#cider bread

I made this!

I’ve been heckin’ bored, and my sister left some cans of nasty cider that no one wants to drink when she visited for christmas, so when I found the recipe for cider bread, I thought it was ideal! Something to do, and it uses up the crappy cider, and it makes something tasty! It was still rather doughy in the middle when I first took it out, but otherwise it’s delicious. This may be because I used a cake tin for it because I couldn’t find my baking dish, but ah well. I’ll definitely be making this again. Might add dried herbs and garlic for a more savoury thing, or maybe bits of grated apple to it for more fruity sweetness in future attempts. Recipe under the read more if anyone’s interested.

A year ago, a friend of mine had a St. Patrick's Day party that included a potluck. Although I am generally known for my oh-so-goopy cheese dip recipes, I felt like doing something with hard apple cider (the one item I most miss imbibing). As I am prone to many culinary thought experiments, I had earlier mused about making a variation of beer bread albeit with hard cider. I decided to do a little research and go for it. After all, the worst that could happen would be massive fires... partygoers dead from horrible food poisoning... something involving super-intelligent cephalopods from the abyss...

Actually, the worst that happened was figuring out a recipe for an amazing sweet bread that is hyper-infused with apple-y goodness. I've made it several times and have been pestered for the recipe. Here it is. Before going into details, though, I want to recognize the recipe that served as the basis for what became my version. Thank you, Bluebonnets and Brownies.

HARD APPLE CIDER BREAD

(makes 1-2 regular loaves plus some mini loaves)

INGREDIENTS  3 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour  4 teaspoons Baking Powder 1 teaspoon Baking Soda 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt 3/4 cup brown/natural sugar  At least 20 fl. oz. Hard Apple Cider 1 apple  (enough to make 1/2-3/4 chopped) Dried apple rings (enough to make 1/2 cup chopped) Spices  Extra flour for thickening batter

NOTES

The above ingredients are approximate. Even with baking, I tend to play it a little loose.

For the sugar, I usually do a mix of brown sugar (dark if I have it) and turbinado sugar. This bread benefits from sugar with more a molasses undertone. You could also use honey, but this may require more flour and leavening.

The hard apple cider you use should be one that has a strong apple finish to it. I particularly like ciders that I would call dangerous in that a kid could drink one and think it is just apple juice. I particularly like Spire's Dark and Dry. 

While a 20oz bottle is often enough, my loose hand with ingredients sometimes has me needing to add more moisture. It is much more fun to add more cider than boring water.

When I've made this recipe, I've either use one big 20oz bottle of cider or two 12 oz bottles. 

For the apple, I'd recommend a good tangy, eating apple. Braeburns or Fujis work very well.

Dried apples can often be found in a natural foods section. I use Trader Joe's New Zealand Dried Sweet Apple Rings. If you have leftovers, pair them up with a good cheddar (Dubliner cheese goes very well with them). 

For spices, it depends on what flavor profile you want. Most people go all cinnamon and nutmeg when it comes to apples. Like Alton Brown, I prefer to accentuate the apple itself. I add about 3/4 teaspoon of cloves and 1 teaspoon or more of freshly ground grains of paradise. If don't have the other, try some freshly ground black pepper. Basically, I want the spices to give some bite.

DIRECTIONS

Peel and dice the apple to make a little more than a half cup. Make the apple pieces the size you want to find in the middle of bread.

Chop up the dried apple rings to get about half a cup. I find scissors to be helpful as the dried apples can be tough and gummy.

Combine both the fresh and dried apple pieces in a bowl along with no more than half of the hard cider. Let sit for at least 15 minutes. The main goal is to rehydrate the dried apple rings plus infuse the fresh apple as well. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. If you are using honey, do not add at this time. Whisk to combine. 

Add the soaking apples and most of the remaining cider. Leave an ounce or two aside in case you need to add more moisture. Add the honey too if you are using it.

Mix the ingredients. Treat this batter like a quick bread or pancake recipe. You don't need to over mix, and a few dry spots will cook out. The batter shouldn't be too wet or too dry but a bit goopy. Add more flour or liquid depending on the consistency.

Taste the batter. If you want more spiciness to it or more apple-y goodness, add more. The batter is safe to eat raw (and you will want to!). I sometimes sprinkle in more baking soda/powder as I get paranoid about leavening.

Spray loaf pans with cooking spray and spoon batter into each between 1/2 to 2/3 full. Feel free to lick out the bowl and spoon, but be ready for any inebriation that follows.

Bake loaves for up to 40 minutes. Mini-loaves cook much faster, of course. Keep an eye on the risen tops to see if they appear set. They are done when a toothpick in the middle comes out mostly clean.

Let cool before eating.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

I like mine cold with a little butter, but heating it up real in the microwave also works great. 

I used the crumbs with vanilla ice cream or yogurt for extra dessertiness.

This bread also paired well with corned beef and cabbage when I used the grains of paradise. It's still sweet but pairs well with some savory dishes.