Description
This Sourdough Apple Bread is soft, moist, and packed with fresh apple chunks and warm cinnamon flavor. Sourdough discard adds subtle tang and tenderness, while brown sugar and butter give the loaf a rich sweetness. You don’t need an active starter or fermentation, making this an easy sourdough discard recipe for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Sourdough Apple Bread
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240g) sourdough discard
- 1½ cups (180g) peeled and diced apples
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides.
- Peel and core the apples. Cut them into approximately ½-inch pieces and measure 1½ cups. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the sourdough discard to the wet ingredients and whisk until evenly combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until only a few small streaks of flour remain.
- Add the diced apples and gently fold them into the batter until evenly distributed. Avoid overmixing.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly.
- Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the top looks golden and a toothpick inserted into the cake portion near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- If the top becomes too dark before the center finishes baking, loosely cover the loaf with aluminum foil and continue baking.
- Let the Sourdough Apple Bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the loaf from the pan. Transfer it to a wire rack and cool for at least 30 additional minutes before slicing.
- Serve at room temperature or slightly warm with butter, apple butter, or your favorite warm drink.
Notes
- Use unfed sourdough discard; you don’t need to feed your starter before making this loaf.
- Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Braeburn apples all work well.
- Keep the apple pieces around ½ inch so they soften evenly.
- Don’t exceed about 1½ cups of apples because excess fruit can make the center overly moist.
- Measure the flour carefully to avoid a dry or dense loaf.
- Once you add the flour, fold the batter gently and avoid overmixing.
- Check several areas of the loaf for doneness because inserting a toothpick directly into an apple can make the bread appear underbaked.
- Let the bread cool before slicing so the moist crumb has time to set.
- For an apple-walnut variation, fold ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter with the apples.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 21g
- Fat: 12g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Protein: 4g