grain mill too – thanks in part to your “letter” and some of your information. I am very grateful for you today!!!
Laurie says
AMAZING! It was soo good! Unfortunately I had to use white flour but I’m SURE it will taste just as heavenly with wheat!
Laurie ... again :) says
Today I made this again for breakfast tomorrow with whole wheat flour … I made muffins (350 for 20 minutes) and they turned out really dry. I dont know if I overbaked them or if its dry becuase of the whole wheat flour .. can you help me?! I loved it the first time but now that i used whole wheat flour, i’m kinda disappointed :(
Laura says
Hmm…what a bummer. One difference is maybe that store bought flour does tend to be different the freshly ground. Maybe next time try half white half whole wheat. I bet they’d taste great that way and at least have SOME whole wheat in them. Also, not sure how long you baked them, but I’d probably go 20 minutes at 400 degrees on the muffins.
Hope you try again and enjoy the results more!
Laura V. says
Thank you so much for this recipe. My kids wanted to make muffins and I have no fruit in the house because it’s nearing grocery day and this recipe was perfect as muffins!
Julie says
We make this bread often with pumpkin pie filling or apple butter, my boys love it.
Patty says
Made this Monday night with my husband. It was delish. Can’t wait to make it again. Thanks!
Tiffani says
So happy to have found your site! You have inspired me to get healthier and get into the kitchen more! Made this recipe and it was SOOO SIMPLE! I have recommended it to everyone I know! My kids loved it and we are not a healthy family…so that’s so awesome when they like something that’s good for them! I also made the mini apple pies! They are in the freezer now! Can’t wait to have them later tonight! What a blessing you have been to this family! :)
Kim says
This is SOOOO good! It looked delicious and so I went ahead and took your advice to double the batch! My husband and daughter are sitting at the table and can’t get enough! :-) Yum!! Thanks for the recipe! I used fresh ground flour from the farmers market (hard red wheat), local raw honey, and I made the applesauce from scratch with granny smith apples, cinnamon, and another touch of honey). Yeah for applesauce bread! (Why didn’t I ever think of making it? :-
Julie says
We just made these and they were sooo good!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
helen says
you were so right, should have made more loafs…….it was gone before i could try it, but the good news, my hubby and son devoured it………..so obviously will be making more. I love your recipes……..it makes me feel like a chef, lol.
Jennifer says
I just made this last night and popped it in the oven this morning…it DID smell so good and we all enjoyed it. I did double it and it was the perfect amount with a slice or two left to go with my coffee tomorrow morning. (; Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
alejandra says
Its in the oven now and it smells fabulous! thank you
Ashley says
The recipe doesn’t include soaking directions, but I found them another page on this site for quick breads. I soaked butter, flour, and a little buttermilk, wasn’t sure how much buttermilk to use?? I soaked overnight and used “just enough” buttermilk. I am new to this soaking thing, and I followed the directions, but it was really hard to combine ingredients later.I had a lot of flour lumps, and didn’t get the rise I would have liked. Also, the bread had a lot of trouble coming out the pan. Any advice? I used honey instead of rapadura. It sure did smell good baking though!
Laura says
Hmm, maybe use more buttermilk next time to make the mixture a little bit sloppier (but not too sloppy) and you could add the butter too. Just make sure the butter has cooled off after you melt it so that it won’t kill the culture in the buttermilk.
Christy says
I’m trying to figure out how to soak this. If I soak the butter, flour, and a little buttermilk… how much is a little? lol Also, do I then need to take something else out of the recipe so that its not too watery? Actually I’d use kefir to soak… Its just not quite making sense to me though. Thanks for any help!
Laura says
I’d say just add 2-3 Tablespoons of buttermilk (or kefir) would do the trick. I don’t think it will be too watery that way.
Famina Skaria says
Great recipe! Easy to make and it goes fast. I will be making this again.
Katherine says
My family devours your Applesauce Bread whenever I make it! Thank you Laura (my husband thanks you to)! Tonight I made them as muffins, and they turned out terrific. I doubled the recipe, greased the muffin tin (because I figured that they would stick to paper liners) and baked them for 17 minutes at 350 degrees. They were delicious and not dry at all. A double batch yielded 20 muffins.
