Apple Praline Bread

Someone, from somewhere, at some time posted this recipe on the internet. The recipe sounded so wonderful that I copied it and placed it in my electronic file called recipes. I neglected to note who made available this tasty loaf which has turned out to be spectacular–a winner, a keeper.

Apple Praline Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup nuts (walnut or pecan or a combo), divided

For the praline sauce:
¼ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Set aside. (I used stoneware loaf pan for perfect cooking)

Using an electric mixer, beat together the sour cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla on low speed for a couple of minutes until well blended. Stop the mixer and then add in the flour, leavening agents and salt. Continue to beat on low until well combined.

Fold in the apples and half the nuts into the batter. Transfer the batter into the greased loaf pan.
Sprinkle the rest of the nuts on top and then press them lightly into the batter. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in the loaf pan for about 20-30 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. So it doesn’t get too dark, I suggest using a light colored loaf pan.

For the praline sauce:

In a small sauce pan, place the butter and brown sugar. Using medium heat, bring to a boil. Lower the heat and then simmer lightly for about one minute, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and then drizzle over the bread. Cool completely.

Three days ago, an autumn feeling swept over me, for I felt a chill in the air, observed the veritable rain of falling brilliant leaves, fat acorns kept falling onto our deck and driveway, and Jerry had picked apples off our tree in the back. Baking was called for, I recalled this recipe, gathered all the ingredients and baked up this lovely loaf–well, here you can see we had already delved deeply into the fine sweetness.

It is scrumptious, I tell you.

Exceptional. Very moist with a sugary crust that will cause you to sigh for joy and close your eyes in bliss.

Now it is three days after the fact . . . we–only Jerry and I–just ate the last crumb. 🙂

I made these adjustments in the recipe:

1. It took  10 or 15 minutes longer to cook than the 60 minutes called for. Remember, though, I live at 5000 feet in the mountains. Used the toothpick test and it came out perfect.

2. I used a Pyrex baking loaf dish.

3. The instructions do not say when to pour the praline mixture over the loaf. I chose to do so just after I had removed it from the oven.

4. I used mostly yellow delicious apples with one Granny Smith.

________

Tell me now: Does this sound wonderful, or what? Planning to whip up a loaf? 🙂