Heartbeat - Apple Bread

In Heartbeat, written by Sharon Creech, we meet Annie. Annie is a high school student who loves running and drawing. At the moment, these are the only things that seem to be going right for her. She is worried about her pregnant mother and her grandfather, who appears to be growing older every day. Her best friend and running partner Max seems to be upset with her all the time as well.

Amidst all the chaos in her personal life, Annie is given an unusual assignment for her art class. She is to draw one apple for 100 days. Watching the apple change as she studies it on a daily basis helps her to come to terms with the other changes in her life. Because the apple was such an important tool for Annie, I decided to bake something containing apples.

To find this recipe, I searched my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. My family has been baking out of this book for years. Both my mother and my grandmother have one, and I now have one of my own.

I love making quick breads. They are easy to put together and are so moist you don't even need a mixer. I have made zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, and banana bread, but one quick bread I had not tried was apple bread.

I was excited to give this one a try, and I'm glad I did. It's very moist and bursting with apple flavor. I also decided to add a streusel topping which gives the bread a sweet crunch. I will definitely be making this again in the fall.

Apple Bread

Bread
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups peeled, finely shredded apple (about 2 large apples)
1/4 cup cooking oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x4x2 loaf pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Mix well and make a well in the center of the mixture.

In another medium bowl, combine egg, sugar, shredded apple, and oil. Add apple mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened. Batter should be lumpy. Spoon into prepared pan.

Streusel Topping
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Stir together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on top of bread batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.