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I brought some of this apple butter quick bread to work to share, and one of my co-workers said it “tastes like Christmas.” With all the warm, cozy spices in it, I thought that was a pretty fitting description!
How I Tested This Recipe
I tested this apple butter quick bread four times to get the texture and bake right:
- First test: Mini loaves with butterscotch chips.
- Second test: A large loaf with white chocolate chips baked in an 8.5×4.5-inch pan. The 8.5×4.5-inch pan didn’t work well for this batter. The center remained gummy and underbaked, so I switched to a 9×5-inch pan for my next test.
- Third test: A large loaf with a combination of white chocolate and butterscotch chips baked in a 9×5-inch pan.
- Final test: Mini loaves without any chips.
The two mini loaf tests and the 9×5-inch loaf all worked. My favorite version is the mini loaves. They’re easy to slice into small portions, freeze well, and make nice gifts for friends and family.
Why I Used Beer in This Recipe
My husband is a homebrewer, so we always have something interesting on tap. When I started developing this recipe, we had several seasonal beers available, including a Festbier and three pumpkin beers. With those fall flavors in mind, I thought beer would be a great addition to this recipe.
For my first two tests, I used our Festbier. Then for the third and fourth tests, I switched to our pumpkin lager brewed with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Both beers worked well in this recipe.
Best Beer for Apple Butter Quick Bread
I recommend using a malty, lightly hopped beer that complements the warm apple and spice flavors without overpowering them. Here are a few styles to consider:
- Festbier: A great choice for its smooth, malty flavor. This is what I used in my first two tests.
- Pumpkin lager: A pumpkin lager or a spiced pumpkin ale can work well, especially one brewed with warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Oktoberfest or Märzen: Good alternatives with a rich, toasty malt character that pairs well with apple butter.
If you don’t have access to homebrew, some store-bought alternatives include Weihenstephaner Festbier, Sam Adams Octoberfest, and Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.
However, I’d avoid strongly hopped IPAs, which can introduce unwanted bitterness, and heavier stouts that may overpower the apple flavor.
Apple Butter Quick Bread
Equipment
- 3 Mini Loaf Pans baking pan option
- 1 9×5 loaf pan baking pan option
Ingredients
- 300 g all-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups* see notes
- 8 g baking powder 2 tsp* see notes
- 2 g baking soda 1/2 tsp* see notes
- 5 g tsp fine sea salt 3/4-1 tsp* see notes
- 2 tsp apple pie spice
- 2 large eggs, room temperature room temperature
- 150 g light or dark brown sugar
- 180 g apple butter-no sugar added, room temperature 3/4 cup* see notes
- 90 g full-fat sour cream, room temperature ⅜ cup or 6 Tbsp* see notes
- 120 g Festbier or pumpkin beer, room temperature 1/2 cup* see notes
- 85 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 6 tbsp* see notes
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Optional Mix Ins
- 1 cup butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips optional* see notes
Optional Topping
- 25 g turbinado sugar
- 1/2-1 tsp apple pie spice
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three mini loaf pans (5.5×3.5×2.5 inches) or one 9×5-inch loaf pan. Line the pans with parchment paper, leaving some overhang along the long sides for easy removal.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and apple pie spice until evenly combined.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, apple butter, sour cream, beer, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar.
- Make the batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold until no dry streaks of flour remain. Avoid overmixing. The batter should be thick but spreadable. If using baking chips, gently fold them into the batter.
- Fill the pans. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan(s) and spread evenly. For mini loaves, weigh the total batter and divide by three to ensure each loaf bakes evenly.
- Add the topping. In a small bowl, combine the turbinado sugar and apple pie spice. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.
- Bake. For a 9×5-inch loaf: Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Begin checking around 60 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent the loaf with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time.For mini loaves: Place the pans on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 40–45 minutes. Begin checking around 40 minutes. The loaves are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. An internal temperature of approximately 200–205°F (93.3°C–96.1°C) recommended as an additional doneness check.
- Cool. Allow the bread to cool in the pans for about 15 minutes. Then, use the parchment overhang to lift the loaves from the pans and transfer them to a wire rack. Let them cool completely before slicing for the cleanest results.