Becky C says
Thank you for making me the most popular person in my house today! I took your advice and made a double batch. All four of my men LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ashley says
This is the most moist and delicious bread! I used apple butter that someone had made for me in place of the applesauce and it was so wonderful! Will definitely make again and again!
Sarah says
Just discovered this recipe and we made it for breakfast – yum! I used maple syrup instead of honey. Delicious.
Amy says
This bread is AWESOME!!! I’ve made it probably four times in the last 2 weeks and it wasn’t enough! Must quadruple this recipe if I want it to last around here. :)
Holly T. says
This is terrific! The only change I made was use 1/2 cup sucuanat and 1/4 c. dark brown sugar (my family is still getting used to the flavor of sucunat). This turned out fabulous – definitely making a double batch next time.
Jennifer says
I’m making this bread right now. I had some store bought applesauce that I had to use up and thought this would be perfect. I’m so excited to taste it since its gotten so many rave reviews. I love getting new ideas for easy but healhty breakfasts for my kiddos. :0)
Shannon says
I only made one loaf to try it out and its all gone. Kids loved it. I love the whole site and look forward to trying alot more of the recipes.
Amy says
Will be making this when my pumpkin bread gets done baking :) Thanks for sharing!
Leeanna says
Just made these into muffins using organic brown rice flour. Turn out perfect, soooooo good!!!
Krystal says
I’m super bummed because I made this bread and while cooking my whole house smelled amazing, the bread smelled amazing when it came out too. However, my loaf was a lot light than yours is in the picture and it was really dry for some reason, and not much taste. The smell far exceeded the taste. Any suggestions? I’d love to make it again but would like a moister sweeter taste.
Laura says
Did you use rapadura/sucanat…or honey? Maybe you can add a few tablespoons more next time? Honey makes it more moist than rapadura, but both should make it sweet enough. Hmmm…
Julie says
Do you use regular (sweetened) applesauce or no sugar added applesauce? This sounds delicious & my dad loves applesauce cake so I bet he would like applesauce bread as a nice surprise for Christmas! :)
Laura says
I use unsweetened applesauce.
Kim says
This is a new staple in our family! Thank you for the recipe! I’m up at 4am to make it for my dad who is visiting! This is so delicious! We like put melted butter and sugar on top right when it’s fresh out of the oven. Bad I know, but yummy!
sharon says
Made this the other night for a snack! kids loved it. will add nuts next time i think, and a bit more honey. You make feeding my kids healthy food so much easier!!!! :)
yolla says
Thank you for sharing this recipe, it was really easy and the bread turned out great! I used all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat and put some dried cranberries, soooo delicious!
Samantha says
Mmmmm its in the oven right now! Cannot wait to try this out! =] I love finding things to make on here that my 14 month old will like. She likes applesauce, she likes bread. Seems like a win win for us!
Rebecca Wire says
I just made this with my boys tonight. We used the honey as suggested. It was so good! I definitely need to double-up next time! :)
Jeni says
I just recently found your site and have been baking my way through your sweet treats. Thank you for posting such delicious and healthy foods. Our whole family has been enjoying them. Also, I linked your Applesauce bread to my family blog, I hope you don’t mind!
Michele Hughes says
We LOVE this recipe!
I leave out the butter and use a full cup of applesauce – or pumpkin or roasted butternut squash. I also add raisins or currants – it always disappears!
A Hing says
Why would you call this healthy? Its got a lot of calories… @ 270 per serving & has butter when many applesauce recipes allow us to get rid of that heinous source of high calorie fat? There are so many truly healthy alternatives… butter free… and at about 70 cal per serving out there – plus, after having tried both – taste better.
Laura says
I realize that many people are opposed to the use of real butter and feel that it is unhealthy. I disagree with this idea and do not hesitate to use whole, real foods including butter. You can certainly substitute applesauce for the butter and this recipe will work just fine.
