Roasted Apple Bread

For some reason, my children love green apples. My son says they are yellow apples. Since I ate all my red apples, I needed a way to use up these yellow apples on my counter. I suggested to the kids to eat them but they still continued to be neglected. I was feeling a little bad for those neglected apples so I made some bread. This bread isn't overly sweet besides the pockets of the filling. My children agree this is a great way to use up those apples. Also, you can make toast with it the next day. This bread is started the night before you want to make it.

Roasted Apple Bread
3 apples, chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp sugar
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 (.25 oz) package of instant yeast
1 3/4 cups cool water
3/4 cups chopped walnuts, slightly toasted
1/4 cups roasted salted sunflower (more for topping the bread)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Spread the apples onto the parchment paper.
4. Bake the apples for 10 to 15 minutes. The apples should be fork tender and not mushy. 
5. Remove the apples from the oven and toss with the cinnamon and 2 Tbsp sugar. Set aside.
6. In a large bowl, mix the flours, 1 Tbsp sugar, yeast, and water until a sticky dough is formed.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. The sprayed side should be facing the dough.
8. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight.
9. Spray an approximately 9x5 bread pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
10. After the dough has rested, lightly flour a clean surface. 
11. Turn the dough onto the floured surface and work in the apples, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.
12. Shape the dough into a log and place in a bread pan. 
13. Sprinkle a few sunflower seeds on top.
14. Cover the top of the bread pan with parchment paper. 
15. Place the bread pan into a cold oven.
16. Set the oven to 425 degrees F. and bake the bread for about 40 minutes.
17. Remove the parchment paper from the top of the bread and back the bread for another 5 minutes or until the bread is a deep brown color.
18. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.
19. Allow the bread to cool slightly before slicing.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour.


One year ago......................I made Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies.

Did you already know.........
-Apples come in red, green, and yellow shades. 
-In the U.S., the first apple trees were planted by the Massachusetts Bay colonists.
-It takes an apple tree 4 to 5 years to produce fruit.