I make - Applesauce Oat Bread

You can see I am in the quick bread phase. Here is another quick bread recipe.

I picked up the habit of eating applesauce from my mother-in-law. She used to have compote de pommes (sometimes with plain yogurt) after dinner as dessert. What a nice way to finish a meal without extra burden on the stomach. Since then, I started to eat compote de pommes with Greek yogurt as part of a meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner). I just love it. Where do I get my compote de pommes? It's homemade, of course. And it couldn't be easier. Just cook peeled apple chunks and 1/4 cup of water until they all go soft or pulpy. Add a tablespoon of sugar if you prefer. If you use Bramley apple, a particular variety in the UK, it cooks to a mush. You don't even have to get your blender out.

Today is first day of Autumn. When the weather gets colder, breakfast with toasted quick bread is a really nice way to start. Goodbye overnight oats, see you next summer. 

Applesauce Oat Bread

1 cup (100 g) porridge oats
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup (140 g) gluten-free flour (your favorite blend)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp ground cinnamon*
1 tsp ground ginger*
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg*
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tbsp brown sugar or honey*
a scant 1/2 cup (100ml) plain Greek yogurt (10% protein, 0% fat works fine)
2 tbsps vegetable oil

Soak porridge oats with applesauce for an hour. I find that soaking the porridge oats in advance brings out better texture. If you are in rush, you can skip the soaking stage.

Preheat the oven at 180C. Grease and line a loaf tin.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Stir until well combined and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until slightly frothy. Add brown sugar/honey, 100 ml Greek yogurt and vegetable oil. Stir until well combined. Stir in the porridge oats and applesauce mixture. This is your wet bowl.

Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet bowl and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. If the batter seems a bit dry (i.e. extra flour at the bottom of the bowl), add more Greek yogurt, one tablespoon at a time. Batter will be thick and lumpy – this is fine. 

Pour batter into prepared loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Check at 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow bread to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing and setting on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes:

1. This is a fairly spiced bread. Your kitchen will smell fantastic and autumnal during baking. Feel free to adjust the level of spice to your liking.
2. My preferred level of sweetness for quick bread is 1 tbsp sugar. Feel free to up the sugar to 1/4 cup or more.