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Healthy Applesauce Bread is a quick bread made with a blend of applesauce and fresh apples for natural sweetness. A mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour gives it the perfect balance of hearty and soft. Lightly spiced and totally delicious.

Look, I love making quick breads. They are easy to make, they have that fresh baked taste, and you can make them in so many different varieties.

What are quick breads?

Quick breads are breads that rise without yeast. Instead of yeast, they use chemical leaveners like baking powder or baking soda, which react quickly to produce carbon dioxide bubbles. This gives the bread its light texture without kneading or proofing.

What I don’t like about quickbreads is that they are rarely healthy. Whether it’s because of the amount of sugar in the batter, the type of flour that is used, or the add ins that are added into the mix, they are rarely healthy.

When I have extra ripe bananas I enjoy making Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread. For a bright and fresh flavor Lemon Blueberry Bread is always a winner. In the summer when I have an abundance of zucchini I like to make Lemon Zucchini Bread. I even make savory quick breads like my Tomato Herb Bread.

I’ve been making quick breads with applesauce to replace the butter for years. It’s an easy trick that leaves the bread moist and with a lot less fat. I did use applesauce and some Greek yogurt in place of some of the butter and milk.

Another trick I use for making bread healthier is using a whole grain flour. I know a lot of people bake with whole wheat flour. While I like whole wheat flour, I really like using graham flour for sweeter breads.

What is Graham Flour?

Graham flour is a type of whole wheat flour that’s coarsely ground and made by milling the entire wheat kernel but keeping them slightly separate during milling. This gives it a distinct speckled texture and nutty, hearty flavor.

I whipped up this quick bread and put in some chopped apples as well. I don’t peel my apples when I’m putting them in bread because I like the texture of the skin. Other people do not like it so much so feel free to peel the apples if you prefer. Either way they get soft and absorb some of the spices and taste just delicious.

Ingredients:

applesauce (you can use plain or cinnamon flavored)
salted butter (or unsalted if you prefer)
Greek yogurt (either plain or vanilla flavored)
vanilla extract
brown sugar
egg
cinnamon
nutmeg
salt
whole wheat flour (or graham flour)
all purpose flour
baking powder
apple

To make this bread preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the applesauce, softened butter, Greek yogurt, and vanilla. Mix well. Add in the brown sugar and egg and mix until smooth.

In a medium bowl combine the spices, salt, flours, and baking powder. Mix and add to the wet ingredients. Stir well to combine. Fold in the apple pieces. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour.

The bread smelled so good as it cooked. I could smell the spices and the apples in the bread. When I pulled it out of the oven my mouth started watering. I’m a complete sucker for spices. I was a little worried because the bread did not rise to the top of the container but it ended up being just fine.

This bread is delicious. It is full of spices, chunks of apples, and is super moist. The graham flour gives the bread a bit of an added texture which I really like.

This is a delicious breakfast bread or one to serve as a snack with tea and coffee. Plus it’s the perfect healthier bread to start off the new year!

If you’ve tried my Healthier Applesauce Spice Bread or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

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