The Wall Street Journal Apple Bread

We love baking this bread each autumn.  It's delicious fresh from the oven or toasted with a wee bit of butter! 

The Wall Street Journal Apple Bread

• 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk or sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups peeled, diced apples
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

2. Make batter: Use an electric mixer to cream 1 stick butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, blending well. Stir in 2 cups flour and salt.
3. Add baking soda to buttermilk and allow to dissolve. Add buttermilk to batter, mixing well. Stir vanilla and apples into batter.
4. Make topping: Use an electric mixer to cream remaining butter and sugar. Stir in cinnamon, nuts and remaining flour.
5. Spoon batter into loaf pan and sprinkle with topping. Bake until set, 55-60 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing from pan, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
—Adapted from “Applehood & Motherpie: Handpicked Recipes from Upstate New York” by the Junior League of Rochester, 1981