Apple Oat Bread

My hopes were high

When I pulled this recipe out of the box, I thought, Here’s an easy one. It was clearly formatted. All the necessary information seemed to be present and accounted for. And Grandma had even written “good” at the top. She had obviously made it and liked it. 

How to make Apply Oat Bread

Making quick bread isn't hard, thus the origin of the name, I suppose. I followed the directions and stirred together the dry ingredients. The addition of oats to a quick bread intrigued me, and I was excited to see what this uncommon ingredient would bring to the finished loaf.  

I was also excited to use my new grater to prepare the apples. When I was a kid, we had a grater with round barrels and a handle, and you didn’t risk shaving your knuckles when you used it. In those long ago days, shredded cheese wasn’t as readily available as it is now, so our handled grater was one of our most-used tools. I’ve searched for a similar one for years and recently found this one. I liked how firmly it fixed to the counter and how fast the process went.  

My first doubts

Once the apples were swiftly shredded, I combined them with the wet ingredients, then brought both wet and dry together. But when I scraped the batter into the pan, I had my first doubts. The batter nearly reached the top. Was it going to overflow as it baked? Should I have used a larger pan? Should I have split the batter into two loaves? 

A beautiful loaf

Doubts or not, I’d made a vow to follow the recipe as written, so I had no choice but to forge ahead. When the timer went off, I was pleasantly surprised. The domed loaf was a gorgeous golden brown, not just on the outside but all the way through. 

Where’s the sweet?

I buttered a slice, because that’s what Grandma always did, and took my first bite. It was moist from all those apple shreds, and the oats created a wonderfully hearty feel in the mouth. But for a sweet bread, it wasn’t very sweet. The recipe calls for half a cup of honey, and I thought that would be enough. Grandma must have thought so, but I didn't. I ended up adding a drizzle of honey to top it off. 

The verdict    

There are more things to like than not like about this quick bread, so I’m adding it to my digital box with a caveat. I plan to add more sweetener next time, but I’m not sure what kind. Honey has a strong flavor, and any more of it could potentially drown out the spices and the apple flavor of this bread. I might add some brown or white sugar instead. If you’re looking for a moist and wholesome sweet bread that is only slightly sweet, then this is your loaf. Make it as written, or do what I plan to do and fiddle.

Try it and let me know what you think. Click on the link below the recipe card to download and print it.