Apple Oat Bread

Here in California, Cherry blossoms are blooming everywhere. It's such pretty sight. At my workplace, the walkways are lined up with these Cherry blossom trees. It's a treat to walk through them now :-) I love this time when the trees transform as if they are trying to express themselves with beautiful hues and put their best show.

Coming to today's recipe, it's a healthier version of the regular apple bread that I usually bake. Quick breads are a breeze to do. They are easy, delicious and as the name says very quick to make. Most of the times I have a bread either in my freezer or fridge since they make a good breakfast or snack.

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of oats. So, I try to sneak them in my food for their nutritional value. Trick is to grind oats into powder and add this in different mixtures. So, I substituted almost half of all purpose flour with oats in this recipe. I do the same for Idlis and Uthapams, that's a post for another day :-)

What you need:

(makes one 9X5 loaf)

3/4 cup All purpose flour

1/2 cup Oats flour (just add oats in a blender and grind them)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

Unsweetened Apple sauce - 4 oz (usually sold in 4 oz cups)2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Steps to follow:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a bowl beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla extract together. Add apple sauce to this mixture and beat again until everything is well mixed.
3. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients - all purpose flour, oats flour, baking soda and salt.
4. In 2 or 3 batches add flour mixture to wet ingredients and beat until batter comes together.
5. Grease a loaf pan and pour batter in it.
6. Bake for 51-53 min. Stick a knife in center and it should come out clean.
7. Take it out from oven, cool it in loaf pan for 15 min.
8. Loosen the sides with a knife and place it on a rack to continue cooling for another 30 min or so.
9. Slice it and serve or store in airtight container. Keeps well in fridge for a week or freeze it for a later use.