DUTCH APPLE BREAD

Midwest Old Threshers Cookbook 40th Reunion Limited Edition. When Janice saw this cookbook at a recent estate sale, she showed it to me immediately and told me I needed to buy it. She remembered her mother had a "Threshers" cookbook.  Still trying to convince me to buy it, she told me she bet all of our friends from Iowa had one. 

We were there so I could pay for a freezer that I had bid on the day before. (Our chest freezer died last week.) We were there for the last couple of hours and so everything was 50% off. That meant the cookbook was only 50 cents. So ..... you guessed it ..... I bought it. I haven't had a lot of time to look through it, but I do admit, I found a recipe very similar to one our friend Dorothy (yes, from Iowa) made and I shared with you here on my blog. She said it was a recipe she got from her neighbor back in Iowa. 

The topping on this apple bread (similar to what you would use on a Dutch apple pie) really adds a lot to this apple bread. I had planned to bake it in a narrow loaf pan that is probably 9 x 3 - inches. After spreading all of the batter in the pan, I realized there was too much batter so I took some out and made a mini loaf. The good news is we had the mini loaf to enjoy for ourselves. (I took the larger loaf to Hillcrest Thrift Shop to share.) I usually eat Greek yogurt for breakfast. While the loaf lasted, I also enjoyed a slice of it with my yogurt. I decided to substitute half of the all purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour.  This gives it a less cakelike taste (dessert) and a more nutty taste (breakfast bread).   

DUTCH APPLE BREAD

1/2     cup margarine
1/2     cup sugar/stevia blend
2        large eggs
1         teaspoon vanilla
2        cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1 cup all purpose flour)
1         teaspoon baking soda
1/2     teaspoon salt
1/3     cup buttermilk
1         cup chopped apples
1/3     cup chopped walnuts

Streusel topping:

1/3     cup flour
2        tablespoon sugar
2        tablespoon brown sugar
1/2     teaspoon cinnamon
1/4     cup cold margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray or grease a 9 x 5 - inch loaf pan. (I used a narrower loaf pan and 1 mini loaf pan.)

Cream together the margarine and sugar til smooth.

Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat til smooth.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk to the mixture....starting and ending with the dry ingredients. (I did 3 times dry and 2 times wet.)

Fold in apples and nuts.

Pour into pan(s).

Mix together the streusel topping, cutting in the cold margarine til crumbly. 

(Slice the margarine to make this process easier.)

Sprinkle the streusel topping on top of batter in pan(s).

Bake for 55 minutes or until loaf tests done.  I baked the mini loaf for 40 minutes and the bigger loaf for 50 minutes.

Cool 10 minutes on wire rack.

Remove and continue cooling.