Sourdough Apple Bread
Every bite of this sourdough apple bread tastes like apple pie. It’s soft, fluffy, and swirled with a sweet cinnamon-apple mixture. There’s no better bread to enjoy during the fall!
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This bread is perfect for fall. Here are a few other fall recipes you should try using your sourdough starter: sourdough pumpkin bread, sourdough pumpkin bagels, and sourdough apple danish.
Sourdough Apple Bread Recipe Video Tutorial
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tastes Like Pie: The cinnamon, brown sugar, and apple swirl make this bread taste like apple pie!
- Easy to Make: Just like my regular sandwich bread, this apple bread is super easy so anyone can make it.
- Soft & Fluffy: The crumb of this bread is super soft and fluffy. It’s almost like a cloud.
- Perfect for Fall: A slice of this bread is the best treat alongside a cup of coffee during fall.
Best Apples to Use
You’ll want to use some sort of sweet apple for this bread recipe. That means no granny smith or tart varieties. Tart apples are delicious in other dishes, especially dipped in caramel, but not for this bread. Here are a few options I recommend:
- Pink Lady (my favorite!)
- Honey Crisp
- Golden Delicious
If these three options aren’t available for you, you can also use these varieties, but I recommend the three above the most:
- Red Delicious
- Fuji
- Gala
Ingredients You’ll Need
Bread
- fed sourdough starter (fed 4-12 hours before using)
- all-purpose flour
- water
- salt
- avocado oil (or melted butter)
- raw honey
Filling
- small apples
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- light brown sugar
- all-purpose flour
- melted butter
Kitchen Tools You’ll Need
- Large Glass Bowl
- Bread Whisk
- 9×5″ loaf pan— this is the perfect loaf pan size; stainless steel is best.
Variations To Try
If you desire, you can use a mixture of different kinds of apples. This will give your bread a more complex apple flavor.
How to Make This Sourdough Apple Bread Recipe
Make the Dough
In a mixing bowl, combine the starter, water, honey, avocado oil, and salt until combined.
Add in the flour and mix until combined. It will be shaggy, so use your hands to finish combining it into a dough ball until all the flour is incorporated. (If your dough isn’t coming together, add in 1-3 tablespoons of water to help).
Turn the dough out on the counter and knead for 5 minutes by hand or with a bread hook on an electric mixer. If you need, add a little flour if the dough is sticky.
Place dough back in the bowl and cover loosely with a towel or lid.
Let dough bulk ferment on the counter for 10–12 hours.
Make the Filling
Peel and fine dice all three apples. You’ll want very small apple chunks.
Add cut-up apple into a mixing bowl and add cinnamon, salt, brown sugar, and flour. Mix to combine until all flour and brown sugar is coated on the apples.
Cover and place in the fridge until your bread is done bulk fermenting.
Shape the Loaf
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the bulk fermentation is finished, turn the dough out on the counter (no flour needed), and stretch out into a rectangle (about 8×10″) with your hands.
Brush the rectangle of dough with melted butter.
Get the apple mixture out of the fridge and stir it. Spoon it out onto the buttered rectangle of dough and spread it evenly so it’s covering the entire slab of dough.
Use your hands to press down the apples into the dough.
Starting at the smaller 8″ end, TIGHTLY roll the dough into a log. Pinch the seam together with your hands and fold under the ends so the filling doesn’t fall out.
Place the shaped loaf in a lightly greased 9×5″ loaf pan and cover with a tea towel.
Let it rise for 2-3 hours on the counter.
(Optional: if you don’t have time, place the loaf pan in the fridge after the 2–3 hours are finished until you’re ready to bake. It can sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours.)
Bake the Bread
Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter right before you bake it.
Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.
Immediately after baking, place the bread pan on a wire rack and brush with butter to ensure a soft crust. After 10–15 minutes, remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool the rest of the way.
My Tips for This Recipe
- Feed your sourdough starter a 2:1 (flour to water) ratio for 4–12 hours before making this recipe.
- Don’t skip the stretch and fold/kneading process.
