Updated: September 2021
Onward with the Christmas baking! I believe in trying new holiday recipes because you can discover some really nice ones.
This one will definitely go into the recurring recipe file. It's called Glazed Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread, but is actually made with applesauce (and a little Greek yogurt). There aren't actually any chunks of apple in it.
The combination of ingredients makes a very, very moist and tender cake.
I think Julie at Lovely Little Kitchen is pure genius making the glaze with applesauce and powdered sugar. After letting the bread cool 10 minutes or so, the glaze soaks into it and creates a wonderfully sweet topping to a not-too-sweet bread. It's wonderful!
While taking photos, I ate two slices...can't have an end piece in the picture, right? Then I had to taste a regular piece so I could intelligently (ahem) review it for you. It was all I could do to keep from getting a fork and digging into the whole loaf.
It's an addictive, soft, wonderful little bread. And it makes two loaves so you can give one away and keep one. You'll need to keep one, definitely.
This Glazed Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread is made in two bowls, dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Combine those two, fold gently until just blended (to keep it tender), then bake it.
The texture is so soft and amazing with that slight chew from the oatmeal. I think it would be a really good muffin, too. Add raisins and you'd have an Oatmeal Cookie-tasting bread.
You can halve this recipe easily. The loaves aren't real tall, but they're the perfect size for breakfast, dessert, or a walk-through-the-kitchen anytime snack. It's lightly spiced with cinnamon and makes your kitchen smell like grandma's kitchen during the holidays.
You and your family and friends will love this homemade applesauce oatmeal bread. If you like this, you may also like Oatmeal Honey Apple Cake (also made with applesauce).
Glazed Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread
Great oatmeal bread, lightly spiced , made moist with applesauce and an amazing glaze!
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ C. flour
- 1 C. old-fashioned oats
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1 C. sugar
- ¾ C. vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ C. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 C. applesauce
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- Glaze:
- ⅔ C. powdered sugar
- ¼ C. applesauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease two 8 ½x4 ½" loaf pans.
- In a large bowl, add flour, oats, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder and stir to combine. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs, yogurt, applesauce and vanilla. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by hand until just combined.
- Divide the batter between the two loaf pans and bake for 41-45 minutes (test doneness with a toothpick - it should come out a little moist, but mostly clean).
- Remove from the oven and keep in pan for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the powdered sugar and applesauce in a small bowl.
- Turn out the bread onto a cooling rack with waxed paper under it. Spoon the glaze evenly over both loaves. Allow the glaze to set before slicing.
Notes
Tips and Stuff:
Just fold the ingredients until they're combined - about 15 strokes. You want that lovely oatmeal texture coming through without being tough.
I used a glass loaf pan and a metal loaf pan and both worked equally well. The loaves won't rise quite as high as conventional quick breads, but they end up great.
Let the glaze dry completely before wrapping with plastic wrap.
You can successfully halve the ingredients in this recipe for one loaf.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 204Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 76mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 3g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
Would like to make this loaf, but I am diabetic and dairy intolerant. So I use Oat milk and Stevia. Since Stevia is 200% sweeter than sugar, I am not sure how to balance it all out.
Thoughts or ideas are really welcomed.
I’m diabetic too, I’d just use unsweetened applesauce 🙂 because there’s lots of fiber in apples it really isn’t bad for blood sugar or BG spikes! If you use stevia though I’d maybe 1/2 it, that’s what I usually do with stevia
I'm A diabetic as well. 1teaspoon Of stevia equals 1 cup of sugar.
I’m just about ready to put my loaf in the oven. Once I poured half of the batter in my loaf pan I didn’t like the looks of the scant amount. So poured the entire amount into one loaf pan. I like nice high loaves of sweet bread. The only thing I did different was add about half a cup of mini chocolate chips, I have my own homemade applesauce, chunky with raisins and cinnamon and no added sugar. I’ve made cakes with my homemade applesauce and it’s fantastic . Hope is turns out as good as it looks in the picture.
Chocolate chips - that's interesting! I hope it comes out well for you. Yes, the two loaf pan does make short loaves. A lot of people like to make it in one loaf pan and bake it longer.
Quick question: It states serving size is one slice--20 slices. Is this for one loaf that equals 20 slices or both loaves together would yield 20 slices? Thank you.
Hi Eileen - that's for both loaves, sliced about 3/4" per piece.
I Like tall loaves also. How did it turn out?
Seeing the glaze is added prior to the loaf being completely cooled, is it meant to seep in the loaf?
Hi Lynne! Putting glaze on the warm loaf does allow it to soak in a bit and make it even a little more moist.
Hi! This recipe is amazing!! The whole family loved it!! Can I use Quick oats instead of Old Fashion? I feel the oats were a little “cardboardy.”
Absolutely, Sara! More often than not, I use quick-cooking oats.
What can be used in place of oil?
Hi Christie! Usually I recommend applesauce or yogurt as a healthy alternative, but they are already used in this recipe and I'm not sure how the texture will come out if you increase those amounts. You could use the same amount of melted butter, if you prefer.
Butter melted and cooled!!!! You’ll have to look up to compare the two!!!! Ghee…better known as clarified butter!!! It would have no milk in it!!!
Hopefully that helps
I made this today with a couple substitutions to make it gluten and dairy free and it was delicious (I used King Arthur 1:1 flour and swapped the yogurt for full fat coconut milk).
I also read the other comments and did this in a single loaf and baked for 75-80 mins.
