AIP Caramel Apple Bread Recipe with Video (Paleo, Gluten-Free)
This gooey caramel apple bread is simple, warm, comforting, and delicious not to mention egg-free, dairy-free, and grain-free. It's a great recipe to keep you on your AIP "diet" while not missing out on fabulous baked goodies during the holiday season.
Fall is here finally! It takes a while to show up in Tennessee. We just had our first snow of the season (a dusting) but still pretty exciting stuff for Nashville weather. Exciting enough that my kids had a two-hour delay in starting school today. It's still kind of amusing when they delay and cancel school over such a tiny amount of snow here. When we lived in Colorado, we got a lot more snow and the kids rarely had snow days. All this cool weather combined with the fact that I'm off work today has me a baking mood.
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How do you replace eggs in baked goods?
I never really realized there were so many ways to create baked goods without actually using an egg. Luckily there are quite a few options from apple sauce, to mashed bananas, to gelatin to vinegar and baking soda. This recipe uses several of these options in combination:
- Gelatin egg (1 tbsp of gelatin mixed with 2 tbsp of water) which acts similar to how an egg would.
- Vinegar and baking soda- When baking soda and vinegar combine, a chemical reaction occurs creating bubbles (carbon dioxide). These act as a leavener helping to lighten the texture of baked goods.
- Apple sauce- This not only works as an egg replacement but it adds natural sweetness and moisture to baked goods. Always go with unsweetened and organic if possible.
Other Ingredients
This is one of my favorite AIP-friendly flours. It's a little pricey but tastes great and the texture provides plenty of body to baked goods. It seems to work well in pretty much everything.
This flour, derived from starchy tubers is higher in carbohydrates than tiger nut flour and is very versatile. It's probably as close as you can get to white flour while staying gluten/grain-free. I've only used Otto's brand since I starting doing Paleo and haven't tried any other brands since I've been happy with it.
Maple Syrup- If you're going to use a sweetener, maple syrup is a good choice as it provides many important minerals and antioxidants. Darker syrups have been found to be higher in antioxidants than lighter ones. 1
Coconut Oil- This provides moisture and mouthfeel to baked goods while also contributing to some health benefits.
Cinnamon- While apples and cinnamon just naturally go together and make sense, cinnamon also contains powerful antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties.
Salt- Salt helps to activate the baking soda contributing to rise. Pink Himalayan sea salt is preferable.
Click the image or button below for a PDF of the AIP Ingredient Substitution Cheat Sheet
The Caramel Sauce
The sauce on this bread is so amazing, I could literally just eat it with a spoon. It's so creamy and decadent, you would never guess it meets any dietary restrictions whatsoever. To me, it tastes like the frosting on a German chocolate cake.
It's very easy to make and consists of just coconut milk, maple syrup, dates, and salt- that's it! It's important to soak the dates in hot water for at least 15-20 minutes before making the sauce. This is key to getting it super smooth. If the dates happen to be very soft and fresh, you can probably skip this step.
While this bread is delicious whether you eat it hot or cold, I definitely recommend eating it warm as the texture and taste are better.
If you like this recipe, you may also like:
AIP Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
Simple 5 Ingredient Banana Bread Mug Cake
I hope you enjoy the recipe. If you made it, please leave a comment below and let me know what you thought!
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @foodcourage for the latest AIP/Paleo recipes and Food Courage happenings!
Caramel Apple Bread (Paleo, AIP, Gluten-Free)
Equipment
- Food Processor or high-speed blender
Ingredients
Dry Bread Ingredients
- 1 cup cassava flour
- 1 1/4 cup tiger nut flour
- 1 tbsp +1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cloves
Gelatin Egg
- 2 tbsp gelatin
- 1/4 cup water
Wet Bread Ingredients
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/4 cup apple sauce
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Sauce
- 8 dates (pits removed)
- 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add dates to very hot water. Set aside and allow to soak while prepping other items (at least 15 minutes).
- Line a loaf pan (medium to large in size) with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix wet ingredients together.
- In a small bowl, mix water and gelatin to make a gelatin egg and immediately add to the wet ingredients. Stir/whisk thoroughly until smooth
- In another medium bowl, mix dry ingredients, then add to wet ingredients. Stir until well combined and pour into parchment-lined loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- While the bread is baking, make the caramel sauce. Drain water from the bowl of dates. Remove pits and add the dates to a food processor. Pulse the dates a few times before adding the other ingredients.
- Add all other sauce ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth.
- Remove bread from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Pour the caramel over the top of the loaf. Add apple slices to garnish.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- Note- the loaf pan I used for this recipe is relatively large in size (about 9 inches long by 6 inches wide). If you don't have one this size you could split it into 2 smaller loaf pans- the cooking time may be a little shorter if you do it this way so you may just have to keep a closer eye on them.
- If the dates are moist and fresh to begin with, you may not need to soak them.
- While this is good hot or cold, I recommend eating it warm as the texture is lighter and flavor is better.
- The carmel sauce recipe makes almost 1 cup of sauce.
- This will keep fresh in the fridge for at least 4-5 days in a tightly sealed container.
- The bread itself freezes very well for a long time. I haven't tried freezing it with the caramel sauce though this would probably work fine.
I love this recipe! I think it’s the first truly tasty AIP baked good I’ve tried.
Is it really a tablespoon and a teaspoon of baking soda though? I was wondering if it’s a typo. I’ve never seen that much in a recipe and I can definitely taste it. Have you tried it with less?
Hey Caroline, I’m glad you like it! I believe that’s correct- it’s been quite a while since I tested this recipe but it might do just fine with less baking soda.