This year’s fall harvest has been one of the best ever for apples in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. So what better way to celebrate the season than enjoying hearty home-made bread featuring Lancaster County apples?
This Apple Praline Bread recipe can’t be beat. It masterfully blends the tartness of Granny Smith apples with the sweetness of pralines. Definitely DO try this at home!
Apple Praline Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
For the bread:
1 cup sour cream
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups Granny Smith (tart) apples, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup toasted, chopped pecans, divided
For the praline sauce:
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter
Making the bread:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Set aside.
2. Spray a skillet with non-stick spray. Heat skillet on medium high heat, add chopped pecans and cook until evenly toasted, stirring / moving pecans throughout.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat together the sour cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended, (about 2 minutes). Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Continue to beat until for another minute, until well blended.
4. Fold the apples and half the nuts into the batter. Transfer the batter into the greased loaf pan.
5. Sprinkle the rest of the nuts on top and then press them lightly into the batter. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top becomes too dark before the bread is cooked through, put a “foil tent” over top of the loaf.
6. Cool in the loaf pan for about 20-30 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Making the praline sauce:
1. In a small sauce pan on medium heat, combine the butter and brown sugar, bringing it to a boil.
2. Lower the heat and simmer lightly for about one minute, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.
3. Remove the sauce from the heat, and then drizzle it over the bread. Cool completely.
I hope you’ll love this recipe as much as my guests and I do. Please do share your comments, and let me know!
