Autumn is LeBraun and my’s favorite season, and yes we love the pumpkins, dropping temperatures, changing leaves, and layered clothing but what we really look forward to is APPLE PICKING!
We drive out to Maryland with an empty truck, grab a wheelbarrow and head into the orchard. We take turns finding the best apples and fill up several baskets in our wheelbarrow. Our favorites—Jonagolds and Crimson Crisps! There’s nothing like fresh orchard apples. Seriously we've never found anything close to these flavor-wise in a grocery store so we STOCK up.
Our apple orchard trip is what we consider the start of the season. There's something about an orchard trips that just feels like it’s steeped in tradition as generations and generations before us have made similar trips to kick off their own seasons.
Once we get our truck-load of apples home we have the enormous task of figuring out what we’ve going to use them for. A bunch of them will just get eaten straight but then it's all about figuring out what would showcase their flavor best, and as LeBraun constantly reminds me “they can't all be desserts.”
So first up a recipes I'm considering “a sweet breakfast” (looooophole!). This loaf is soft and apple-y without being overwhelming. It’s perfect for sharing or simply slicing for a quick on-the-go breakfast options. We personally have been enjoying in on the porch with a nice cup of tea in the afternoons.
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Spiced Apple Loaf
Topping Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Loaf Ingredients
- 3/4 cup alternative milk of choice (I used soy)
- 1 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose, gluten-free flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-2 medium unpeeled apple, finely chopped (we used Jonagold apples)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease one 9x5-inch loaf pan.
- Mix together topping ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together alternative milk, oil, egg and vanilla.
- Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, and stir until dry ingredients become moistened and the batter becomes lumpy.
- Stir in chopped apple.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle topping mix over batter.
- Bake 30-35 minutes or until top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out (mostly) clean.
- Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.
- Serve and enjoy!