Kristi says
So Laura, when your bread recipes call for whole wheat….are you mainly using hard white and not hard red? When would you use the hard red?
Laura says
I use mainly hard white wheat. You CAN use hard red for any of them, I just really don’t prefer the taste or heaviness of it.
Rhonda says
I have made this bread into several muffins many times. A few weeks ago, I added about 1 cup of frozen blueberries. Nummers. This week I added 1/2 cup of diced cranberries and the juice and zest of one small orange. Nummers again. The next time I make them, I am going to add some frozen blackberries.
Inna says
Made it last night and it was delicious. My kids and their friends kept coming back for seconds (and thirds). Thank you for posting this!
Colleen says
I made this last night but with cocount oil instead of butter and honey instead of rapadura. I also sprinkled a little raw sugar on the top at the end of baking. Delicious!
Christina says
That sounds great. I figured that I would use honey instead also, and I use coconut oil all of the time, so I may try it that way. Did you add those alterations into the ‘well’ of liquid ingredients, I’m assuming? That was my only hold up.
Laura says
Making this for the first time this afternoon & I’m thinking of adding in some ground flaxseed for extra protein and/or oatmeal. Do you think it will be too dry?
Laura says
I’m not sure, but just in case, you could add an extra egg to help add some moisture!
Sue M says
I would probably subtract the same amount of flour that you add of ground flax. (make sure you grind the flax to a fine powder.. like flour
Colleen says
I just put it all in the kitchen aid mixer and did it at once :)
Colleen says
but i did do dry first then wet…one big mix after dry and one after wet actually now that im thinking…
Rebecca @ A Daily Dose of Grace says
This recipe is a hit with our family! I’ve featured the recipe link on our site’s “In the Kitchen” page.
Mei-Lin says
I’ve made this twice & we love it! Thanks so much for a great recipe. I’m going to mention your website on my blog because I think something this great should be known to the masses! Thanks fellow titus woman:)
Valerie says
Can you make this recipe after soaking the grains and how
Laura says
I’ve not tried soaking the flour in this recipe, so I’m not entirely sure!
Jeanne says
Could you use maple syrup instead of honey? I’m allergic to honey and don’t readily have rapadura on hand.
Laura says
Yes, I think that would work. :)
Jennifer Hogue says
Just made this – and it’s delicious! I used honey and it’s definetly sweet :)
Erin says
My, my, MY! We just made this with a couple small changes and BOY is it delicious. I used fresh ground, soft whole wheat flour, half butter and half expeller-pressed coconut oil, and pear butter in place of the applesauce. I also found I only needed half the honey and it’s still plenty sweet. I’m glad I doubled the recipe, my 3 boys and I just went through an entire loaf! =) A keeper for sure.
Sue M says
The pear butter gave me a thought .. Trader Joes had Pumpkin butter, how good would that taste?
yum..
Gretchen M says
These are great as muffins as well!! It made just over 24 mini muffins, and I baked them at 350 for 12-13 minutes… PERFECT! YUM!
Dana says
Thanks for the tip! I was just going to make these and wondered about muffins.
Laura says
Great suggestion!!!
Cindy says
I was reading down through all the comments, wondering if anyone had made muffins. I’m going to try it!
Tituslady says
This turned out great!!! My little one really liked it!
Gretchen M says
It also helps to actually make it with SWEETENER…Ummm, a little TOOOO healthy when you forget the honey :P…. To bad because I was making it for my mom’s group, and now I REALLY look likea frazzled mom of four!!! :)
Rosi says
I just made this as muffins and they were fantastic. I made two dozen in the afternoon and by the end of dinner, there were only 5 left and I had to print the recipe twice for visitors who happened to come over when they were just coming out of the oven. Great recipe, definitely a keeper. Thanks!!
Samantha says
I was wondering if you can freeze this??
We make it all the time and just wasn’t sure how it would reheat.
LindseyforLaura@HHM says
You sure could freeze it. It should reheat just fine.
Brianne says
Yep, should have doubled it! It barely lasted a day with my 3 little ones. Awesome recipe!!
