Apple Raisin Bread

This apple raisin bread recipe comes complete with a hint of spice and some crunchy nuts for a lovely, seasonal loaf that is easy to bake and easier to eat.

This is a hearty, flavorful loaf of bread that has plenty of texture to make ideal for simple toast or sandwiches.

If you’re looking for something that is lightly sweet, rich, and spiced, this cinnamon apple raisin bread is ideal for breakfast or even gift giving and will leave your kitchen and spirit warm and cozy.

Beginner Friendly

This is a simple recipe beginners can feel confident in tackling. There aren’t any special techniques or equipment needed. If you’re comfortable making a basic loaf of bread, you can feel confident in turning this recipe out.

Simple Ingredients

There’s nothing fancy here, you probably have most everything you need on hand already as the recipe uses basic pantry ingredients. Let’s talk about a few things.

Fresh Apples

I used fresh apples when testing this recipe. Use whatever you have that is flavorful and on-hand. No need to go in search of something special.

Raisins

I used dark raisins but golden raisins would also be tasty. Dried cranberries would also be quite lovely.

Walnuts

I almost always have walnuts on hand so I went for that, however; pecans would likely work just as well. Not a fan of nuts? Simply skip them – you could add more raisins instead if desired.

Cinnamon

You toss the cinnamon with the apples, raisins, and walnuts and then add it to the bread dough. Cinnamon can sometimes cause issues with yeast and rising. I didn’t use so much here as to cause any problems.

You could also use any other spice or even apple pie spice instead, if desired.

Bread Shape

I shaped these loaves into a kind of oblong shape. But you could do most anything you wanted. Large rounds would be nice, too. 9X5 inch bread pans could work, too.

The dough would make lovely braids, if you want to tackle that or make them extra special.

As always, if you change the shape, watch the baking time just to be sure.

Loaf Size

The recipe as written turns out 2 very large, over 2 pound loaves. You could make smaller loaves, say 3 or 4 instead. Again, watch the baking time and check for doneness sooner if you go smaller.

Making them smaller could be ideal for holiday care packages or gift baskets.

How to Serve

There’s no reason to get complicated here. It’s ideal toasted and served with peanut butter or cream cheese for breakfast.

It makes tasty peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, too.

For something savory, consider using it for chicken salad sandwiches.

I didn’t try it but believe it would make excellent french toast.

How to Store

Keep baked and cooled bread stored in an airtight container where it should stay fresh up to 5 days.

For longer term storage, put baked & cooled loaves into plastic bags or other containers and freeze. You could slice and then freeze, so that you can just pull out a slice or two when you want it.

Use up any frozen bread within 6 months for best flavor. Let frozen bread thaw on the counter prior to serving.