Fresh apples and a touch of fragrant rosemary come together in this slightly sweet whole grain quick bread.
Let me preface this by saying… I am not a baker. I like to freestyle in the kitchen. Baking reins me in. But the bigger issue with baking is that it usually results in me having pans of high carb deliciousness hanging out in my house. And that’s doesn’t bode well for me.
With that being said, I lucked up with a delicious strawberry oatmeal breakfast muffin recipe this summer that made me want to bake more often. I also got my first stand mixer this year and told myself I’d start making my own bread. I even bought the book Ratio to better understand baking basics. I may put these to work over the holidays but this quick bread was a fun project in the meantime.
I was excited to see The Recipe Redux November challenge to create a creative quick bread recipe. I know there are still 24 hours in a day but I feel like this month (and year) flew by at warp speed. In the spirit of quick breads, I came up with a recipe based on what I had on hand.
I had a bunch of pears, apples (that were supposed to go into apple pie a week ago) and fresh rosemary. And I’ve been wanting to experiment with a sack of white whole wheat flour in the pantry. I set out to find a basic quick bread recipe that I could adapt. TheKitchn’s Basic Buttermilk Quick Bread saved the day.
To make it my own, I took a chance and used all white whole wheat flour and added a little fresh rosemary to the mix. With the apples and brown sugar, the bread is slightly sweet yet earthy. Though I went all in with the white whole wheat flour and the bread is surprisingly light and “not dry” (I refuse to say the m-word).
I like the bread warm or toasted for breakfast with a little spiced apple butter.
This bread along with many of the creative quick bread recipes below would make great homemade gifts. Share it freshly baked but cooled – wrapped in festive cellophane and a ribbon.
You can also make the bread in mini loaf pans and freeze the baked loaves to enjoy for up to 3 months.
Apple Rosemary Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 1½ cups chopped fresh apples about 2 medium sweet apples
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup grapeseed walnut or canola oil
- 1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Mist a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk, egg and oil.
- Fold the liquid ingredients and chopped apples into the dry ingredients. Fold just until mixed. Do not over mix.
- Add batter to the loaf pan. Bake 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick to the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan 5 minutes before removing.
Be sure to check out the other creative quick bread recipes using the link below:
Serena
Perfect for fall! Love these flavors. You have to let us know what you think of Ratio. I want to get it too…but want to see if you think it’s helpful!
Marisa
Thanks, Serena. I was actually a bit disappointed with Ratio. It’s good for the basics but didn’t get into what happens when you use orange juice v milk or how purees might affect batter. I guess I wanted more food science 🙂
Diane
Yes, please! I can’t pin this fast enough. Your photos are terrific!
Marisa
Thank you, Diane! I’m finally learning how to use my camera-LOL.
Rebecca
I love the flavors you’ve included in this! And I love the book, Ratio! It was especially helpful when I first learned to bake gluten-free, but I refer back to it often.
Karman
I love this flavor combination so much! I always prefer a slightly sweet bread over anything loaded with lots of sugar. I’ll definitely be trying this recipe!
Lauren
Yum! What a good idea to combine apple and rosemary, perfect for fall. I have found buttermilk is essential with whole-wheat baking!
Marisa
I love buttermilk in almost anything!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
What a beautiful flavor combo!!!
Alanna
Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs of all time. This flavor combo is so creative and I am loving those apple chunks!
Cindys Recipes and Writings
Apple and rosemary sounds like a great combination!
Jessie
What a beautiful recipe! Apple and rosemary go so well together and this bread is perfect for this time of year!