Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Pumpkin Apple Bread with Sunflower Seeds



If you love the taste of pumpkin bread and apple bread,  here is a delightful recipe that contains both! My husband is not a big fan of pumpkin and won't touch pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving but he loves this pumpkin apple bread.


Also filled and topped with healthy, crunchy sunflower seeds you will have a hard time stopping at one slice!

Wondering what those little green spots are inside the bread?  Sunflower seeds contain cholorophyll, which is also know as chologenic acid, one of their healthy attributes.  When they are baked in a recipe with baking powder or soda, they turn green.  There is absolutely no difference in taste whatsoever.  If the sight of green specks doesn't appeal to you, simple substitute chopped walnuts in the batter and save the sunflower seeds to sprinkle on top.


The original recipe calls for boiling apple cider to a condensed syrup but that takes a lot of time so I substituted unsweetened apple sauce for the apple cider.  I found some organic Gravenstein applesauce at my local grocery store which worked beautifully.


I used my Wilton 4-cavity mini loaf pan but had quite a bit of batter left after filling them, so I used it to make muffins.  The mini loaves and muffins are the perfect size for the two of us!  They would also make wonderful gifts during the holidays or for breakfast and brunch if you have having friends or family staying with you. They freeze beautifully!

Pumpkin Apple Bread with Sunflower Seeds

Printable Recipe

Makes 2-3 large loaves (I made 4 mini loaves plus a few muffins)

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or make your own using 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sunflower or other mild vegetable oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1-1/2 cups finely chopped, crisp sweet apples such as Gala or Fuji, preferably organic
1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds* or chopped walnuts

Notes:  If you have more batter than loaf pans, you can use the extra batter to make muffins.  Baking instructions below.

*Don't be alarmed if the sunflower seeds turn green around the edges inside the loaves during baking.  This is due to the natural chlorophyll in the sunflower seeds.  There will be no difference in taste whatsoever.  If the green color doesn't appeal to you, simply sprinkle the sunflower seeds on top and use chopped walnuts in the batter.

Grease loaf pans with butter and line with parchment or spray with a baking spray that contains flour, such as Bakers Joy.

In a large bowl, combine whole wheat and all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.  Stir to blend.

In an extra-large mixing bowl, such as the bowl of a stand mixer, combine granulated sugar, brown sugar and oil. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Add eggs, one at a time and beat well. Add half of flour mixture and mix, then half of applesauce and mix, repeating with remaining flour mixture and applesauce, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree until combined. Then, fold in apples and sunflower seeds. Fill loaf pans 3/4 full and spread evenly. If making muffins, place muffin liners in muffin pan and fill cups 3/4 full.

Bake loaves in a 350 degrees oven for 55 to 60 minutes for 9 x 5-inch loaves, 45 to 50 minutes for 8 x 4-inch loaves or 40 to 45 minutes for 7-1/2 x 3-inch loaves, or until a toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean.  Bake muffins for 25 minutes.

Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely before slicing.

Freezes well.  Wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil to freeze.

42 comments:

  1. Two best quick bread in one! I love how moist and delicious they have turned out. Mini loaves are so much cuter :-)

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  2. These cakes look delicious Susan !Is my favorite type of cakes !!



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    1. Thank you, Gloria! I would often rather eat a sweet bread than a sweet cake also :) xo

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  3. I want to try,these loaves and muffin looks so delicious !A warm hug from misty but charming Trieste !

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    1. They are so good :) Thank you, Chiara! At least it's not freezing in Trieste as it is here! Too cold for only November! Warm hugs, Dear.

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  4. I love the green! And I love minis..AND your checkered pumpkin:)So cute..everything!♥

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    1. The pumpkin was a fortunate find a few years ago :) I think the green adds a bit of color :) Thank you, M!

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  5. How interesting about the seeds turning green. Green things are healthful, right. I like the flavor of pumpkin and apple together.

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    1. I knew never before it happened to me either! I agree, green = healthy :) Thank you, Vee!

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  6. These pumpkin breads look delicious! It’s funny, my husband doesn’t like anything pumpkin either but I do! Love this recipe! Thanks:)

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    1. Maybe he'll like this recipe since my hubby did :) Thank you, Anna!

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  7. I love that this recipe calls for whole wheat flour! Your little loaves look very inviting:@)

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    1. The whole wheat flour wasn't even noticed but another nice health benefit! Thank you, Lynn :)

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  8. I'm not big on pumpkin either but I bet this bread is delicious! My hubby would really love it. I love whole wheat but have never used it in baking, need to change that soon and make this bread! Thanks for the recipe!

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    1. You will never know there is whole wheat flour in this recipe, Pam! Hope you enjoy these as much as we did and thank you!

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  9. I love that you used whole wheat flour in these making them extra healthy! Apple sauce is a great additive and what a brilliant recipe to use both apple and pumpkin. I love pumpkin - in everything and anything. But many do not unfortunately :) But that's means there's more for me! What beautiful gifts these will make!

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    1. This made a pumpkin believer out of my husband :) The whole wheat flour adds a healthy aspect but the bread still remains soft and moist. Thank you, Tricia!

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  10. You taught me something today. I didn't know that sunflower seeds turn green when baked with baking soda or baking powder. We love pumpkin bread and apples, so this is a great autumn sweet bread in my mind. Well done.

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    1. Thanks, Ron! I just realized I said 'well done' to you and your apple cake too :)

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  11. What a good idea to sub the unsweetened applesauce for the boiled cider, Susan! I also didn't know that sunflower seeds would turn green when baked with baking soda or powder. Thank you for sharing your beautiful bread recipe with us. I'm glad that your bread is hubby approved!

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    1. I was so surprised that he liked it. Maybe I can get him to try a piece of pumpkin pie this Thursday :)

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  12. This sounds like a great recipe Susan. Love the sunflower seeds in these.I just made pumpkin bread for the first time and found I actually liked it!

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    1. Thank you, Abbe! I now know that I've been greatly under utilizing pumpkin :)

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  13. What BEAUTIFUL loaves! Yes, I do like both pumpkin bread and apple bread, and this seems like the perfect marriage of the two. The addition of the seeds on top is a good one. I have my Thanksgiving menu planned, but this would pair well with my Christmas ham! Thanks for sharing.

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  14. The mini loaves look delicious, I'd love to give them a try. They would make great gifts as well, being so pretty.
    Amalia
    xo

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  15. I saw your pumpkin bread on Instagram and it inspired me to bake my own pumpkin loaf, xo thanks, Patty

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    1. Hello, Patty! Hope all is well with you and your family! I've kind of abandoned my Facebook page :)

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  16. Susan, this pumpkin bread looks awesome, chunks of apple and pumpkin seeds...it is perfect for the season.
    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  17. What a delicious bread perfect for the coming Thanksgiving! Susan congratulations you have won a copy of Suzanne's novel in my giveaway! Please send me your address so we can mail you the book!

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    1. What a nice surprise, Katerina! I'll send you an email and Thank You!

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  18. Ooh, looks amazing. I am like your husband - hate pumpkin pie, but I love pumpkin cheesecake, and cookies and bread and cake.
    This is so beautiful with the addition of the seeds and the apples. Yum!

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  19. I am discovering your blog through this post…needless to say I will be coming back �� Will try this bread. Thanks!

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  20. This is pretty much my ideal breakfast, I toast it and then slather with butter...yum!!

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  21. Des cakes bien gourmands. J'aime beaucoup.
    A bientôt

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