
Happy end of the week to you all; I hope you're enjoying this lovely fall weather as of late. Today, however, Vancouver and the Island regions are due for several large storms, so I thought it best to get this post together before we lose power. The good news is I already have two of these beautiful apple crunch loafs warm from the oven and ready for devouring, perhaps by candle light...how romantic (nope); I love this recipe, but not in that way...
This Apple Crunch Loaf is a quick bread recipe is made without refined sugar, however, the addition of apple cubes, and dried fruit, brings enough sweetness to make this a healthful, sweet snack or a savoury side for soups etc.
The crunch factor of this loaf is amazing; chia, poppy, flax and sesame seeds all make for a great taste and texture. Flax in particular is very nutritious and gives this recipe a hearty boost of omega 3's, lignans and fibre. Flax, particularly flax meal, is one of the most nutritious plant food around and may help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes; I enjoy flax meal every day. Moreover, the oils in flax do not degrade during the baking process; you can confidently incorporate it as nutritional booster to your recipes. Add flax meal to your morning oatmeal or cereal, or use them as a versatile baking ingredient as egg replacements, adding fibre and nutritional value to your recipes and for adding great crunchy texture; this harvest apple crunch loaf features all the above!

HARVEST APPLE CRUNCH LOAF
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Non-dairy Milk
- 2 tablespoon Flax Meal + 3 tablespoon Water
- ⅓ Cup Virgin Olive Oil [or vegetable oil]
- 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoon Flax Seeds
- 2 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
- 2 tablespoon Poppy Seeds
- 2 tablespoon Chia Seeds
- 1 Large Apple [unpeeled cored + cubed]
- ¼ Cup Dried Currants or Raisins
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350' F. Lightly oil a 9x5" loaf pan and set aside.
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In a large bowl, combine the flax meal and water and let stand for 5 minutes. Add in the non dairy milk and olive oil. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and seeds; mix until well combined.
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Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and stir just until combined. Add the cubed apple and dried currant/raisins and mix until well incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly. Top the batter with more flax seeds (about 1 TBSP) and 1-2 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds if you wish.
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Bake at 350'F for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm or at room temp.
Shraddha says
How can we make the apple crunch bread gluten free. We do not get a blend in india, so which flours and in what quantity can we use
Heidi Richter says
Hello Shraddha! Unfortunately, I haven't tested this recipe with any gluten free flours, so I can't answer that question, unfortunately.