If you love sourdough apple fritters, then you better get this sourdough apple fritter bread into the oven asap! It’s the perfect fall treat that you can enjoy any time of the year! This easy to make sourdough quick bread features fresh apples tossed in cinnamon sugar and layered into a tender sponge cake, drizzled in a vanilla glaze.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Quick & Easy Recipe – Despite its gourmet appeal, sourdough apple fritter bread is surprisingly easy to make, requiring simple ingredients and minimal prep time. It’s a simple no wait sourdough recipe you must try!
Irresistible Flavor – Sourdough apple fritter bread will captivate your taste buds with its delightful combination of sweet, tart apples, warm cinnamon, and hints of vanilla. Each bite offers a symphony of flavors that evoke cozy autumn days and comforting homemade treats. It’s sourdough comfort food!
Moist and Tender Texture – This bread boasts a moist and tender crumb, thanks to the addition of grated apples and a generous drizzle of glaze. It’s just like your favorite sourdough apple fritters, but in quick bread form!
Recipe Update!
I originally wrote this recipe in May 2024, and while it was loved by most people, I often had people say they didn’t think there was enough cake and it didn’t fill their pan. While I never had this issue, I have rewritten and retested this recipe to make it fail proof! It now has much more quick bread batter and has been made to fit in a USA pan 1 pound loaf pan. It’s been tested multiple times and has not failed! In fact, this version has receive absolutely RAVE reviews by all who have tried it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Entire loaf was eaten for dessert by 3 adults. Even the 6-year-old loved it. The updated recipe was perfectly moist, balanced flavors and a nice mix of textures. Will definitely add this to the rotation!
Ingredients
- Apples – You’ll need 3 medium diced apples, I’ve used Granny smith apples, but you can use whatever apples you have on hand. I think this recipe works best with green apples though. I generally don’t peel my apples, but you can if you prefer. My apples are 120 grams each (on average) before coring and dicing.
- Granulated Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Vegetable Oil – I’ve used vegetable oil to create this recipe instead of butter because it ensures the best texture. It keeps the cake soft and full of moisture, without it falling apart.
- Sourdough Starter – Like most sourdough quick bread recipes, you can use either active sourdough starter or sourdough discard to make it.
- All-purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Powdered Sugar and Milk – These simple ingredients create the sweet glaze that is drizzled over the top of the sourdough discard apple fritter bread.
How To Make Sourdough Discard Apple Fritter Bread
I’ve used granny smith apples, but you can use whatever apples you prefer. I recommend organising your ingredients and allowing all the ingredients to come to room temperature to ensure the batter comes together more easily, just like when you make sourdough apple muffins.
You’re going to start by making the apple cinnamon mixture. In a medium bowl, toss the apples in the brown sugar and cinnamon until they’re well coated.
Make The Batter
The quick bread batter is surprisingly easy! Combine the eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and whisk until uniform, then add the sourdough starter and vegetable oil to the mix and whisk until well combined.
Now whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and add to the wet ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula until the wet ingredients and dry ingredients are well combined (but be careful not to over mix).
Now to create the layers of this sourdough apple fritter bread, you’re going to divide both the quick bread batter and the apples roughly in half.
Start by adding half the batter to the base of the greased loaf pan. Using a spatula, spread the batter so it covers the base of the pan. To create the middle layer of apples running through the bread, you’re now going to add half of the cinnamon apple mixture on top of the quick bread batter.
Now add the remaining batter to the loaf pan, followed by the rest of the cinnamon apple mixture. This will give you a lovely cinnamon-spiced apple layer in the center and on top of the bread.
Place the loaf pan into the oven and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. The sourdough discard apple fritter cake is cooked through when a skewer comes out clean and the cinnamon apples are browned and a little crunchy on top.
Mix The Glaze
While your apple fritter bread is baking, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy. Once the cake has cooled slightly, drizzle the glaze over the cake while still in the pan. Allow the glaze to soak in a little before transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool before slicing. This sourdough apple fritter bread smells so incredible when it first comes out of the oven that you’re going to want to cut into it right away! Try to be patient though as it will hold together much better if it has time to cool before slicing.
Kate’s Pro Tip
Use The Syrup!
Mixing the apples, sugar, and cinnamon will create a little syrup as the sugar leaches the moisture out of the apples. Pour it into the pan with the apples for a lovely moist texture to this sourdough apple fritter bread!
How To Store + Freeze
This sourdough discard apple fritter bread can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
This recipe freezes really well. You can glaze the discard bread and then allow to cool. Wrap in parchment paper and then wrap in aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before slicing and enjoying.
Sourdough Resources
If you’re new to the sourdough journey, or looking for some help along the way, then these sourdough resources are perfect for you! There’s sure to be something here to help you bake the best sourdough you’ve ever baked!
- Beginner’s Guide to Sourdough Bread (it’s your very own free quick start sourdough guide).
- How To Boost Your Sourdough Starter
- How To Increase the Wild Yeast in your Sourdough Starter
- Most Common Sourdough Starter Questions & Answers
- How To Improve Your Sourdough Oven Spring
Sourdough Discard Apple Fritter Bread
Equipment
- Loaf Pan (measuring 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75-inches)
Ingredients
Cinnamon Apple Mixture
- 3 Apples, (peeled, cored & diced – see notes for more info)
- 75 g Brown Sugar
- 5 g Cinnamon, (approx. 1 tablespoon)
Quick Bread Batter
- 2 Eggs
- 100 g Granulated Sugar
- 5 g Vanilla Extract
- 150 g Sourdough Starter, (or sourdough starter discard)
- 80 g Vegetable Oil
- 225 g All-purpose Flour
- 10 g Baking Powder, (approx. 2 teaspoons)
- 5 g Salt
Vanilla Glaze
- 150 g Powdered Sugar
- 40 g Milk
- 5 g Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and a small loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, make the apple cinnamon mixture by tossing the apples in the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- To make the quick bread batter, combine the eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in a loarge mixing bowl and whisk until uniform.
