Fall spices, apple cider, and flavorful oat flour combine in this small batch recipe for gluten free apple spice bread recipe. The apple-forward bread features applesauce and spiced Honeycrisp apples nestled inside a moist, perfectly spiced bread.
Gluten Free Apple Spice Bread For Two
This apple spice mini bread is a delicious way to tip-toe into autumn. Honeycrisp apples lend a crunch and sweetness to the quick bread, while cinnamon and spices will have you craving all the apple small batch recipes for the season!
Much like my gluten free apple spice small batch cupcakes and apple pumpkin streusel small batch muffins, this apple bread is soft, moist, and studded with seasoned apples.
Fall Apple Bread Features
- Cozy spices – Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and allspice combine to make a delightful blend of the best fall spices.
- Apple, apple, and more apple! – Apple cider reduction, applesauce, and fresh chopped apples weave their layers of flavor throughout the bread. You can find another apple-trifecta dessert with my small apple cider upside down cake!
- Flavorful gluten free quick bread – Like all of my gluten free recipes, this apple bread doesn’t taste gluten free! Try my small batch gingerbread loaf and see for yourself!
- Sweet mini loaf – Yes, the loaf is sweet in taste and appearance. Made in a mini loaf pan, this fall bread makes a lovely hostess gift, or treat all for yourself!
- Easy to make – No mixer required or hard-to-find ingredients for this recipe!
This recipe was originally published in 2023. It has been updated with post navigation, additional tips, and FAQ’s.
Ingredients and Notes
- Fresh Apple – I like to use Honeycrisp apples for their texture and flavor. Any apple you like to eat will work!
- Applesauce – Unsweetened applesauce is recommended since we are adding our own sugar.
- Apple Cider – The apple cider is reduced to a flavor-packed syrup. The same we use in the apple cider cake, apple cider caramels, and gluten free apple cider donuts.
- Oat Flour – Oat flour gives the bread its structure and soft texture. You can buy ready-to-use oat flour or make your own by grinding rolled oats into flour.
- Sweet Rice Flour – The sweet rice flour combines with the oat flour to give the bread a soft, yet firm texture.
- Tapioca Flour – Tapioca also lends to the soft texture and gives the bread its chew.
- Baking Powder – To leaven the bread.
- Salt – A must have! Salt balances and enhances flavors.
- Cinnamon, Cardamom, Ginger, Allspice – I love this blend because it is spicy, with floral notes from the cardamom. Feel free to improvise.
- Light Brown Sugar – I recommend light brown sugar vs. dark brown sugar for rich flavor without adding too much moisture.
- Granulated Sugar – I love to use organic cane sugar, but granulated white sugar will also work.
- Coconut Oil – Melted coconut oil adds a little fat and keeps the bread moist.
- Egg – 1 egg is all we need.
- Vanilla Extract – For flavor!
How To Make Gluten Free Apple Bread
- Reduce the apple cider – Simmer the cider for about 15 minutes to make a concentrated apple syrup.
- Prepare the apple – Chop into 1/4 inch chunks then toss with brown sugar, cinnamon, and tapioca.
- Mix the dry ingredients – Whisk together all the flours, spices, salt, and baking powder.
- Mix the wet ingredients – Moisten the sugars first with the oil, then combine the remaining wet ingredients and mix well.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients – Stir until no dry streaks remain.
- Rest the batter for 5 minutes – A must to yield the soft and moist bread!
- Half of the batter into the pan – Then top with half of the prepared apples.
- Finish with the remaining batter, then apples – And include all of the juices from the apples!
- Bake – About 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the bread cool completely before serving.
helpful Tips
- Reduce the apple cider – It may seem like extra work, but reducing the apple cider concentrates the apple flavor.
- Chop the apples small – This is a small loaf, so we want small apple chunks. About 1/4 inch pieces work great.
- Let the batter rest – Gluten free batters benefit from time to rest so the flours hydrate. Otherwise, the bread may turn out crumbly and dry.
- Cool the bread before devouring – It is tempting to eat the bread warm – I know! But, gluten free bakes taste much better when they are cool.
Recipe FAQ
What are the best apples for baking?
I usually recommend apples you enjoy eating – but firm and sweet apples work great – like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn or Jazz.
Can I swap in sweetened or flavored applesauce?
You can, but keep in mind we add our own sugar and spices. I recommend using unsweetened for this reason.
Can I bake the bread into muffins instead?
