Apple & Oat Quick Bread
Apple & Oat Quick Bread, with flavours reminiscent of toffee apples, is so much easier than traditional cake. With a caramel-like flavour from brown sugar contrasting with tart apple, plus hints of vanilla and wholesome oats, it’s a wonderful treat thickly sliced with a cuppa, as part of an afternoon tea, or even dessert with custard or ice cream.
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QUICK BREADS
I love that quick breads completely live up to their name. Sweet or savoury, they’re perfect when you want to rustle up a loaf at short notice. Made using raising agents like baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, with quick breads there’s no kneading or hours of proving time. Just mix and bake.
I’ve posted quite a few savoury quick bread recipes (e.g. Cheese & Chorizo Quick Bread and Ham, Olive & Cheese Quick Bread) but, I think, only two sweet ones: Fruit Tea Loaf and Fruit Soda Bread. But today I’m redressing the balance with dead simple but wonderfully flavoured Apple & Oat Quick Bread.
APPLE & OAT QUICK BREAD
With barely twenty minutes of hands-on time, Apple & Oat Quick Bread is great for when you want a sweet treat for little effort.
The only piece of equipment you need is a small loaf tin with a capacity of 450 ml. These are usually sold as 1lb tins. Mine is non-stick, but I grease it with extra butter anyway. If in doubt, line your tin with baking paper that’s big enough to come up above the rim.
The taste of this easy bake reminds me of toffee apples. That’s thanks to the caramel-like flavour brought by light brown soft sugar contrasting with tart apple. When I first made it, I was tempted to add cinnamon. But I’m so glad I didn’t. Because the surprisingly complex flavour was just perfect.
The complete list of ingredients you’ll need for Apple & Oat Quick Bread is below. You’ll find amounts in the detailed recipe card at the end.
INGREDIENTS
- Self-raising flour. As the name indicates, this flour already contains raising agents. But you could swap in plain flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
- Oatmeal. Here in Britain, oatmeal is made from ground oats (for US readers, what you call oatmeal is our porridge). Fine oatmeal is best for this quick bread, but if you can’t find it in the shops then just whizz up rolled or porridge oats in a blender. I think the oats give the bake a lovely wholesome, homely flavour and texture.
- Bicarbonate of soda. Another raising agent to give the bake a boost.
- Salt. To round out the flavours.
- Butter. For rich flavour as well as its binding properties.
- Light brown soft sugar. Key to getting that tempting caramel-like flavour.
- Tart apple. I think a sharp Granny Smith apple is best to balance the sweetness.
- Eggs. Essential for a light bake.
- Vanilla extract. For subtle background flavour.
- Milk. Just a tablespoon or so to lighten the batter.
- Rolled oats. For decorating the top.
HOW TO MAKE APPLE & OAT QUICK BREAD
You’ll find full instructions in the recipe card but briefly it goes like this.
- Sift the flour, oatmeal, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a mixing bowl.
- Rub in the butter.
- Stir in the brown sugar and grated apple, including the skin.
- Stir in the eggs which you’ve mixed with the vanilla and a tablespoon of milk.
What you’re looking for is a batter with a firm dropping consistency. This means that the mixture should stay on the spoon but fall off if you give it a firm shake. To achieve this, you may need to add a little more milk. But do it very gradually so the batter doesn’t become too loose. After transferring the batter to your prepared loaf tin, sprinkle over a few rolled oats to decorate and give a hint of what’s inside.
On the middle shelf of an oven preheated to the temperature shown in the recipe card, Apple & Oat Quick Bread should take 50 – 55 minutes to bake. When done, it should be well-risen, golden brown, and an inserted skewer or cocktail stick come out clean.
Leave the loaf in the tin for ten minutes before turning it out and transferring to a cooling rack. It should be completely cold before cutting into or storing.
SERVING & STORING APPLE & OAT QUICK BREAD
I love the suggestion of toffee apple in this simple but surprisingly tasty quick bread. Sweet, but not overwhelmingly so, I think the hint of vanilla along with lightly tart apple gives great complexity of flavour. Add to that the wholesomeness of oats, and a thick slice makes a wonderful treat with a cuppa or as part of an afternoon tea. And so much easier to make than a traditional cake with no creaming of the butter and sugar or individually beating in the eggs.
Wrapped in foil and stored in an airtight container, Apple & Oat Quick Bread should keep for 3 – 4 days. On the day of baking, it’s quite soft, even a little crumbly. While there’s nothing wrong with that, I think I prefer it the next day when it’s a touch firmer but the flavour seems even better.
You can eat the loaf just as it is or spread with butter. You can even turn it into dessert by heating slices in a microwave for a few seconds and serving with a scoop of ice cream or proper homemade custard.
If you’ve made this recipe, please leave a comment and rating to let me know what you thought.
Apple & Oat Quick Bread
With flavours reminiscent of toffee apples, this quick bread is so much easier than traditional cake.
Serve thickly sliced with a cuppa, with or without butter as part of an afternoon tea, or even as a warm dessert with custard or ice cream.
It's recommended that you read the blog post before beginning the recipe.
Ingredients
- 175 g self raising flour
- 50 g fine oatmeal or oat flour (see Recipe Notes for making your own from rolled oats or porridge oats)
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 100 g butter
- 100 g light brown soft sugar
- 1 large tart apple e.g. Granny Smith
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 tbsp milk
- a few rolled oats (for decoration)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° Fan / Gas 4 / 350°F with a shelf positioned in the middle.
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Butter a small, non-stick loaf tin (approx. 19 x 9 x 6 cm, capacity 450ml or 1 lb) or line it with baking paper.
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Sift the flour, oatmeal, bicarbonate of soda, and salt into a mixing bowl.
Grate the butter into the flour mixture (dip the butter into the flour now and again to stop it sticking to the grater) then rub in with your fingertips.
Stir in the sugar.
Grate the apple, leaving the skin on and discarding the core, squeezing out excess juice. Stir the grated apple into the bowl.
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In a separate small bowl or jug, use a fork to beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, and ONE tablespoon of the milk.
Pour this into the flour mixture and mix everything together well, creating a batter with a firm dropping consistency i.e. the mixture should stay on the spoon but fall off if given a firm shake. If necessary add more milk, a few drops at a time, to achieve this.
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Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin, pressing it down lightly and smoothing the top. Sprinkle over the rolled oats.
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Place in the preheated oven and bake until risen, golden brown and a skewer or cocktail stick comes out clean. (50-55 min).
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Remove from the oven but leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out and transferring to a cooling rack until cold.
Serve thickly sliced either on its own or spread with butter.
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To store, wrap well in foil and keep in a tight-lidded container for up to 4 days.
Can also be frozen as a whole loaf or in slices.
To eat hot as a dessert, heat slices in a microwave for a few seconds and serve with custard or ice cream.
Recipe Notes
Oatmeal. If you can't find oatmeal or oat flour in the shops, you can make your own by whizzing up rolled oats or porridge oats in a blender until fine.
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