Applesauce Bread is a sweet, moist, and flavorful treat with a perfect balance of sugar, spices, and apple goodness from applesauce! The oats and sour cream contribute to its unique texture, and the glaze adds an extra layer of sweetness. It’s a delicious way to enjoy the comforting taste of apples in a convenient quick bread with no need to chop any apples! I also have an Apple Fritter Bread that you will love!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Sour Cream: Sour cream contributes to the moist and tender texture of the bread as well as gives it a slightly tangy flavor. Be sure it is at room temperature before using it.
Apple Sauce: The applesauce is the star ingredient of this bread, giving it the apple flavor. It is also used in the glaze. I have a wonderful homemade applesauce that you could use in the bread and the glaze!
Oats: I used old-fashioned oats in this recipe, which are also known as rolled oats. These oats have a flat and irregular shape, and they’re commonly used in cookies, granola bars, and muffins. They add a nice texture and chewiness to the baked goods like this apple sauce bread. If you don’t have old-fashioned oats, you can use quick oats. Quick oats are oats that have been rolled into smaller and thinner flakes. While the texture might be slightly different, they can still work well in the recipe as a substitute.
Baking Powder: Since this is a quick bread, no yeast is used and baking powder is the leavening agent. Double-check that your baking powder is fresh and not expired for the best results!
Glaze: The simple glaze is made with confectioners’ sugar and applesauce for even more apple flavor!
How To Serve Applesauce Bread
There are various ways to enjoy this delightful bread! Enjoy it on its own. It’s perfect for breakfast or brunch. Or, pair it with a cup of coffee or tea for a tasty snack. For a dessert-like treat, serve a slice of applesauce bread with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Can I Make Applesauce Muffins?
Sure! For all of the delicious flavors of the applesauce bread but in a convenient single-serving size, make muffins! After mixing the batter, pour into a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners. Watch the muffins carefully as baking time will be much less, closer to 20 minutes.
How To Store Applesauce Bread
To store applesauce bread, store it in an airtight container or in a zipped plastic bag at room temperature. It will last up to 2-3 days. For a little longer storage, keep the bread in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Freezing Applesauce Bread
To freeze applesauce bread, first, let it cool completely. Next, wrap the bread tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap and place in a heavy-duty freezer bag. If you prefer not to use foil directly on your bread, wrap it tightly with parchment paper, then place that into a sealable plastic bag. Be sure to label and date. Bread is typically good for about 3-6 months in the freezer, but the flavor will start to dull after about 1 month. To thaw bread, take it out of the freezer and set it on the counter. Allow it to reach room temperature before you take it out of its packaging. It will re-absorb some of its moisture this way.
Applesauce Bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (115 g) sour cream, room temperature
- ¾ cup (163.5 g) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (255 g) applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (90 g) old-fashioned oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Glaze
- 1 cup (125 g) confectioners' sugar
- ¼ cup applesauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder.
- Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 75-80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs, but no wet batter.
- Let the loaf cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack.
- While the loaf is cooling, make the glaze. Stir together the confectioners' sugar and applesauce until smooth. Pour over the cooled loaf and let glaze set for a few minutes. Slice and serve.
Did you make this recipe?
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
This is a simple and delicious apple-flavored bread! The texture was moist and the glaze was filled with apple flavor. It doesn't get much easier than this!
Elizabeth
What a quick way to enjoy an apple dessert without all the work of peeling and cutting up apples! That works for me! Plus, it tastes delicious, perfect for Fall.
Rachael
This bread is very delicious and unique because the oats in the bread give it a different texture than a regular apple bread. Plus the applesauce is such an easy way to incorporate apples without having to peel or cut any apples!
Bella
Yum, so moist and delicious! A great apple bread recipe that you can prepare in no time, especially because of the applesauce! You still get the sweet apple flavor.
Selena
This is a really nice and easy bread. I loved that you could get an apple flavor without all the work of preparing apples. Super quick to throw together!
Finally! I’ve been looking for a recipe like this that uses applesauce instead of chopped apples! I’m not a fan of cooked apples but love the apple flavor. This recipe is amazing and I’ll be saving it to make it often 😁.. any chance you have a similar recipe for apple fritters??
Do you use unsweetened applesauce?