You can. The small batch bread batter may yield 4 muffins. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes.
How should I store the apple bread?
Cover and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the bread for up to 3 months. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature.
More Small Batch Apple Baking Recipes
Recipe
Gluten Free Apple Spice Mini Bread
Fall spices, apple cider, and flavorful oat flour combine in this small batch recipe for gluten free apple spice bread recipe. The apple-forward bread features applesauce and spiced Honeycrisp apples nestled inside a moist, perfectly spiced bread.
INGREDIENTS
Spiced Apples
- 1/2 cup (56.5 g) apples, chopped (1/4 inch chunks; about 1/2 of one apple)
- 2 tablespoons (26 g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon tapioca flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Gluten Free Spice Bread
- 1 cup apple cider (reduced to 1/4 cup)
- 6 tablespoons (34.5 g) gluten free oat flour
- 1/4 cup (30 g) sweet rice flour
- 2 tablespoons (14.2 g) tapioca flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 tablespoons (40 g) light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (40.5 g) organic cane sugar (or granulated sugar)
- 2 tablespoons cold pressed refined coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Reduce the apple cider – Add the apple cider to a small saucepan. Over low heat, simmer the apple cider until you have 1/4 cup. Check every 5 minutes until you have 1/4 cup – mine takes about 15 minutes. Transfer the reduced apple cider to a liquid measuring cup and let cool to room temperature.1 cup apple cider
Spiced Apples
- Chop about half of one apple into 1/4 inch chunks. You want them to be small because this is a mini loaf. Peeling the apple is optional and based on your preference.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the apple chunks, brown sugar, tapioca, and cinnamon. Toss to evenly coat the apples. Set aside at room temperature.1/2 cup apples, chopped, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon tapioca flour, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Gluten Free Spice Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Lightly grease the mini loaf pan and line with parchment paper – cut long enough to hang over the sides of the pan. Note – The mini loaf pan is 3.5 inches x 5 inches.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the oat flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.6 tablespoons gluten free oat flour, 1/4 cup sweet rice flour, 2 tablespoons tapioca flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the brown sugar and cane sugar. Pour the melted coconut oil over the sugars and stir with a fork to combine. Add the applesauce, egg, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Then stir in the reduced apple cider.3 tablespoons light brown sugar, 3 tablespoons organic cane sugar, 2 tablespoons cold pressed refined coconut oil, melted, 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet and stir until no dry streaks remain. Rest the batter for at least 5 minutes to allow the flours to hydrate and the flavors develop.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle half of the prepared apples over the batter, then top with the remaining batter. Sprinkle the remaining apples over the top – including any juices from the apples – and bake for 40 minutes, or until the edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Cool the mini loaf in the pan set on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then carefully lift the loaf out of the pan and cool completely on the wire rack. If needed, run a sharp knife or offset spatula around the edges of the loaf to release the bread from the pan.
- The bread is best enjoyed completely cool and the day it is baked. Store leftovers in a covered container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days.
Loved the recipe?Please consider leaving a comment + star for the recipe! This greatly helps me continue to provide FREE recipes. Thank you!
RECIPE NOTES
- Serving Size – This is a small batch recipe and only tested as such.
- Substitutions – I don’t recommend substituting the flours for a 1:1 gluten free flour blend. Every gluten free flour behaves differently and likely, other ingredients and ratios would need to be adjusted.
- Resting Gluten Free Batter – I strongly recommend allowing the batter to rest for at least 5 minutes to give the flours time to hydrate. I find gluten free flours – especially rice flour – benefit from a rest and bake soft and evenly.
- Best Apples for Baking – My recommendation is use apples you enjoy eating. I like Honeycrisp because they are a nice blend of tart, sweet, and crisp.
- Reduced Apple Cider – Heating and reducing the apple cider amplifies the flavor. If you choose to skip reducing the cider, note that the bread may not have as strong an apple flavor.
- No Mini Loaf Pan? – You can try to make the bread as muffins. The recipe should yield 4 muffins. Your bake time will be reduced – start checking at 18 minutes.
- Freezing the Bread – Baked and cooled apple bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and slip into a tightly sealed Ziploc bag. Thaw at room temperature.
NUTRITION ESTIMATES
Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 54IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.
about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
I've tested, written, and photographed hundreds of recipes on my website. Here you'll find the tastiest small batch desserts - all homemade, all simple, and all for you! Click here to learn more about me!