Linda says
Do you happen to know how much protein is in a serving of this bread? I’m looking for new things for breakfast that have a good amount of protein.
Thanks
Linda
LindseyforLaura@HHM says
I am not sure how much protein it has but you could use the site saymmm.com
to calculate it. :)
Linda says
Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it, but it comes out with crazy numbers.
LindseyforLaura@HHM says
I am just estimating on the math but 1 cup of whole wheat flour has
16g of protein. 2 eggs would be between 10-16g. If you divide that by
however many slices you’d get out of the loaf it may come up to about
4g per slice. Just a guess! :)
(20g+16g then divide by 10 or 12 slices???) Does that make sense? :)
Math isn’t my strong suit. But if you do want high protein look to
the recipes that call for coconut flour. Those are packed with protein and fiber1
Linda says
Math is not my strong suit either:) Thank you for taking the time to think about it and for the coconut
flour suggestion. If I can find some that is safe for my peanut/tree nut allergic child, I will get some.
Thanks again!
Linda
Erin says
I was curious what size loaf pan you have… all I have is the Pyrex loaf pans, and that bread looks substantially bigger (I can adjust easier if I know what size you have.) Thanks in advance!
LindseyforLaura@HHM says
Laura’s is a 5×9 loaf pan. :)
Carrie says
I just found this recipe. It is fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
Genna H says
Just received the Sunbeam cupcake maker for my birthday. Was a little skeptical because I don’t like to use boxed mixes, so I thought our favorite applesauce bread recipe would be the perfect 1st try. This recipe came out beautifully in it – moist and delicious just as when I make them in the oven! So now I can let my 7 year old (with supervision of course) make these too!
justpitchingmytent says
I tried this recipe this morning….so moist and delicious. You really inspire me to cook even more healthy meals for my family!!
Here is the link to my blog where I mention you, along with a picture of my bread: http://justpitchingmytent.blogspot.com/2012/03/whatever-wednesday-1.html
justpitchingmytent says
I just wanted to tell you I made this yesterday a.m. for the second time…love it! It is best warm with butter. YUM!! Thanks for sharing your recipes with us! I posted a link to your blog from my blog to this recipe a few weeks ago. :)
Beth says
I have made this many times and each time I do it turns out great! My family loves it. We put cream cheese on it and send it in their lunches too. Thanks for the great recipe!
Heather says
I made this for the first time this morning. I did make a few changes based on our preferences- I replaced the rapadura/honey with turbinado sugar, the butter with plain greek yogurt, and the eggs with a ground flax/water mixture. It turned out great!!! I will be making this again. Thanks for the great recipe.
Heather says
Oh, and I replaced the applesauce with my homemade cinnamon applesauce.
Elana says
Heather
I was just wondering, how much greek yogurt did you use instead of the butter. Would love to try that idea and have no idea how much to use.
Thank you
Heather says
I replaced it at a 1:1 ration- The recipe calls for 1/4 c. melted butter so I used 1/4 of vanilla greek yougurt.
Elana says
Hi. Sounds really good. Have two questions: Can you use agave syrup instead of the honey and can you substitue margerine for the butter.
Thanks so much
Elana
Laura says
I believe both would work, although I hesitate to recommend the margarine because it is not a healthy substitute. Maybe try coconut oil? :)
Carmen says
I’m thinking I will use my homemade apple butter since I have plenty of that and no applesauce. I will just leave out the cinnamon and nutmeg. What do you think?
LindseyforLaura@HHM says
Give it a try! I am not sure if it will taste like it is missing something
or not… It might be amazing!
Celeste Plunkett says
Wondering….should it work okay for me to substitute the wheat flour for almond flour? Our family needs to eat gluten free and I am trying to learn how all the alternative flours work. I’ve always used boxed goods, so this is a challenge for me. Thanks!
Laura says
I’ve not ever used almond flour so I’m not sure it would substitute one-for-one. Let us know if you try it and it works!
Miriam says
I need to add this to next week’s breakfast menu!
Joan Williamson says
Could this be made with grated zucchini instead of applesauce? Thanks, Joan
Laura says
Sure can!
