Brown butter apple cinnamon bread
Brown Butter Apple Cinnamon Bread
(Because fall doesn’t start until the kitchen smells like this.)
There’s something about brown butter that feels like a magic trick, same ingredient, different dimension. It takes a humble loaf and gives it that deep caramel-toffee edge, the kind that makes people pause mid-bite and say, “What is that?” Then the apples step in, tart, juicy, unapologetically fall, wrapped in cinnamon warmth and just enough salt to keep it from tipping into sweet overload.
This bread walks the line between breakfast and dessert, between “I baked this for the family” and “I’m not sharing the good end.”
It’s cozy, rich, and just messy enough to remind you it’s homemade; the Dough Daddy way.
Ultra-moist, caramel-toffee flavor from the butter, a touch more salt to balance the sweetness, and a rich crumb that holds together beautifully.
Ingredients
Dry
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1¼ tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
Wet
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
¼ cup applesauce
2 medium apples, peeled and diced (Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Jazz) try of of these sweet one and use 1 tart one, like a Granny Smith
Cinnamon Swirl
⅓ cup brown sugar
1½ tsp cinnamon
Optional Topping
Coarse turbinado sugar or chopped pecans
Directions
Brown the butter.
Melt butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until it foams, smells nutty, and the milk solids turn golden brown (about 5–7 min). Immediately pour into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking. Let cool 10–15 min.
Preheat oven.
350°F (175°C). Grease and parchment-line a 9×5” loaf pan.
Mix dry ingredients.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk browned butter, both sugars, eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and applesauce until smooth.
Combine.
Fold dry mixture into wet until almost combined. Stir in apples gently, don’t overmix.
Layer & swirl.
Add half the batter to the pan, sprinkle half the swirl mix, repeat with remaining batter, and swirl with a knife.
Bake.
55–60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Tent with foil if top browns too early.
Cool.
Rest 15 minutes in the pan, then move to a rack. The flavor deepens after a few hours, worth the wait.
Flavor notes
Brown butter = caramel depth that complements apple’s tartness.
Sour cream keeps crumb tender but not greasy.
Higher salt sharpens the sweetness and spice.
Brown Butter Glaze
Ingredients
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1–2 Tbsp milk or heavy cream (start with 1)
½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Steps
Brown the butter.
Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan, stirring constantly until it turns golden and smells nutty (3–5 min). Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
Whisk glaze.
In a bowl, whisk the browned butter, powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Add more milk (½ Tbsp at a time) to reach a pourable consistency.
Glaze the loaf.
Drizzle over the cooled bread, letting it run down the sides. For thicker coverage, let it set 5 minutes, then drizzle a second coat.
Tip:
Warm the loaf slightly before serving, the glaze softens and sinks into the crust just a little, giving you that caramelized, bakery-style finish.