Thanks for the comment, Christina. After reading the comments from others here, I also got the King Arthur 1:1 and made it for my niece for Thanksgiving. It came out a little denser, but pretty good and she enjoyed it. I'm very impressed with that King Arthur flour. Haven't tried the one big loaf yet, but will put that on my list!
What can I use instead of yougert?
Hi Ashley, you can try sour cream as a substitute (make sure it's full-fat sour cream).
I am going to try it with blended cottage cheese.
Hey Susan, I never comment on recipe posts for some reason, but this one has been such a success in my house I felt it necessary to tell you about it! The only substitution I made in making this loaf was using Robin Hood gluten free flour, and it was absolutely demolished by my very picky-about-gluten-free-things family members 🙂 Thank you for the amazing recipe.
Wow, that's great Kayla. I have a niece who is gluten-free and will be excited that this recipe works with gluten-free flour. Thanks!
Hello, I’m a stay at home husband now after retiring and do one of the things I love Cooking and Baking so while my wife has about a year left she’s enjoying the benefits of me being home. I just made the bread and used 6 mini bread pans and adjusted the cooking time and they came out Beautiful, Jen likes to share my baking goods with the PD family so has been fun getting a lot of positive feedback from them. Followed the directions and everything came out perfect and delicious. Thanks for sharing this. Happy Baking Everyone.
Andy in Arizona. 🌞
Mini-pans - great idea Andy! Sounds like you have the best post-retirement job now!
I have the mini loaf pans and was wondering how long you baked them for? I haven't tried this recipe yet but plan too!
Hi Barb, start checking the mini loaves at 20 minutes. Toothpick will still have moist crumbs, as this is a very moist bread, but shouldn't be wet.
Can I use buckwheat flour instead of wheat flour?
It might result in a denser bread since it has no gluten, but Kayla said she used gluten-free flour and it came out well.
I am going to make this recipe today ☺️. Can I blend the oats? Thanks 👍
What could I substitute eggs with? More applesauce or a banana? Egg allergy ☹️
Hmm, Lauren. This is so very moist, I would hesitate to put more applesauce - it might end up mushy. Banana might work (and add an interesting flavor, too!)
There are egg replacement products you can buy at the grocers or on line that should do the trick.
Does this need to be refrigerated?
This is OK to set out for a day, but would refrigerate any leftovers, then set out at room temperature 30 minutes before serving again.
I was wondering if I could make these into jumbo muffins and if so, baking time..?
Hi Liz. It's a very moist cake, so you'd have to monitor the baking. I'd start checking at 25 minutes - the toothpick/tester should have crumbs on it, but not be super wet.
If I am making mini loaves, what should I change the oven temp and baking time to?
Hi Sheryl. I would leave the oven temp at 350°, but start checking at 20-22 minutes with a toothpick to test doneness. It's a very moist bread, so a few crumbs will cling to the toothpick.
I am going to make this recipe today ☺️. Can I blend the oats? Thanks 👍
Hi Sophie - the whole oats give it a certain texture, so not sure how blending the oats would affect the texture. Sorry I can't be of more help. Hope you enjoy the bread!
Hi,
Thank you so much for the response. I do like oatmeal but not chunks of it in baking unfortunately 😞. Do you think I could leave it out of the recipe?
Thank you,
Sophie
This is an amazing recipe, super easy and quick to make and tastes crazy good! I’ve kicked out a dozen loaves over the past month and family keeps requesting this.
I’ve done a few additions, to lighten up the bread I do separate the eggs and whip whites to soft peaks before folding into batter also adding dried cranberrys, toasted pecans or almonds are great!
Thanks for this one, it’s a keeper
Wow, a dozen loaves! Your suggestions sound good - whipping the white probably keep the loaf lighter.
Can these loaves be frozen?
Yes, but I would freeze them without the glaze.
This had a good,flavor-however the recipe said to divide into 2 loaf pans. But it really should have been 1 pan-it made a very small loaf-since it was divided-and it never rose. I made it exactly according to the directions.
It does make rather short loaves. If you make it all in one pan, be sure and add extra time and check for doneness.
Could I make this without sugar?..
I've not tried it with a sugar substitute, but I'm not thinking the flavor and texture would work without sugar.
Try monkfruit! I bake with it all the time.
Could you use whole wheat flour?
You might try half and half (half wheat, half all purpose). It might make the cake quite a bit heavier if you use all wheat flour.
I have steel cut oats in my pantry .i once read these could be soaked to soften so I could use in a recipe. Do you agree ?
Thanks,
Linda
Yes, Linda. I agree it should work.
I am wondering if this would work well with almond flour to make it a NG recipe?
Hi Abby. Yes, I think fine almond flour might work. The texture would be a bit more coarse, but it was substitute OK.
Do we use All Purpose Flour?
Yes - all purpose flour. 🙂
Sweetened or unsweetened applesauce?
I use sweetened, Tina. But I think unsweetened would be OK, since it has a cup of sugar - just a little less sweet overall.
I don't care for yogurt. Do you think it would make a big difference to omit it and replace with more applesauce? It looks like a great bread!
Sour cream would be a good substitute for the yogurt. I'm not sure how the texture would turn out with all applesauce.
Im dairy free so I’m using coconut milk; full. Ive used it in other recipes and it normally turns out well. I will send a post once it is done.
Thanks Connie!
I really like this recipe. I just made my second batch in two days. My family and I really enjoyed it.
So glad you liked it, Deborah. This is one of our favorites, too!