Apple Walnut Loaf

I was looking for a recipe that could use up some Granny Smith apples that were not fresh enough to eat as is but were looking to be cooked.  I stumble upon a great recipe by Inspired Taste and have tweaked it to my taste and how we cook things at home.  I've made this a few times and it always turns out great.  Delicious on it's own, it is also amazing with a slather of butter!

Ingredients:

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled (about 450 grams)

25 grams granulated sugar

100 grams brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

190 grams plain flour - I use a freshly milled wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup neutral oil like vegetable oil or grape seed oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup of roughly chopped Walnuts

How to:

• PREPARE BATTER

1Center a rack in the oven and heat to 170 celsius.  Line a  8 1/2-inch-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with parchment paper 

2Peel and core the apples then use a box grater and shred them. Add the shredded apples to a large bowl.

3Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to the apples and mix well. Set the bowl aside for 10 to 15 minutes. As they sit, the apples will release quite a bit of liquid.

4While the apples sit with the sugar and spices, prepare the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk or sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together.

5When the apples are ready, stir in the oil, beaten eggs, vanilla, until well blended.

6Use a large rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the dry ingredients in three parts, stirring gently until they disappear and the batter is smooth. Stir in nuts.

• TO FINISH

1Pour batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake 55 to 65 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

2After 30 minutes in the oven, check the bread for color. If it looks like it is browning too quickly, loosely cover with aluminum foil.

3When the bread is done, transfer it, in the pan, to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the bread and place right side up on the rack. Cool completely before slicing.