- Now add the sourdough starter and vegetable oil to the mix and whisk until well combined.
- Whisk the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and add to the wet ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula until the wet ingredients and dry ingredients are well combined – try not to overmix.
- Add half the batter to the base of the greased loaf pan. Using a spatula, spread the batter so it covers the base of the pan.
- On top of the quick bread batter, add half of the cinnamon apple mixture.
- Now, add the remaining batter to the loaf pan, followed by the rest of the cinnamon apple mixture.
- Place into the oven and bake for 55 minutes at 180ªC (350ºF). The sourdough discard apple fritter cake is cooked through when a skewer comes out clean and the cinnamon sugar is a little crunchy on top.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy. Once the cake has cooled slightly, drizzle the glaze over the cake while still in the pan. Allow the glaze to soak in a little before transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Rate and comment below!
Moist favorable quick bread!
My husband wants another today.
Absolutely delicious. I think the vanilla was left out of the recipe for the glaze so I added a teaspoon. I used a 9″ loaf pan because it made too much for an eight inch in my opinion. This is an easy and yummy recipe and we will definitely make it again.
When did this recipe get modified? Is there any way i could be sent the original as it is my families favourite
Hi Kasey, I sent you an email. 🙂
This recipe is amazing!!!! I cut the brown and white sugar back 30 grams and it tastes delicious
Entire loaf was eaten for dessert by 3 adults. Even the 6-year-old loved it. The updated recipe was perfectly moist, balanced flavors and a nice mix of textures. Will definitely add this to the rotation!
YAY! So glad you love the updated version! Thank you so much for commenting and leaving a review! xo
Thank the Lord for recipe that is easy to follow!!! I made this and took longer than suggested to bake because my oven is not programmed correctly (which I learned this morning ha!). Once I figured out the baking time, it was amazing. I made my apples a little chunkier, because I am not the best at dicing things, and I think that made it a little more zesty tasting because I could actually taste and see the apples! I loved the powdered sugar drizzle, and adding it while it was still warm, really made it because it definitely does soak in!! this will be a repeat in our house- even my 18 month old liked!!
Thank you so much for your review, Hannah! So glad you and your 18 month old enjoyed it. 🙂
Hi! Your recipe calls for three medium apples, but do you have the grams measurement for the diced apples? I’m not seeing the “notes for more info” referred to in the ingredients list. I’m planning to try this recipe using my homegrown fuji apples as they’re falling off the tree now and need to be used. They’re rather small apples, though, so not sure how many to use.
My apples are 120 grams each (approximately) before coring and dicing, so I use 300 grams of apples once they’re cored and diced.
This was like divulging into a bakery style coffee cake. So epic and so elevated! No real “bread” crumb either. Super moist like “cake” crumb. Pairs well with your morning or evening coffee. Can’t wait to share with family and friends when visiting.
Would it work to make this in a 9-inch round cake pan that is 2 inches deep? Or is there enough batter and chopped apple mixture that a 9×13 would be a safer bet? I don’t actually own any loaf pans.
It’s definitely not big enough for the 9 x 13 pan, unless you double the recipe. I haven’t tried it in a 9 inch round cake pan, but that’s what I’d tend to do if you don’t have a loaf pan xx
Hello, can you put the dough into muffin tins or donut rings?
Yes you can 🙂
Hello, I made this recipe today and I have a question about the ingredients in your opening. Paragraph you stated that the recipe calls for 100 g of sourdough discard and in the actual recipe under the list of ingredients it says 150 g. Is there a difference between the sourdough starter versus sourdough discard,? I’m looking forward to sharing this friends
Hi Val – the recipe is correct with 150 grams of starter or discard – the only difference is discard is unfed, but either work in this recipe. We updated the recipe recently and increased the amount of starter used and so the old recipe used 100 grams, but the new recipe is correct with 150 grams 🙂 I hope you and your friends love it as much as we do! xo
I’ve been dying to test an apple fritter sourdough bread recipe. You nailed it with this one! I did half butter (40 g), half oil (40 g) and loved the depth of flavor. Highly recommend a good, tart apple. Saving and sharing this recipe…so darn tasty! [Curious about how a muffin tin for individual fritters would work!]
Just tried this today with freshly milled flour (hard white/soft white/kamut mixture) and it turned out great. It almost seemed a little dry, but I think I’m subconsciously comparing it to a pear cake recipe I love to make – it is super moist. Flavor is really nice.
I would be interested in trying to divide the recipe into mini muffin pans to take to my Sunday School class, but I don’t have a clue how to guesstimate how long to bake them for…
Okay, I tried this as mini muffins! I mixed half the apples into the dough, then spooned into mini muffin pan, and topped each with remaining apples. I baked them at 350 for 15 minutes and that worked out perfectly in my oven. Thank you again for this recipe!
I made this today and the taste is amazing. I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil only for personal preference, and used an Amish Sweet Starter. Also made a loaf with regular sourdough starter and still has an amazing taste.
This was delicious, but I ended up baking it 20 min longer until it passed the toothpick test (Too much apple?). Also, I’m lining my loaf pan with parchment next time, it was too sticky getting it out of the pan after adding the glaze.
I joined the group because of the recipes and I was so happy to get a good sourdough starter recipe. But haven’t get it yet
You’ll find instructions to make a sourdough starter here 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing. It is great to use up my sourdough discard.
My family felt no icing was needed. It is perfect on its own!