Sourdough Apple Bread
This is a soft and moist sourdough apple bread, scented with cinnamon and filled with juicy pieces of sweet apple.
Quick breads are such an easy and delicious use for discard starter! I’ve already posted sourdough blueberry bread, sourdough banana bread and sourdough zucchini bread on the blog, and now it’s time for an apple version!
You can give the batter an overnight ferment if you like. This longer fermentation time allows the flour to absorb more moisture from the batter, which can lead to a more moist crumb. Additionally, it helps break down the proteins in the flour. If you want to bake this apple bread right away, you can.
Ingredients
Here’s a rundown of the ingredients needed. Find the full list in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Fresh apples. The variety of apples you choose for your sourdough apple loaf depends on taste. For sweet apples, you could use Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Braeburn. For a tarter bite, choose Granny Smith apples. Ultimately, you can use whatever variety you’ve got. I like to leave them unpeeled.
- Butter – Butter brings the flavor to the cake.
- Olive oil or vegetable oil. I loved adding a little bit of oil alongside the butter to keep baked goods it moist for days.
- All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. The dry ingredients
- Soft brown sugar and granulated white sugar
- Sour cream or yogurt. Brings a little acidity for an extra tender crumb.
- Sourdough starter discard. Adds flavor and makes the bread tender.
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract and warm spices – Ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
Method
- Core and chop apples into chunks, around 1.2cm (1/2 an inch) in size. You can peel them, but I like them unpeeled. Set them aside
- Mix the melted butter, oil, sugars, sourdough starter, yogurt, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a seperate bowl.
- Fold through the dry ingredients, followed by the chopped apple pieces.
- The batter will be quite thick. Don’t over-mix it.
Cold-fermenting (optional) – Cover the bowl tightly and place it in the refrigerator for up to 16 hours.
- Line an 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. You could also use a larger 9×5 inch pan for a less high loaf.
- Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for around 60-70 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Let the apple bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing it and allowing it to cool further on a wire rack.
When the apple bread has cooled to room temperature, mix together powdered sugar, cinnamon, and just enough milk to create a smooth and pourable paste.
Drizzle this over the bread.
Store leftover apple bread at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to a week.
More recipes
You might like these too!
- Sourdough Blueberry Bread
- Easy Sourdough Ciabatta Rolls
- Sourdough Monkey Bread
- Brown Butter Banana Bread
Sourdough Apple Bread
Ingredients
- 300 g apples about 2 large
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 110 g butter melted
- 15 g olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 100 g soft brown sugar
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 100 g sourdough discard starter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 125 g natural yogurt or use sour cream
Icing
- 120 g powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Core and chop apples into chunks, around 1.2cm (1/2 an inch) in size. You can peel them, but I like them unpeeled. Set them aside.
- Mix the melted butter, oil, sugars, sourdough starter, yogurt, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a seperate bowl.
- Fold through the dry ingredients, followed by the chopped apple pieces.
- The batter will be quite thick. Don’t over-mix it.
- Cold-fermenting (optional) – Cover the bowl tightly and place it in the refrigerator for up to 16 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180C). Line an 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. You could also use a larger 9×5 inch pan for a less high loaf.
- Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for around 65-75 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Let the apple bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing it and allowing it to cool further on a wire rack.
- When the apple bread has cooled to room temperature, mix together powdered sugar, cinnamon, and just enough milk to create a smooth and pourable paste. Drizzle this over the apple bread.
Thanks so much for reading this recipe! Hope you love it as much as i do 🙂
I’m making this right now and my house smells wonderful! One thing I noticed was that the instructions never say when to add the ginger and nutmeg. I added with the dry ingredients
Thank you Mary! Even when I read and re-read my writing I can miss writing these things. I updated it to include the spices with the dry ingredients 🙂