As I write this it is only the third full day of Fall and the frost is on the punkin’. For those of you not in the know, that means it was dang cold last night. It was 38 degrees and it won’t be long before the temps start to drop for the long haul.
The only saving grace is that we will be getting a reprieve next week with warmer weather and hopefully a little drier. It has been a very messy and miserable summer with all the rain and flooding. Very uncharacteristic for these parts of West Virginia.
We have had historic flooding in places that never flooded before and it was devastating to a lot of people. Some areas are still not recovered and infrastructure will take even longer. Momma Said, “Pray for the downtrodden and victims of nature’s fury.”
The people in the know say that this coming winter is going to be very harsh because of El Niño and I don’t doubt it. Even the wooly worms are confused. I actually saw two completely white ones a while back and that is something I have never seen. The old adage is with the black and brown ones, if the front part has more black than the back part, the winter will be bad in the beginning and vice versa. Momma Said, “I guess the white ones mean that the Yeti are coming so get prepared.”
Apple Fritter Bread
Ingredients:
For the Apples
2-3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the Bread
1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
1⁄4 cup light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup buttermilk
For the Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
Prep the Apples: In a medium bowl, toss the chopped apples with the lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon until evenly coated. Set aside.
Make the Bread: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Reduce the speed to low and blend in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla, until smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Before adding the second batch of dry ingredients, toss half of the apples in the flour mixture to coat. Then, gently mix everything until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly. Add the remaining apples on top.
Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then, transfer it to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Make the Glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk and the vanilla until smooth. Add more milk, a little at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
Drizzle the glaze over the slightly warm or cooled bread. Set for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