Lori says
You can easily turn this bread into muffins. It makes 12 muffins. They were done after 23 minutes in my oven.
Sarah says
I can’t wait to try this. I have a question. What else can I use to substitute for the butter? My little one is highly allergic to dairy and both she and my husband are sensitive to coconut. I would rather not use dairy free margarine, however if that is the best choice I will use that.
Tracy Moore says
I’d bet you could use olive oil. While I prefer butter and coconut, another whole wheat bread blogger used primarily olive oil even with in her sweet breads. I’ve been to her cooking shows and it tastes just as good. I love olive oil too, but don’t think of using it in sweet breads. But it still tastes delicious!
LindseyforLaura@HHM says
You could try palm shortening as well. :)
Karen Dee says
Can’t wait to try this! Have my sugar free home made applesauce and will use the yogurt instead of butter. Healthy muffins!
Jessica @ This Blessed Life says
Just wanted to pop on and say THANK YOU for this recipe! I had it at a friend’s house two days ago and came home and made it myself. I used white whole wheat, homemade spiced applesauce, and coconut oil in place of the butter. To die for! :)
Jen says
I made this bread today and for a double batch I added 1 C. oats added to 1 C. boiling water (let sit for 10 minutes or so). It made it moist! It also is moister with 1/2 C. sour cream or plain yogurt added to a double batch! (I’ve also added both the sour cream and the oats.) This might help the people who are having it come out dry. Mine also comes out dry without the addition of sour cream or oats or both. Thanks for the recipe!
vickie brown says
If I were going to make this gluten free, do you know if I should use an all purpose gluten free flour blend (like Amy’s from SSGF), or is there one flour that work as well as the blend? (I know you’re not a GF website, so, maybe I should ask Amy?—-can’t expect you to be an expert on all things)!
By the way, I love your blog!
vickie brown says
If I were going to make this gluten free, do you know if I should use an all purpose gluten free flour blend (like Amy’s from SSGF), or is there one flour that work as well as the blend? (I know you’re not a GF website, so, maybe I should ask Amy?—-can’t expect you to be an expert on all things)!
By the way, I love your blog!
Just saw your gluten free tab!
BetsyD says
Do you make your own applesauce for this and similar recipes?
LindseyforLaura@HHM says
Yes, Laura does. Here is a link to how she makes it. https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-and-can-applesauce
BetsyD says
Thank you!
Candice says
My kids love this recipe in muffin form!
Pam says
I am so glad to stumble upon your website. It has so many great recipes that even I can follow. I’m not the best cook and was very frustrated with my inability but reading over your recipes makes me feel at ease. So simple and very few ingredients, I love it. I made this bread today and I had to pat myself on the back, it looked amazing when I looked in the oven. It also smelled so delicious. I haven’t tried it yet, kinda scared but I’m hoping it tastes as good as it smelled and looked. Thank you for having a great website. I didn’t know cooking could be fun and exciting. I’m loving it so far. I have made the hash browns and plan on making different recipes this week for dinner. It’s tough as you said being on a budget. Slowly but surely I am transforming before my very eyes. Thank you!
shannon says
Thanks for this one Laura! It’s been on my list to try and I learned from your lesson above and tripled it. I made 2 loaves and 12 muffins. Only had AP flour and spelt so used those with a little flax seed mixed in and served with honey butter. Very good with 2 loaves to freeze!
Dee says
Thank you! I made this recipe into 12 muffins yesterday. They only took 26 minutes in my oven. So yummy!
Tara says
I just made this tonight. Followed the recipe exactly, using honey as sweetener. Its one of the best quick breads I’ve ever made! Perfect sweetness and texture. So so delicious, fast, easy. Simply awesome! Thank you!!
Becky Mason says
Just wanted to say we have made this bread several times and it goes sooo quick. So yummy. A family favorite..thanks so much for this recipe!
becca banana says
Clicked from your crock pot suggestion today….. gosh your kids were little on this one!
The applesauce bread recipe is soooooo good. I usually throw in a mushy banana and it is just the BEST!
:)
Now to give the crock pot a try… hmm!