The Best Gluten Free Apple Bread Without Dairy

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Gluten and grain free baking can be tricky! But when you find a recipe that nails the taste and texture, doesn’t have a million ingredients, and everyone loves it, you know you found something special. This gluten free apple bread recipe is one of those for our family. 

After much experimentation, this gluten free apple bread hits the nail on the head. It is one of those requested recipes that is my go-to any time we have company or need to bring a dish to a pot luck or gathering!

The Art of Gluten and Grain Free Baking

While our family doesn’t exclusively eat gluten or grain free anymore, we have at various seasons in the past when trying to overcome some health challenges. We now enjoy the addition of some sourdough and einkorn flour recipes into our regular repertoire. But we still enjoy many of the gluten and grain free recipes that we came to know and love.

Gluten and grain free baking really is an art to be mastered. There are several unique flour options with different properties. But none of them really behave like gluten containing wheat that gives most baked goods the texture that we have come to know and love. This means, in order to get the most optimal results, often multiple flours need to be use. But where do you even begin and in what ratios?

I am a big fan of simple when it comes to baking, cooking, and really most things in life. A recipe with tons of ingredients is an automatic turnoff. So, when I dove head first into the world of gluten and grain free baking, I needed a way to make it simplified. 

After lots of playing around with different flours and recipes, I settled on the combination of using tapioca starch (or arrowroot powder) and coconut flour leading to the best results in most recipes. Only two flours to keep on hand and the texture was usually better than anything else we tried. This is definitely true in this gluten free apple bread where a 1:1 ration of coconut flour and tapioca starch work perfectly.

Gluten Free Apple Bread – The Perfect Side for Company

Whenever we are going to a potluck or other gathering, I usually try to bring some sort of allergy friendly dish. These sorts of events can be so challenging for those with food restrictions to navigate. So even though we don’t have any restrictions at this time, I like to bring something that anyone, regardless of restrictions, will hopefully be able to enjoy. 

This gluten free apple bread is probably the most common dish I bring to these events because both people with sensitivities and those without love this bread. People usually have no idea it’s even gluten free and it’s a highly requested recipe by others.

Bonus, this gluten free apple bread is so quick and easy to make, coming together in just a few minutes, and only requires simple ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

The Ingredients in Gluten Free Apple Bread:

Eggs

This is the one common allergen that this bread does contain and I’ve never tried making it with an egg substitute. But I love that there are 4 eggs in this gluten free apple bread to give it a boost of protein meaning it’s more satisfying and will keep you fuller longer than a lot of sweet, fruit breads will.

Coconut Oil

I normally use melted coconut oil as the fat in this recipe but have substituted leaf lard or melted butter with great results if dairy is an option for you.

Maple Syrup or Honey

Maple syrup is my favorite sweetener to use in this recipe because it pairs perfectly with the apples, but honey is a great choice as well. In a pinch I have substituted brown sugar or even cane sugar and they worked ok too.

Apples

What would apple bread be without apples? You could shred the apples but I prefer to just dice them finely – why make more dishes? We always leave the peels on when working with apples because that is where the bulk of the nutrients are.

Coconut flour

As I mentioned above, this recipe contains a 1:1 ratio of coconut flour and tapioca starch. Coconut flour is known for being incredibly absorbent, hence why there are 4 eggs needed for this recipe.

Tapioca Starch

Tapioca starch or arrowroot powder can be used interchangeably in most recipes. It is also very absorbent and is my go-to thickener for soups and sauces like our homemade enchilada sauce.

Baking Powder

Make sure to look for aluminum free baking powder for your cooking needs. We use Bob’s Red Mill Aluminum Free Baking Powder.

Cinnamon

You can feel free to go crazy here with fall spices like nutmeg, ginger, or cardamom. But we have found that a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon in this gluten free apple bread does the trick!

Equipment Needed for Gluten Free Apple Bread

This recipe is lovely because it’s a super simple, one mixing bowl sort of recipe. With just a loaf pan and a mixing bowl you can whip up this gluten free apple bread. If you did want to shred your apple instead of dice them, we highly recommend this shredder.

That’s all you need to make this gluten free apple bread that is sure to be a hit at your next party or gathering!

Gluten Free Apple Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1/3 cup melted coconut oil (butter or leaf lard will work too)
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
1 large or 2 small apples, finely diced
½ cup coconut flour
½ cup tapioca starch or arrowroot flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon, heaping
¼ tsp salt

Optional Topping
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

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Directions:

1. Mix wet ingredients, eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and apples together.

2. Add dry ingredients, coconut flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

3. Stir everything together until thoroughly mixed.

4. Pour into a greased loaf pan.

5. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar topping over batter if desired.

6. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until bread is completely cooked through.

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For more of our other gluten free favorites, check out our Soaked Baked Oatmeal and Gluten Free Dutch Baby Pancake!

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