Gluten Free Apple Bread with a Walnut Cinnamon Swirl

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This gluten free apple bread with a walnut cinnamon swirl is a delicious and warming treat. It is full of tart apples with a sweet and crunchy walnut cinnamon swirl running through the center and sprinkled on top. 

The Best Apples for Apple Bread

The best apples to use when making apple bread are ones with a balance of sweet and tart flavors that will not break down in the baking process. Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples embody both these traits and are my go-to’s. They are also firm enough to hold up during baking while not getting overly mushy.

Apple Bread with a Walnut Cinnamon Swirl – 3 Ways

I have made several variations of this apple bread. A few times I have made it without the walnut cinnamon swirl. This way keeps it paleo as there is no added sugar other than a touch of maple syrup. I have also made this apple bread with the walnut cinnamon swirl running through just the center and with it running through the center and sprinkled on top. Both ways are delicious, but a double layer of the swirl is just so, so yummy! The walnut cinnamon swirl is versatile too. You can add it to a variety of baked breads. I’ve used it before in a pumpkin loaf and it was divine!

What You Will Need to Make Apple Bread with a Walnut Cinnamon Swirl

Flours: A mix of almond flour and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour keeps this apple bread gluten and grain free. 

Eggs: Eggs help create a light, fluffy bread. 

Apples and banana: Applesauce and banana help create a perfectly moist and naturally sweetened bread. A chopped apple is mixed in for extra flavor and texture. 

Cinnamon and vanilla: Apples and cinnamon make the perfect pairing and a touch of vanilla gives this bread some serious flavor. 

Maple syrup or honey: This apple bread is naturally sweetened with a touch of maple syrup. If you do not have maple syrup, you can use an equivalent amount of honey.

Walnuts: The walnuts in the walnut cinnamon swirl add the perfect crunch. I store all nuts in my freezer. For walnuts, in particular, I like to soak them overnight and then dehydrate them for 8-12 hours prior to storing. In my opinion, walnuts have a much more appealing taste after they are soaked and dehydrated. 

Maple sugar: Maple sugar is the same pure deliciousness that is maple syrup, evaporated into a beautiful sugar form. And the good news is that all of the nutritious qualities that make up maple syrup are the same as those that are in maple sugar.

Baking staples: Of course, this apple bread requires some baking powder and salt, which you probably already have on hand.

Mixing the Batter Longer Provides Structure

While traditional recipes often warn against overmixing delicate batters so that that they do not turn rubbery, the opposite tends to be true of gluten-free batters. A well-mixed gluten free batter will have better rise and a nicer chew, and can support stir-ins, such as apples. 

This recipe is adapted from The Toasted Pine Nut and At Home in The Whole Food Kitchen by Amy Chaplin.

Can’t get enough? Try this German apple cake featuring a layer of moist cake topped with tart apples and smothered with sweet, toasted almonds. Or this apple chunk cake for another easy – and delicious – apple recipe.

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