- Use avocado oil for the fluffiest bread.
- Use a sweet apple that’s full of flavor. My favorites are Pink Lady apples.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days. Refrigerate any leftover bread in the same airtight bowl for a maximum of 5 days. It’ll stay fresh and pretty moist in there.
Other Fall Sourdough Recipes
- Sourdough Cream Cheese Apple Danish
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bread
- Sourdough Pumpkin Bagels
- Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Sourdough Pumpkin Scones with Chocolate Chips
If you try this recipe and love it, come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @plumbranchhome
Sourdough Apple Bread
Ingredients
Bread
- 1/2 cup fed sourdough starter (fed 4-12 hours before using)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or 4 Tbsp melted butter)
- 2 Tbsp raw honey
Filling
- 3 small apples
- 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed into measuring cup)
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a mixing bowl, combine the fed starter, water, honey, avocado oil, and salt until combined.
- Add in the flour and mix until combined. It will be shaggy, so use your hands to finish combining it into a dough ball until all the flour is incorporated. (If your dough isn't coming together, add in 1-3 tablespoons of water to help).
- Turn the dough out on the counter and knead for 5 minutes by hand or with a bread hook on an electric mixer. If you need, add a little flour if the dough is sticky.
- Place dough back in the bowl and cover loosely with a towel or lid.
- Let dough bulk ferment on the counter for 10–12 hours.
Make the Filling
- Peel and fine dice all three apples. You'll want very small apple chunks.
- Add cut-up apple into a mixing bowl and add cinnamon, salt, brown sugar, and flour. Mix to combine until all flour and brown sugar is coated on the apples.
- Cover and place in the fridge until your bread is done bulk fermenting.
Shape the Loaf
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When the bulk fermentation is finished, turn the dough out on the counter (no flour needed), and stretch out into a rectangle (about 8x10") with your hands.
- Brush the rectangle of dough with melted butter.
- Get the apple mixture out of the fridge and stir it. Spoon it out onto the buttered rectangle of dough and spread it evenly so it's covering the entire slab of dough.
- Use your hands to press down the apples into the dough.
- Starting at the smaller 8" end, TIGHTLY roll the dough into a log. Pinch the seam together with your hands and fold under the ends so the filling doesn't fall out.
- Place the shaped loaf in a lightly greased 9×5″ loaf pan and cover with a tea towel.
- Let it rise for 2-3 hours on the counter.
- (Optional: if you don’t have time, place the loaf pan in the fridge after the 2–3 hours are finished until you’re ready to bake. It can sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours.)
Bake the Bread
- Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter right before you bake it.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.
- Immediately after baking, place the bread pan on a wire rack and brush with butter to ensure a soft crust. After 10–15 minutes, remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool the rest of the way.
Video
Notes
How to Store This Bread
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days. Refrigerate any leftover bread in the same airtight bowl for a maximum of 5 days. It'll stay fresh and pretty moist in there.
Amazing flavor and so easy to make!
Great bread for anytime of the day or year.
💫5 stars
I’m so glad you’re enjoying this bread as much as we are! Thank you so much!
Do you not need to complete stretch and folds on this dough like other recipes?
Great question, you do not need to complete stretch and folds for this recipe since you knead the dough for 5 minutes.
However, if you prefer the stretch-and-fold method over kneading, you can use do that instead. If you prefer to do it this way let the dough rest 30 minutes after combining it, do stretch and folds, let rest another 30 minutes, do another round of stretch and folds then bulk ferment.
Greetings from Iceland <3
This is my 7th sourdough loaf and the very first sweet one with a filling. The temperature dropped recently, and I was worried that it won't rise so I put it on top of the radiator to leave it overnight. I did not expect that it turned out really well!! The dough sprang beautifully with tiny bubbles and golden crust, and it tasted sshwo gewd. I wish that I could upload the result here. The recipe gives me hope to keep on exploring sourdough baking. Well done, Molly!
Hello Stella! Yay! Thank you so much for sharing this, I’m so excited you love my apple bread recipe!