Fall

Red Rooibos and Gala Apple Bread

August 20, 2013
4.5
4 Ratings
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Makes two 9- x 5-inch Loaves
Author Notes

A delicious bread made with Red Rooibos tea leaves, Autumn spices and Gala apples. —Kimber Brown

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Kimber Brown is a lifestyle photographer, food blogger, yogi, and explorer. She lives in Redondo Beach, California.
WHAT: A new quickbread to add to your holiday repertoire.
HOW: Slice your apples, fold your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients, and send your loaves off into the oven. Top with a brown sugar-y crumble halfway through baking.
WHY WE LOVE IT: We love how refined this quickbread tastes; the rooibos and apple give it a floral fruitiness that feels elegant and special. We see this as part of a brunch spread, or as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea. (We wouldn't mind it as breakfast in bed, either.) —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Bread
  • 2 2/3 cups unbleached white flour
  • 2 tablespoons organic red rooibos tea leaves, loose
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
  • 1 vanilla bean, caviar removed
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 organic eggs, beaten
  • 2 large organic gala apples, peeled, cored, coarsely diced
  • Topping
  • 1/3 cup unbleached white flour
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven toe 325°F. In a mixing bowl combine the Unbleached White Flour, Rooibos Teal Leaves, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon, and Vanilla Bean Caviar – mix thoroughly. Set aside.
  2. In a stand mixer add the Granulated Sugar and Vegetable Oil and mix. Slowly beat in the eggs one at a time. Remove from stand mixer and fold in the Gala Apples. Add the dry ingredients and continue to mix by hand.
  3. Grease your loaf pans, line with wax paper followed by greasing the wax paper. Evenly pour the batter into the two loaf pans and give them a good hit on the counter top to release any bubbles that might have formed.
  4. Bake the loaves for about 20 minutes. While the loaves are baking, combine the All-Purpose Flour, Granulated Sugar, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon and Butter in a food processor. Pulse until the butter has been evenly cut – the mixture should be pretty chunky and the consistency of wet sand. Pull out the bread after 20 minutes and sprinkle the topping on each loaf. Continue to bake for another 35-40 minutes or until your “toothpick test” comes out clean.
  5. Allow the loaves to cool for about 10-15 minutes before removing from their tins and transferring to a cooling rack before enjoying.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Maggie Nowakowska
    Maggie Nowakowska
  • Kaja1105
    Kaja1105

2 Reviews

Kaja1105 October 25, 2016
I've been making this bread for a while, serving it to family and friends, and it is universally loved. The rooibos gives it a complex flavor and beautiful color, and I adore the pronounced presence of the kosher salt. A few tips: You can use any kind of apples that are suitable for baking (even ones that are getting to be a bit past their prime). I recently used one large and two small apples, and I got about four cups or so of apple chunks. It came out perfectly. I'm usually too lazy to use vanilla beans and just add around two teaspoons of vanilla extract.
 
Maggie N. September 18, 2014
Can you tell me the actual amount, by weight or cup measurement, how much apple to use? "Large" is a subjective description of an apple these days.