Some quickbreads are very moist and dense, while others are a little bit dry and very bread-like. This moist Apple Spice Bread falls into the former category. The bread is ultra-moist and is packed with two cups of shredded apple, from two whole apples! All that fruit makes it a little bit dense, but the bread is tender and flavorful, so that is not a bad thing in this case.
When you go to shred the apples for this bread, use a large grater that allows for wide shreds. If you use a very fine grater, you’re likely to end up with applesauce instead of shredded apple. I shred my apples whole, leaving all the peel on. As you shred, don’t worry if the apple discolors into a light brown color as it is exposed to air. While you can try and counteract this by adding lemon juice to the apple, the color actually contributes to the lovely color of the finished quickbread (plus it’s difficult to manage the color of so much shredded apple without using a whole lot of lemon juice and we don’t want to add any extra moisture to this bread!).
I included several spices in this loaf, as well as pecans for a nice crunch and a textural break from that moist, apply goodness. The spices I used are cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and cloves. I didn’t go overboard on the spicing so that you can really taste the apple in every bite, but feel free to spice it up and add more of your favorites for a spicier take on this bread, or if you’re looking to give it a more warming feel on a cold day. (more…)