Applesauce Bread

Bake a loaf of this whole grain applesauce bread seasoned with a dash of cinnamon and savor the rich, buttery flavor.

By: Jodie Shield, MEd, RDN

What do you do with that half-eaten jar of applesauce tucked away in your fridge? Don’t toss it, make applesauce bread. I decided to lighten up my mother-in-law’s applesauce bread. She gave me her recipe twenty-five years ago and let’s just say, it was time for an update. For starters, I cut back on the sugar. To add fiber and whole grain, I use white whole-wheat flour. Rather than butter (I know it tastes so rich, but … too much saturated fat!), I  use heart-healthy canola oil and a splash of buttermilk. Even with all of these healthy updates, my revamped applesauce bread is super moist and still has a buttery flavor. Not a fan of ready-to-eat applesauce? Check out my recipes for homemade applesauce and chunky homemade applesauce. You’ll also find both recipes on my FREE app Eat Healthy Homemade Meals.  In the meantime, enjoy my applesauce bread.

Applesauce Bread

Makes 12 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

nonstick cooking spray

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

3 large egg whites

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup low fat buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Coat a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder together. Set aside.
3. Beat the egg whites, sugar and oil. Blend in applesauce and buttermilk. Add flour mixture and stir until moistened. Stir in raisins.  Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Nutrition Information per slice:

228 calories, 3.5 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrate, 9.5 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, 0.5 milligrams cholesterol, 2.5 grams dietary fiber, 78.5 milligram sodium

Photo credit: iStock by Getty Images.