Apple Butter Quick Bread

Equipment

3 Mini Loaf Pans baking pan option
1 9x5 loaf pan baking pan option
1 kitchen scale

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.

Notes

Measuring Ingredients: I recommend weighing your flour, sour cream, beer, apple butter, and butter for the most accurate results. For smaller quantities of baking powder, baking soda, and salt, use a precision scale or properly leveled measuring spoons.

Apple Butter: I used Eden Organic Apple Butter with no added sugar for this recipe. I haven't tested sweetened apple butter, but it may make the bread too sweet. If using sweetened apple butter, you may need to reduce the amount of brown sugar.

Beer: Commercial alternatives to my husband’s homebrew include Weihenstephaner Festbier, Sam Adams Octoberfest, and Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.

Optional baking chips: This quick bread is delicious on its own, but you can also add butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, or a combination of both for extra sweetness.