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This bread machine apple bread has a tender crumb and cinnamon-spiced apple pieces throughout. The machine mixes and bakes the batter. Plain, it's a great breakfast. Add the caramel glaze, and you've got dessert.

A loaf of glazed apple bread with walnuts is sliced on a cooling rack. Green apples, cinnamon sticks, nuts, and autumn decorations are arranged around it on a white surface.

This apple bread recipe came together after more failed attempts than I would like to admit. A few small adjustments made all the difference.

The biggest surprise was the addition of sour cream. It gives this loaf a tender crumb with tang that keeps the sweetness in check.

For a smoother batter and finer crumb, make sure the sour cream and eggs are at room temperature before you start.

Tossing the diced apples with a spoonful of flour before folding them into the batter prevents them from sinking to the bottom.

If you want to skip the stand mixer and oven, this easy apple bread recipe is for you.

Looking for more fall bread recipes? My bread machine pumpkin bread is the same fall vibe, and my bread machine cinnamon bread is the one readers make on repeat. Prefer the oven and have applesauce on hand? My apple crumb bread is the version for that.

Pick the right apples

You want to use firm apples that have a little tartness. I've made this with both Honeycrisp and Granny Smith, and they were both great. Braeburn and Pink Lady are also good options. I don't recommend softer apples, like Red Delicious, because they don't hold up to baking.

Step-by-Step

A bread machine pan with eggs, oil, flour, and dark liquid ingredients inside, viewed from above on a marble countertop. — Add the room temperature wet ingredients to the pan.

A bread machine pan filled with flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, white sugar, and eggs, ready for mixing, sits on a marble countertop. — Then the dry ingredients. Choose the quick bread, cake, or dessert setting. Light or medium crust. Press start.

A bowl of chopped apples mixed with spices sits on a marble surface next to a pink measuring cup filled with chopped walnuts. — Toss the apples with the flour, cinnamon, and sugar. I also recommend you toast your walnuts. Five minutes in a dry skillet or a 350°F oven until they smell nutty.

Chopped walnuts, apples, and cinnamon are mixed together in a gray baking pan, ready to be baked. — Add the apples and walnuts when the add-in beeper goes off.

A loaf of baked bread sits in a metal loaf pan on a light, marbled countertop. The bread is brown and has a slightly bumpy surface. — Check the temperature when it is done. A quick-read thermometer in the center should hit 200 to 205°F. Apples add moisture, so some machines need a nudge to get there. If yours reads low, use the extend-bake or custom function and give it more time. In my Zojirushi it finishes on the standard cycle, but every machine is its own animal, so trust the thermometer over the timer.

A metal pot with a partially melted square of butter surrounded by liquid butter. — While the loaf cools, melt the butter if you are making the optional glaze.

A close-up of a pot with golden melted butter or caramel bubbling and simmering inside. — Add the brown sugar, cream, and a pinch of salt.

Golden brown sugar syrup bubbling in a metal pot, showing the caramelization process as it cooks on the stove. — Boil it one minute so the sugar dissolves and it thickens a touch. Off the heat, whisk in the vanilla.

A metal sifter with flour is held over a mixing bowl containing a yellow batter, as flour is being sifted into the bowl. — Let it cool five minutes, then work in the powdered sugar until it ribbons off the spoon. Drizzle over the fully cooled loaf.

Storing and Freezing

Plain and unglazed, the loaf keeps for about 2 to 3 days at room temperature. It will keep for about a week in the refrigerator. Let cold slices come back to room temp before eating. Or do what I do and pop it in the microwave for 25 seconds.

Once it's glazed, you need to refrigerate it and eat within 4 or 5 days. Enjoy the glazed loaf within about 4 to 5 days. If I'm not serving the whole thing at once, I glaze only the slices we're eating now and keep the rest plain in the fridge.

For the freezer, freeze the loaf unglazed. Wrap the fully cooled loaf in plastic, then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter overnight, then make the glaze fresh and drizzle it on after. If you do happen to freeze it glazed (which I’ve done), thaw in the fridge and heat in the microwave or toaster oven before serving.

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Equipment

Bread Machine
Instant Read Thermometer

Ingredients

Bread

⅓ cup avocado oil or other neutral flavor oil
⅓ cup full-fat sour cream at room temperature
2 eggs beaten and at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 270 grams
½ cup sugar
½ cup light brown sugar packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice or ground cloves optional, deepens the apple flavor

Add-Ins

1 ½ cups peeled small-diced apple (about ¼-inch pieces, roughly 2 medium apples; see the variety notes below)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup toasted walnuts

Optional Caramel Glaze

4 tablespoons butter
⅓ cup light brown sugar packed
3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk for a thinner glaze
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
⅓ to ½ cup powdered sugar sifted

Instructions

Place the avocado oil, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, salt, flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in your bread machine pan.
Select the quick bread, cake, or dessert program and press start. Choose a light or medium crust.
While the batter mixes, toss the diced apple with the 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon flour until coated. When the add-in beeper goes off, add the apple and the walnuts.
When the bread is done baking, check the temperature. It should be 200 to 205°F. If it isn’t, use the machine's extended baking time function (sometimes a custom function) to continue baking; it is fully cooked in my Zojirushi bread machine.
Use oven mitts to immediately remove the bread pan from the machine.
Let cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan.
Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

For the Optional Glaze

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, cream, and salt and whisk until smooth. Bring to a gentle boil and let it bubble for 1 minute, whisking, so the sugar dissolves and the caramel thickens slightly.
Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Let it cool for about 5 minutes so it is warm, not hot.
Whisk in the powdered sugar a little at a time until the glaze coats the back of a spoon and falls in a ribbon. Add more powdered sugar for a thicker drizzle or a splash of cream to loosen it.
Drizzle over the fully cooled loaf. Let it set for about 15 m

Notes

For the apples, I recommend honey crisp, granny smith, braeburn, or pink lady.

Nutrition

Filed Under:

Bread and Muffin Recipes Bread Machine Fall Recipes

Bread Machine Apple Bread

Pick the right apples

Step-by-Step

Storing and Freezing