Applesauce Bread

This is similar to zucchini bread without the zucchini of course. It is extremely moist and solid like a pudding cake. I tweaked this recipe to make it cholesterol free and great for your heart. The wheat bran is sold on the baking isle, I love to toss it in with my bread and muffin recipes. I traded the white flour for wheat flour and to help tone down the typical strong wheat taste I added the right amount of spice and extract. If you don't want to be healthy then substitute the honey for 3/4 cup sugar however this recipe has the perfect amount of sweetness without the sugar especially if you spread honey on a warm slice. My 4 year old son said, "Mommy this is the best cake bread you ever made." He ate 4 slices. You could add what ever you want to this recipe to give this your preferred flair (raisins, chopped walnuts, zucchini, or even try 1/2 cup of diced apples), just be careful because this is meant to be a healthy bread. I'm a raisin fan and I would have put 1/2 cup of them in but they are high in sugar. I thought about the diced apple idea after I already made the bread, but sometimes a smooth bread is better than a textured bread. I was very happy with the end result - a smooth, moist and sweet slice of heaven! I will be making this more often.

I use my bread maker but here are the directions for baking in the oven.

Applesauce Bread

• 2 cups wheat flour
• 1/4 cup wheat bran
• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp of almond or coconut extract
  
• 1/2 cup egg whites (about 3 eggs)
• 2 cups applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare either 2 8x4x2" loaf pans or 16 muffin cups.

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, beat together the wet ingredients. Pour the applesauce mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently, just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Pour batter into prepared pans (fill muffin cups a little over half full to get all 16 of them). For loaf pans, bake 35-40 minutes, or until they test done. For muffin cups, 18-20 minutes. Start testing loaf pans for doneness at around 28 minutes, muffins at 16 minutes.

Serve with honey or Smart Balance spread.