Penzeys' Apple Bread

 Hey everybody, this recipe comes from one of my Penzeys' catalogs.  It's apple bread, a lot like banana bread, but with apples.  There was also a recipe for brown sugar and cinnamon butter, which I didn't make, but will include in this post.  The apple bread had a topping, which you won't see from my pictures because it didn't turn out the way it was supposed to.  It was supposed to come out as a crumb topping, but I ended up getting one lump instead of many, and tried my best to crumble it up.

  My next post will probably be on apple pie.  I have to find a way to use up all the apples before they all go bad.  I started to find some soft and mushy...not good!

What you'll need for the Bread:
4 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped, about 4-5 large apples (I used a variety but the recipe likes using McIntosh.)
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil (I used Smart Balance, but the recipe likes plain canola.)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon (I used Penzeys.)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar

What you'll need for the Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

What you'll need for the brown sugar and cinnamon butter:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1-foot sheet parchment or waxed paper

For the bread and topping, first preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease two standard bread loaf pans and set aside.  Peel, core, and slice the apples.  Cut into good-sized chunks, about 1 inch in size.  I didn't do this because I forgot to read all of the directions before peeling, coring, and cutting up the apples.  It still turned out very yummy, so it's a judgement call.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Add the oil and beat until combined.  Add the vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Beat until thoroughly mixed.

Next, add the flour and sugar and mix on low just to blend.  Turn the mixer to high and beat until the mixture is smooth.  The batter will be very thick, almost like cookie dough.

Fold in the chopped apples, mixing by hand with a spoon so the apples do not get broken up.  Divide the mixture between the two pans.

To prepare the topping, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Cut the butter into the mixture with a fork until all the ingredients are moist and crumbly.  Sprinkle equal amounts of topping on each loaf.

Bake for about 1 hour on the center rack of the oven.  The loaf should feel fairly firm when touched in the middle;  if not, bake an extra 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.  Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pans.

To make the butter:
Place the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl.  Mix until thoroughly blended.  Place on the edge of the paper and roll tightly.  Twist both ends of the paper and place in the freezer, until firm, about one hour.  After 30 minutes, re-roll the half firm butter in the paper and pop it back in the freezer to get a more perfect shape.

Enjoy!