Apples and pecans are in season at the same time in the South, so it makes sense to combine the two in various Southern specialty dishes. Fortunately, both apples and pecans travel and store well, so they are easy to find across the country and globe.
There are many varieties of apples, and most work well in this Southern bread recipe. Baking apples result in more solid chunks of apple in the bread. Softer "eating" apples cook down a bit more but still pack the flavor.
Southern Apple Pecan Bread is a family favorite, because it’s easy to make and very tasty. Another plus is that this quick bread makes the whole house smell fabulous as it’s baking.
Apple Nut Bread Recipe
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup butter (or margarine)
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or flavoring)
- 1 ½ TBS mayonnaise
- 2 cups flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup peeled and chopped apples
- 1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
Directions:
- Mix together well in a large mixing bowl the sugar, butter and eggs. It helps is you let the butter soften before mixing.
- Add vanilla and mayonnaise and beat well.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix until the salt and baking powder are distributed evenly.
- Stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Mix until the batter is even, but do not overmix. Mixing quick breads too long makes for tough and heavy breads.
- Add the apples and pecans and fold those in. Do this with a light touch.
- Grease a standard sized bread loaf pan or spray well with Pam.
- Bake at 325 degrees F for an hour and 10 minutes or until done. The toothpick test works on this bread. Just make sure you don’t stick the toothpick in an apple, or it will come out gooey and appear not to be done when it is.
This apple bread is wonderful right out of the oven served with butter or cream cheese. The bread is also good at room temperature and can be packed in a lunch to take to school or work. Apple Nut Bread can also be frozen and heated in the microwave.
Do store this bread in the refrigerator if you have leftovers, since the bread includes fresh fruit - the apples.
Other Fabulous Southern Bread Recipes:
Sweet Potato Bread Recipe - This is a colorful bread that is nice during the holiday season.
Southern Blueberry Nut Bread - A real classic, it's hard to go wrong with blueberry nut bread.
Old Fashioned Corn Bread - If you've never had pinto beans and corn bread, you're missing out. Cornbread is also good served with most any meal. It's a staple in the South.
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