Applesauce Bread

I made this Applesauce Bread the other day, and for such a healthy recipe, it is a fantastic option for a quick breakfast or an addition to any brunch menu. If you are on the go, simply brush a layer of low-fat or fat-free cream cheese on a slice, and you are all set. I am making it this weekend for a family breakfast with a light cream cheese blended with frozen raspberries and a vegetarian scramble alongside sliced melon.

I based this recipe on one that a friend gave me from www.epicurious.com. However, the online recipe calls for store-bought applesauce in addition to raisins and nuts. First of all, making applesauce is such a piece of cake. There is absolutely no excuse not to make it yourself. Homemade applesauce has considerably less sugar, therefore less calories than any store-bought option, and, in addition, is the perfect way to use up the apples sitting in your pantry that you know are a day away from the compost pile. (I have included my extremely simple and tasty concoction for Homemade Applesauce below.) I also excluded the raisins and nuts, because excluding them makes the outcome product a lot less dense and also much more versatile, as you can serve it in the morning, or even with a light sorbet or non-fat vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Please let me know what you think of this recipe!

Enjoy!

Homemade Applesauce 
Ingredients
3 pounds of apples, peeled, cored and diced (If you decide, for the nutritional benefits, to keep the peel on, realize that the final Applesauce Bread recipe may not have the desired smoothness of texture)
2 teaspoons cinnamon OR 2 teaspoons apple or pumpkin pie spice
2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Preparation

Boil 1 gallon of water (covered, as it boils faster). Peel, core and dice the apples into small pieces, simply so that they soften rapidly. Place the apples in the boiling water, covered, for approximately 10 minutes, or until they have reach desired tenderness.

Applesauce Bread
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups applesauce
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sour cream

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
Beat together eggs, sugar, and oil. Blend in applesauce, and then sour cream or buttermilk. Mix in flour, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon. Stir in raisins. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 80 minutes. Cool on wire racks.