Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce Bread

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My baby is still in the newborn stages. However, as he gets bigger, I get more and more excited to make baby food for him at home. I have a cinnamon applesauce recipe that I perfected during my hiatus, and I regularly make it for the rest of my family to enjoy.

But as much as I love a fresh batch of homemade applesauce, sometimes I make too much at once. One those days, I toss some of my applesauce into my bread recipes, and the flavor comes through beautifully.

So this week I’m sharing with you my cinnamon raisin applesauce bread.

Use Your Favorite Applesauce

I have a favorite slow cooker spiced cinnamon applesauce recipe that I’ve shared on my personal blog. I prefer this particular recipe because the sharp tangy flavor from the Granny smith applesauce really comes through on the bread. Furthermore, the extra cinnamon spice from the sauce meshes well with the apple pie spice in the bread.

But don’t let my enthusiasm for my own recipes turn you away from making this Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce Bread. You can use any applesauce that you prefer. On days I don’t have a lot of homemade applesauce on hand, I use a few applesauce pouches that I buy from Costco.

No matter which applesauce you use, just be sure to bring it to room temperature before baking. I’ve made this bread with applesauce straight from the fridge, and my bread took much longer to bake as a result.

Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce Bread is a beautiful quick bread that you can pull together in just over an hour. It’s sweet enough that you can call it a dessert, but it’s not so sweet that you can’t call it breakfast, too.

When properly stored at room temperature, this bread stays fresh for about 3 to 5 days. However, if you want your bread to last a little longer, you can freeze it, thaw it, and toast it later.

Time

Prep time:  15 Minutes
Rise time: None
Cook time:  60 Minutes
Total time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Ingredients

If you want to make Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce Bread, make sure you have the following ingredients in your pantry:

• 250 Grams Applesauce (1 Cup)
• 66 Grams White Granulated Sugar (1/3 Cup)
• 66 Grams Brown Sugar, Packed (1/3 Cup)
• 40 Grams Vegetable Oil (3 Tablespoons)
• 30 Grams Milk (2 Tablespoons)
• 2 Grams Vanilla Extract (1/2 Teaspoon)
• 1 Large Egg
• 180 Grams All-Purpose Flour (1 1/2 Cups)
• 4 Grams Baking Soda (3/4 Teaspoon)
• 1 Grams Baking Powder (1/4 Teaspoon)
• 4 Grams Apple Pie Spice (1 1/2 Teaspoons)
• 1.5 Grams Salt (1/4 Teaspoon)
• 31 Grams Pecans, Chopped (1/4 Cup)
• 50 Grams Raisins (1/4 Cup)

Keep in mind that the pecans and raisins are completely optional. Feel free to swap them out with dried cranberries and walnuts.

Optional Topping

I like sprinkling just a bit of cinnamon sugar over the top of my cinnamon raisin applesauce bread. The bread is plenty sweet without it, but here’s what you’ll need if you’re interested:

• 12 Grams White Granulated Sugar (1 Tablespoon)
• 1 Gram Ground Cinnamon (1/2 Teaspoon)

Feel free to add more (or less) cinnamon or sugar. Just follow your heart and your flavor preferences on this.

Apple Pie Spice

I like to pick up generic apple pie spice from the baking section of my local grocery store. However, you can make your own apple pie spice substitute if you don’t have any on hand:

• 8 Grams Ground Cinnamon (4 Tablespoons)
• 3.5 Grams Ground Nutmeg (1 1/2 Teaspoons)
• 3 Grams Ground Cardamom (1 1/2 Teaspoons)
• 2 Grams Ground Ginger (1 Teaspoon)
• 1 Gram Ground Allspice (1/2 Teaspoon)

Keep in mind that you won’t need all of this apple spice for the recipe. But it doesn’t hurt to have a little bit extra available for the next time you make Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce Bread.

Additional Equipment

Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce bread requires a few kitchen staples to make:

• Mixing Bowls, Cups, Spoons
• Kitchen Scale
• 9-Inch by 5-Inch Baking Pan
• Wire Cooling Rack
• Oven Mitts
• Probe Thermometer

I’ve provided a few links to Amazon products that I use and enjoy regularly. Although I receive a small commission for purchases from affiliate links, I am not paid for my opinions. You don’t have to buy these items specifically. Feel free to shop around at your local store.

Instructions

Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce bread comes together in just over an hour. No need to knead it or let it rise. You don’t even have to shape it! So, let’s start with preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celsius).

Don’t forget to lightly grease and line your 9-inch by 5-inch baking pan with parchment. Set it aside for later.

Mix Your Batter

While your oven preheats, mix together your applesauce, white sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, milk, vanilla extract, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.

In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, apple pie spice, and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients to form a thick batter. A few lumps are okay, but try not to overmix.

Next, fold in the chopped pecans and raisins.

Again, be careful not to overmix or your raisins and pecans will sink to the bottom of your loaf.

Transfer Your Batter

Pour your batter into your prepared baking pan. If adding the topping, combine the cinnamon with the sugar in a small bowl.

Sprinkle the topping over your loaf.

Feel free to use more or less cinnamon sugar on top of your bread. Or, you can skip it entirely. This bread tastes plenty sweet without it, but it’s more indulgent with it.

Bake Your Bread

Put your bread in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

If you have a probe thermometer, insert it into the bread. The internal temperature should read between 195 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit (90 and 93 degrees Celsius). If you don’t have a thermometer, insert a toothpick. The toothpick should come away clean, though a few moist crumbs are okay.

Transfer your cinnamon raisin applesauce bread to a wire cooling rack and let it cool completely before slicing and serving.

Just the Basics

Secrets to Success

Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce Bread is a quick bread, so it doesn’t require any yeast or sourdough starter. Instead, it uses baking soda and baking powder to lift the bread in the oven. Quick breads are great recipes for beginning bakers because all you have to do is mix and bake.

However, if you want a picture-perfect loaf, I suggest you keep mixing to a minimum. Yes, you want to stir enough to fully incorporate the flour, but only just. Overmixing a quick bread often results in a loaf with a sunken top. Furthermore, raisins and pecans tend to sink to the bottom of the batter when you overmix rather than an even distribution.

As a final tip, I strongly recommend using parchment paper to line your baking pan if you use a cinnamon sugar topping. With parchment paper, you can simply lift your loaf out of the pan when it has finished baking. Without it, your bread will likely stick to the pan in places, and you might lose some of your topping when you turn it out onto a wire cooling rack.

Nutritional Information

Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce Bread is a sweet, dessert bread at my house. The sugar in the bread recipe along with the sugar from the applesauce make for an indulgent loaf. However, your bread doesn’t haven’t to be so calorie-laden. If you use unsweetened applesauce, you can cut quite a few of the calories.

This nutritional information is for a loaf that I cut into 10 slices. You might have thinner or thicker slices, and your calorie information will be lower or higher per serving.

Did You Try It?

I love how quick and easy Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce Bread comes together. And I certainly can’t get enough of those tasty fall flavors, no matter the time of year.

But what did you think of my recipe? Did you use sweetened or unsweetened applesauce? Did you skip the raisins or the pecans? What about the cinnamon sugar topping? Please leave your feedback in the comment section below. Your tips and pointers can help me improve my baking.

Looking for more apple-based bread recipes? Give my apple pie bread a try.