Praline-Apple Bread

By Addie

Praline-Apple Bread is decadent enough to serve as dessert. Sour cream is the secret to the rich, moist texture of this bread. There's no butter or oil in the batter―only in the glaze.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, divided
• 1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped, peeled Granny Smith apples (about 3/4 lb.)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake 1/2 cup pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring after 4 minutes.

2. Beat sour cream and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until blended.

3. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients. Add to sour cream mixture, beating just until blended. Stir in apples and 1/2 cup toasted pecans. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chopped pecans; lightly press pecans into batter.

4. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, shielding with aluminum foil after 50 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.

5. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a 1-qt. heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, and spoon over top of bread; let cool completely (about 1 hour).

Note: To freeze, cool bread completely; wrap in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

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REVIEWS:

I thought the "bread" part of this recipe was moist and delicious, but found the topping too sweet for my taste. Maybe a pecan crumb topping with less sugar & butter next time. I like the cinnamon and nutmeg idea as well.

Very good and rich. Loved the topping.

This turned out fantastic! I added 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg as a few other reviewers suggested, and it was great. I was a little afraid the cinnamon would be too overwhelming, but it added a nice hint of flavor. I didn't make the glaze, in an effort to be a bit healthier, but I might next time. I think the glaze would be beautiful if I were taking this dish somewhere or serving it as dessert for company. Highly recommended!

After reading the reviews, I tried this bread with 1&1/2 teaspoons of apple pie spice. The only kind of apple I had on hand was Red Delicious, so I used that. Also, I made it in 4 mini-loaf pans and baked for abt 32 min. I thought the bread was pretty good, but after I let it sit overnight, it was FABULOUS! I will definitely make this again, and I'll be sure to make it a day before I plan to serve it.

Very good. I used golden delicious. I really like that it is not too sweet or otherwise the topping would be too rich. It all works perfectly together. The only thing I altered was I increased the pecans and apples by half a cup each.

The ingredients are good but the bread comes out too bland.It really needs cinnamon, ginger , apple pie spice etc. to rev it up. I doubled the recipe nd added 1/8 tsp. ginger and nutmeg but it ws not enough to make a difference. The praline glaze is awesome !!

I made this exactly as written and it was wonderful. This is my new favorite baked goody! Easy to make too!

I was very disappointed with this bread. I followed the recipe exactly and it baked perfectly. However, it tasted very bland. I couldn't even taste the apples or the toasted pecans. It simply tasted like an unsweetened (pound) cake. The only reason I'm rating two stars is because of the topping.

This is to Maria, who said the bread portion was bland. If you followed the recipe and used Granny Smith apples, that in inself would give the bread a stronger, tart, apple flavor. People, follow the recipe the first time, THEN adjust to your liking. This is COOKING 101! This bread was outstanding.

This cake was simple to make and was moist and delicious.

Made this bread last evening to have this morning. I added 1 tsp. cinnamon to dry ingredients. When I tasted the batter I was afraid the vanilla had a bitter taste, but did not notice it in the finished product. I used Granny Smith apples and they had a great taste. It is a wonderful addition to my repertoire of breakfast quick breads. Will definitely share this recipe with others. The topping is really good, too.

As soon as I seen this in the Southern Living magazine I knew it would be a winner . . . and I was not disappointed . . . It's delicious!!! I did reserve a little of the flour and mixed my chopped apples and nuts in it before adding to the mixture. This way the apples and nuts do not sink to the bottom of the loaf . . .

The bread was delicious, but I'm not sure if the amount of baking powder is correct. After 35 minutes of cooking, a lot of the bread oozed out one side of the pan. It was a mess, and I was using the correct size pan. Did anybody else have this problem?

I made this bread the same day I received my September issue. Wow, this bread is super fantastic!! I think I might have baked mine a little too long but the sour cream really was the secret that made it so moist!! Try it, you will love it!!!

Easy, tasty recipe that bakes well and turns out nicely. I found it to be a little sweet for my taste and will cut down on the sugar next time and add some lemon zest. I plan on using this as a snack for my kids and so I will also half the topping in order to make it more health conscious.

I made this bread and loved it. Did not have the problem w the baking soda and it did not ooze over the pan. The only thing I will do different next time is to make half the praline topping (butter/brown sugar mixture) as it covered the entire loaf and was a little rich.

This recipe is outstanding! It's one of the best bread recipes I've ever baked. I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of apple pie spice plus 2/3 cup of raisins and it was over the top. It's a keeper for any occasion.

Took this to a labor day picnic and everyone was asking for the recipe. What a light, end of summer item and useful to cut into squares for clambakes and Thanksgiving! So easy.
MaryBethNYC Posted: 09/09/09
Outstanding

I baked this apple bread for a Labor Day picnic, and it was a winner! Everyone commented on how professional it looked and how delicious it tasted. The only thing I might do differently is allow the brown sugar-butter topping to thicken for a minute before spooning it on top of the loaf. My topping was a bit runny when applied.

