Apple Butter Loaf

Apple Butter Loaf

Adapted from Bruce Stone by Blue Heron Kitchen

Dedicated to School-Related Professionals

Apple butter rules!  This morning, I found it ruling my fridge, with two opened jars.

I opt for unsweetened and unseasoned apple butter. If you use (or make) apple butter that has added spices, please adjust the spice profile in this recipe accordingly. (I’d leave out all spices, or all that aren’t on the label.)

I baked this loaf for an annual breakfast at school that celebrates and honors our school-related professionals. Without our secretarial staff, custodial staff, our nurse, aides and assistants, kitchen staff, transportation and grounds staff and security guards, we'd be - no, we wouldn't be. This recipe is a symbolic gesture of thanks to our colleagues.

I added a splash of Calvados (apple brandy) to the raisins for a fun SRP breakfast. (Come on, be a sport, two teaspoons of booze in a loaf doth not constitute a trip to the Principal’s office.)

Enjoy this loaf during the cooler and colder days ahead. 

with a smile and song,

jane

Apple Butter Loaf

Ingredients: 

1 ½ c. unbleached, all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 c. cup unsalted butter, softened

1 c. granulated white sugar

1 egg, size large, room temperature

1 ¼ c. unseasoned apple butter, room temperature

2 tsp. Calvados (apple brandy) (optional)

1/2 cup raisins (organic are best!), covered in hot watered for 10 minutes and then drained

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350º F. (175º C). Grease an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan.

If using Calvados, after draining the raisins, add Calvados and set aside.

Measure apple butter. Truc: To measure apple butter (or other soft stuff like sour cream or cooked pumpkin) in a liquid measure cup, put a piece of plastic wrap on top and smooth down the top with your hands. This way you can ‘see’ if you’ve measured out the correct amount.

Measure oil.

Measure sugar.

Truc: Have all ingredients “ready.” (Pretend you’re filming a cooking show!) Seriously, this is called mise en place, where everything is prepared and all you have to do is throw it all together.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon in a bowl. (It’s always best to freshly grind your nutmeg. You can buy who nutmeg in jars. Nutmeg grinders are easy to find in kitchen stores, on Amazon.com and Microplane makes a spice grater.) You’ll be astounded at the difference and those whole nutmegs last for at least a year.

Now it’s simple:

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a separate large bowl until smooth and fluffy. It should become really ‘fluffy.’

Add the egg and continue beating until smooth.

Mix in the flour and apple butter alternating, flour/apple butter/flour/apple butter/flour, until just incorporated. Truc: When you alternate wet and dry ingredients, you always end with the dry.

Fold in the raisins and walnuts, by hand, mixing just enough to evenly combine.

Transfer batter into prepared loaf pan and bake in center of preheated oven until toothpick, inserted in center, comes out clean. Depending on the size of your loaf pan, and how your oven is calibrated, this will probably take from 40-50 minutes. (Start checking for readiness on the early side of 40 minutes and after you’ve had a few sips of Calvados.)

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

yield: 1 loaf