Apple Crumble Bread (Easy Moist Recipe)

Quick Summary: This apple crumble bread is a moist, cinnamon-spiced quick bread made with brown butter, grated fresh apples, and a buttery crumble topping. The batter is mixed by hand, poured into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, and baked at 300°F (150°C) for 80 to 90 minutes. It makes one loaf and keeps for up to a week.

What is apple crumble bread?

Apple crumble bread is a moist, cinnamon-spiced quick bread studded with fresh apples and topped with a buttery crumble (streusel). It bakes in a standard loaf pan and slices like a cake, so it works for breakfast, a snack, or an easy dessert.

Unlike a yeasted loaf, this crumble bread is leavened with baking powder, which means no kneading or proofing. The tender crumb comes from butter, sugar, and eggs, while the crisp crumb topping adds the same cozy flavor as a classic apple crumble.

Why you'll love this recipe

1. This crumb bread recipe is easy and affordable to make. It calls for only basic ingredients.
2. It is a perfect recipe to make with kids: they love to make the crumble. Yes, they squeeze it and press it into the batter as much as they can!
3. Apple bread with crumb topping is one of the most famous fall recipes. It is the best way to celebrate apple season.
4. It is moist and crunchy, sweet and full of apple flavor.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Butter: use unsalted butter to make brown butter (beurre noisette in French) and salted butter to make the crumb topping.

• Brown sugar: the recipe calls for golden brown sugar, but feel free to use muscovado sugar (for the deeper caramel flavor and taste) or white granulated sugar.

• Eggs: use large eggs at room temperature.

• Flour: this quick bread is made with all-purpose flour, but you can replace it with whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free flour.

• Baking powder: use fresh aluminum-free baking powder (not baking soda).

• Cinnamon: use ground cinnamon that pairs beautifully with apples.

• Apples: they are the star of this apple crumble loaf. Use about 2 medium fresh apples, peeled or unpeeled. The recipe calls for grated apples, but you can replace up to half with diced apples for more texture. I don't recommend using only diced apples, as the batter is too thick to incorporate them evenly.

• Maple syrup: it is a lovely addition to this quick bread recipe. Replace it with golden syrup if desired.

• Icing sugar: make it yourself with a coffee grinder or buy powdered sugar.

• Toasted hazelnuts add a crunchy texture and rich, nutty flavor to the topping. To toast hazelnuts at home, heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and toast them for about 15 minutes. Let them cool, then chop them with a knife or pulse them in a food processor to your desired size.

Equipment

To make this apple crumble bread, you will need:

• 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan
• mixing bowls
• stand mixer or electric mixer
• box grater
• saucepan
• rubber spatula
• wire rack

How to make crumble bread

Step 1. To make the streusel topping, mix brown sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, cold salted butter (cut into small pieces), and chopped toasted hazelnuts in a medium bowl.

Step 2. Mix with your fingers to obtain the moist crumbs that resemble coarse wet sand. Reserve in the fridge (photo 1).

Step 3. Next, make the brown butter. Place the unsalted butter in a small saucepan, and heat it on medium heat for about 5 minutes. The melted butter will go through the foaming stage, then turn brown with small brown flecks and a nutty flavor (photo 2).

Step 4. Pour brown butter (with solids) into a small bowl to stop cooking. Let it cool to room temperature.

Step 5. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Butter and flour a 9 x 5-inch silicone loaf pan or 23 x 13 cm baking pan. Make sure to read about baking with silicone molds.

Step 6. To make the bread batter, pour the brown butter into a large mixing bowl, add sugar, and beat with an electric mixer for 1 to 2 minutes (photo 3).

Step 7. Next, add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, spices, and salt, then sift the dry ingredients.

Step 8. Add the flour mixture to the main mixture and gently mix with a rubber spatula (photo 4).

Step 9. Grate the unpeeled apples (no need to wring them out) and add them to the batter. Mix to combine. Add maple syrup and gently mix (photo 5).

Step 10. Pour batter into the prepared pan (photo 6).

Step 11. Remove the crumble from the refrigerator and sprinkle the streusel on top. Lightly press the crumb topping to adhere to the batter (photo 7).