This is easy and DELICIOUS! And I even left out the vanilla in the first batch. I mixed a little cinnamon and sugar with the nuts I put on top of the bread batter. Don't cook the praline syrup too long or it will crystalize. We like it for breakfast and I plan to make many more loaves.

Woke up this morning and couldn't wait to try this recipe. I wasn't disappointed! It was moist, light, & delicious. Only thing I did differently was to divide the batter into two 7"x13" loaf pans and bake for 50 mins. Can't wait to share this recipe with my friends! Hubby has already given it a thumbs up!

It is so delicious! I added 1/2 t sp of gound cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg powder into the bread mixture and it is so yummy. I will add a little bit more of cinnamon and nutmeg in future.

Have made several times and always turns out great! This time my sauce had a gritty/thin texture... not sure where I went wrong?

Has anyone converted this recipe for diabetic consumption? I'd really like to try it with a clear conscience.

OMG this recipe is to die for. Made if for company Sat..not a drop left on anyone's plate then my hubby and I proceeded to eat the remainder at every meal on Sunday. Can't wait to make it for Thanksgiving.

The bread is very moist and delicious. I substituted a macintosh and a Honey Crisp apple for the Granny Smith's. Also, I sprinkled a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg before baking. This would be great for brunch.

When I entered this recipe I used the Granny Smith Apples....try it with Honey Crisp Apples or with your favorite type of apple :)

Needs more spice like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. When reading over the recipe, I added them for future use.

I just made this bread last night for the third time. Everyone loves it. I also added a teaspoon of cinnamon. It really is good.

This is an AWESOME recipe. It is moist, delicious, and pretty easy to make. I cut slits in the top of the bread when I was cooling it and poured the topping on it so it could get into the bread. Incredible! It's a definite keeper!!!

This bread is so good! It's very easy to make and I really like that it is low in fat since there is no butter or oil in it. I used low-fat sour cream and the bread still came out nice and moist. The only changes I made were to add 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg per reviewer suggestions below. I also haved the caramel topping recipe - I don't know why you would need more. Half of the caramel topping completely covers the top and drips down the sides a little. The only change I might make for next time is to add a tad bit more salt - I can see where the bread might be bland if you didn't add any spice. It's a great breakfast food or dessert... or snack.

I made this bread to take to work, and everyone raved about it and wanted the recipe. I halved the topping and thought it was perfect. I will definitely make it again and again.

My husband loves this recipe so much he's asked me to make it for his birthday this week! It really is an ideal way to use apples in our diet and since we love pecans, that's more reason to make it often. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.

Excellent recipe! No tweeking needed. Very moist and full a flavor. This is definitely a keeper.

A little disappointed. After reading all the rave reviews, I thought I'd have a masterpiece at then end of this two-hour excursion...not quite. Only minor changes made were: additional 1/2 cup or so of apple, used honey crisp for both sweet and tart, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and omitted the pecans from the batter (kids). Three definite pluses: 1) Aesthetically speaking, it's a work of art...absolutely beautiful presentation. 2) Incredible texture...never had anything so moist! 3) The praline topping is to die for!! BUT...the bread itself doesn't have much flavor. It's sweet but not spicy, not apple-y, not flavorful...it's just kind of flat. Its three very positive attributes make it more than worthy of playing around with, though...so I shall! Perhaps upping the cinnamon and sugar, and adding some nutmeg and clove??? May even throw in a capful of lemon juice (like my apple pie) for added tartness. Of course, my opinion means nothing with three kids in the house yet to try it! :)

How can some people give a recipe a bad review when they don't follow the directions? Amazing! Great recipe. We loved it as is. Will make often.

This bread is fabulous. I used Golden Delicious apples that were still green and crispy and added 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. I only made half the glaze recipe and it was still enough to cover the top and run down the sides. This would be equally delicious as a breakfast bread, snack or dessert. I'll be making this often.

Followed instructions to the letter. This turned out to be leaden, bland, and so disappointing. Glaze was gritty. It is results like this that confirm my decision to stay out of the oven and leave baking to others!!

This is a very moist, delicious bread for breakfast or snack; perfect for gift giving. I found that it works better if batter is divided into to loaves (7.5x4 inches) then baked for 45-50 minutes. My compliments to the person who created the recipe. It is definitely a keeper!

Love it! I'm not a baker, and this recipe tasted and looked like I was... Delicious!!!

This is a wonderful recipe. I think it's more moist like a cake but no matter what you call it all I can say is that it is wonderful. This is a keeper!

This is so good! I added a dash of ginger and about a teaspoon each of nutmeg and cinnamon for some added flavor. I topped the loaf with chopped pecans, baked it 45 minutes, and then topped it with melted caramel instead of the brown sugar glaze. I will definitely be making this again!