Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Dessert Bread - Squirrelly Girl Starter

Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Dessert Bread | Easy Recipe

Squirrelly Girl Sourdough Recipe

🍎 Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Dessert Bread

Soft. Moist. Cinnamon-Swirled. Absolutely loaded with apples.

Think banana bread... but with apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, and sourdough.

Beginner Friendly Uses Sourdough Discard One Loaf 55–65 Minutes

This is the kind of recipe that makes you wonder why you didn't start putting apples into sourdough sooner. It's soft and moist with juicy apple pieces throughout, warm cinnamon flavor, brown sugar sweetness, and a gorgeous cinnamon-sugar swirl running through the middle. And because it uses sourdough discard, it's a delicious way to turn that extra starter into something everyone will want a slice of.

🍎 Why You'll Love This Apple Bread

✔ Soft and incredibly moist

✔ Loaded with fresh apples

✔ Warm cinnamon and brown sugar flavor

✔ Delicious way to use sourdough discard

✔ Easy enough for a first-time sourdough baker

✔ Impressive enough to serve to guests

✔ Amazing with coffee, tea, or a glass of milk

🍎 Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Dessert Bread

20 min Prep
55–65 min Bake
1 Loaf
350°F Oven

🍎 Batter

  • 1 cup (240 g) sourdough discard
  • 2 medium apples, peeled and diced
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1¾ cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon

🍂 Cinnamon Swirl

  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

🌰 Optional Topping

  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 tbsp coarse sugar
1

🔥 Preheat & Prep

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Grease a standard 9 × 5-inch loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper so the finished loaf is easy to remove.

Beginner Tip: Leave a little parchment hanging over the long sides of the pan. It creates easy handles for lifting the cooled loaf out.
2

🥣 Mix the Wet Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

Sourdough discard
Eggs
Melted butter
Brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Vanilla

Whisk until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined.

DON'T OVERTHINK IT

This isn't a traditional sourdough loaf. You don't need to develop gluten or knead anything. We're making a quick bread-style dessert loaf.

3

🌾 Add the Dry Ingredients

Add the bread flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to the wet mixture.

Gently stir until the flour is just incorporated.

Pro-Level Tip: Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see dry flour. Overmixing can make the finished bread tougher instead of soft and tender.
4

🍎 Fold In the Apples

Peel and dice your apples into small, bite-sized pieces.

Gently fold them into the batter.

BEST APPLE COMBINATION

Try a combination of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith. The Honeycrisp brings sweetness while Granny Smith adds a bright little hit of tartness.

Other good choices include Pink Lady, Fuji, Braeburn, or Gala.

5

🍂 Make the Cinnamon Sugar Swirl

In a small bowl, mix together:

¼ cup brown sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon

✨ Build the Swirl

  1. Spoon half of the apple batter into your prepared loaf pan.
  2. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the batter.
  3. Add the remaining batter.
  4. Finish with the remaining cinnamon sugar.
  5. Run a butter knife gently through the batter in a few simple swirls.
Don't over-swirl: A few gentle passes are all you need. Too much swirling can completely blend the cinnamon sugar into the batter instead of creating those beautiful ribbons.
6

🔥 Bake Until Beautiful

Place the loaf in your preheated 350°F (175°C) oven.

BAKE 55–65 MINUTES

Start checking around the 55-minute mark. The loaf is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.

Pro-Level Check: Because apples release moisture as they bake, don't judge doneness by the top alone. The center needs to be fully baked.
7

❄️ Cool Before Slicing

Let the loaf cool in the pan for approximately 15 minutes.

Then carefully transfer it to a wire rack to finish cooling.

OR DON'T.

We're not going to judge you if you cut yourself a warm slice while the cinnamon sugar is still melting into the apples.

🤍 Want to Make It Extra Special?

Add a simple vanilla glaze once the loaf has cooled.

Vanilla Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Whisk everything together until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled loaf.

Pro Tip: Want a thicker glaze? Add a little more powdered sugar. Want it thinner? Add milk a few drops at a time.

👩🍳 Squirrelly Girl Baker's Tips

🍎 Use the Right Apples A combination of sweet and tart apples gives the finished bread much more flavor.
🧈 Don't Add Hot Butter Let melted butter cool slightly before mixing it with your eggs. You don't want to accidentally scramble them.
🌾 Don't Overmix Once the flour disappears, stop. That's the secret to a soft dessert loaf.
🍎 Dice Apples Small Smaller pieces distribute throughout the loaf more evenly and make every bite apple-filled.
⏳ Let It Cool The texture continues to set as the loaf cools. If you can resist, wait before slicing the whole loaf.

⚠️ Baker's Warning

You will tell yourself:

"It's basically fruit."

Then you'll eat another slice.

And another.

Technically... you're getting your apples in. 🍎

☕ The Perfect Cozy Bake

Warm cinnamon.

Sweet brown sugar.

Juicy apples.

Soft sourdough crumb.

And just enough cinnamon swirl to make every slice feel special.

Serve it warm with coffee for breakfast, or turn it into dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

📚 Continue Your Sourdough Journey

Want to become more confident with sourdough? Keep learning with the Squirrelly Girl guides designed to make sourdough easier to understand.

🍞 Sourdough Academy 🥣 What Is Sourdough Starter? 🌾 How to Activate Sourdough Starter 💧 How to Feed Sourdough Starter 🧬 How Sourdough Starter Works ✅ How to Tell if Sourdough Starter Is Ready

🐿️ Ready to Make Better Sourdough?

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