Step 12. Bake the bread for 80 to 90 minutes. Then, insert a toothpick in the center of the loaf: if it comes out clean, the bread is ready (photo 8).

Step 13. Let the sweet bread rest in the pan for 30 minutes. Then remove it and let it cool on a wire rack. Dust the cooled loaf with a little icing (powdered) sugar, if desired.

Expert tips

1. Spray your baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or use parchment paper (leave large edges of paper on the sides of the mold) instead of buttering and flouring the tin.
2. Use 5.3 oz. (150 g) of softened butter (unsalted) to make the bread batter if you want to skip the brown butter step. Whisk it with brown sugar for 5 minutes in this case.
3. Use grated apples (as in the recipe), or replace half of the grated apples with apple pieces. Peel apples or don't peel; it is a personal preference.
4. Don't overmix the bread batter: mix ingredients until just combined.
5. Use a fork, two butter knives, or a pastry cutter to make the crumble topping.
6. Make crumbs bigger or smaller by squeezing the crumb topping mixture in your fingers or by rubbing and fluffing the streusel dough with your hands.

Recipe variations

This crumble bread recipe is easy to adapt. Here are the best ways to change up the flavor, texture, and topping:

• Play with the crumble topping. The crumble topping is the easiest thing to customize for extra crunch. Add a little more cinnamon, or fold in chopped pecans or walnuts for a Dutch-style finish, then drizzle maple glaze over the top.
• Deeper caramel flavor. Swap the brown sugar for light or dark muscovado sugar for a richer, caramel note, or use white sugar for a lighter taste.
• Make it extra moist. Replace the butter with a flavorless oil such as grapeseed, avocado, or coconut oil. For 3.5 oz (100 g) butter, use ⅓ cup (80 g) vegetable oil, or coconut oil at a 1:1 ratio. Olive oil is stronger, so save it for recipes like this apple and olive oil cake.
• Change the flour. Use whole wheat pastry flour or a gluten-free blend in place of all-purpose flour, or mix whole wheat and all-purpose at a 1:1 ratio.
• Add mix-ins. Stir in chopped nuts, dried cranberries, or raisins, but keep it to ¼ to ⅓ cup so the batter does not overflow the pan. A little orange or lemon zest adds a bright, citrusy note.
• Choose your apples. Use one variety or mix two, such as sweet Honeycrisp with tart Granny Smith. Jonagold and Honeycrisp lean sweeter, while Cortland and Golden Delicious give a nice balance.

Storing & freezing

Store the apple crumble bread at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. In the fridge, wrapped well, it keeps for up to one week.

To freeze a whole loaf, once the bread is completely cool, wrap it tightly in plastic and aluminum foil, or seal it in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.

To freeze slices, slice the loaf, wrap each piece individually, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or warm a slice gently before serving.

Recipe FAQ

Do you have to peel the apples for apple crumble bread?
No. Grating the apples with the peel on works well here, since the peel softens during the long bake and adds fiber and color. Just grate the unpeeled apples, and there is no need to wring out the juice.

What are the best apples for apple bread?
The best apples for apple bread hold their shape well when cooked, such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Macintosh, Gala, Pink Lady, Jonagold, and Fuji.

Why is my apple bread dense or soggy?
Overmixing the batter or using too much fruit are the usual causes. Mix just until the flour disappears, keep add-ins to ¼ to ⅓ cup, and make sure the loaf bakes fully, testing with a toothpick before you pull it from the oven.

Can you make this recipe as muffins?
This apple crumb bread recipe makes 15 regular muffins or 48 mini muffins. Pour the batter into a lined or greased muffin tin and bake at 300°F (150°C). Bake for 45 minutes for muffins, or 25 to 30 minutes for mini muffins.

Can you turn this recipe into mini loaves?
Yes, you can make four mini loaves from the recipe. Fill each mini loaf pan (9 oz) with batter, sprinkle with streusel, and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 50 to 60 minutes.

Love quick bread recipes? Try these next!

• Pumpkin Streusel Bread (Moist and Easy)
• Christmas Banana Bread (Cinnamon Gift Loaf)
• Carrot Pineapple Bread (Carrot Cake Loaf)
• Banana Bread Without Baking Soda

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.