Challenj #10: Applesauce Bread

[gominokouhai]

Adapted from a MxJackMonroe recipe, and twiddled with until it turned out right. I found the original recipe quite vague: for all her many qualities, Jack doesn't seem to grasp the distinction between baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

This recipe is vegan and gluten-free if you use gluten-free flour; if you absolutely must use gluten-free flour (oh look at me, I'm so special, I'll die if I eat basic staples) then you'll probably want to add a little more liquid at the liquid-adding stage. What liquid-adding stage, you ask? Bear with me. I'm getting there.

(Yes, I know I'm several weeks late for Challenj #10. I've been busy and this recipe took four tries to get right. I'm catching up.)

Applesauce bread

You gonnae need:

• two smallish, sweetish, apples
• some lemon juice or equivalent
• wah-ah (You don't have to click unless you want to. It's the word water in a Glaswegian accent.)
• vegetable oil (I used olive)
• 225g flour
• 1tsp cinnamon, mon
• optional: raisins or currants or some such
• some utensils

You gonnae dae:

1. First take your apples, and convert this...
   into this:
   Leave the skins on. It adds colour, it's better for you, and it's all going to be mushed up anyway.
2. Dump the chopped apple inna saucepan with a dash of citrus for antioxidant.
   • Jack suggests 1tbsp lemon juice, but if, as you should, you subscribe to pajh's Rules For Life #2, you'll have limes handy. Squeeze one up.
   Cover with water—just cover; be stingy—and simmer for twenty minutes or so, until everything is mushy.
    → 
3. Strain, drain, and retain. Keep the apple-flavoured water aside, because you're going to need it inna minute. Return the apples to the pan, mix in some oil, and mash with a fork.
   • Jack says to use 100ml vegetable oil. For the love of Cthulhu don't put it all in at once. Drizzle cautiously, mix it around, and stop when you've got something resembling apple sauce. You can add more oil to the bread mix later.
4. 
   225g self-raising flour and 1tsp cinnamon into a mixing bowl. Use more or less cinnamon to taste. I couldn't be bothered to dirty a teaspoon, so I just sprinkled some in. Pretty, isn't it?
   • Jack wants you to use plain flour and 1½tsp of either baking powder or bicarb (she changes her mind halfway through the recipe). This resulted inna black, alkaline-flavoured biscuit, with a very slight hint of apple on the nose. This is the 21st century and self-raising flour is readily available from many shops. And it costs about 10p. Just get some.
5. Make a well in the middle (I don't know why this helps, but it does) and dump in your apple sauce. Mix together, adding a little more oil and a little of the apple-flavoured water, until you get dough. Your dough should be fairly firm, not dry or cracking, but not sloppy either.

   
   See this picture? Pouring with my left hand while taking the photo with my right hand caused me to put too much liquid in. I hope you all appreciate how much I'm suffering for my art here. Wasn't a problem in the end: sprinkled in a pinch more flour until I got back to dough.

6. Plonk the lot into a greased baking tin, or your preferred equivalent, and bake at about 160°C for about 40 minutes.
   • Jack says 180°C but this made everything burn in my oven.
7. It's done when a knife comes out clean.

 
Note the remains of Unsuccessful Attempt #3 in the background of these pics of Totally Successful Attempt #4.

It's great served in thick slices, still warm, with a generous helping of butter. Once it's cold it's brilliant for pork sausage sandwiches.

BONUS pajh TIP!

Got any of that pink appley-flavoured liquid left? Squeeze another lime or eight into it (remembering, as always, pajh's Rules For Life #2), and add a slosh to a shot of vodka (for a Moscow Mule) or bourbon (for a Kentucky Mule). Optional dash of bitters, fill the glass with cracked ice, and top up with ginger beer. This totally counts as one of your five-a-day.