Recipe for cooking caramel-apple bread with shredded coconut topping

Quick Meals- Soups and Bread :: Sweet Quick Breads

Caramel-Apple Bread with Shredded Coconut Topping

Source: Sunset Magazine

3/4 C. sugar
1 lrg. egg
1 C. applesauce
About 1/2 C. (1/4 lb.) melted butter or butter replacement
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract or flavoring
1/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar
2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 C. sweetened shredded dried coconut

In an 8- to 10-in. nonstick frying pan over high heat, shake and tilt 1/2 C. sugar until melted and amber-colored, about 4 min.; be careful not to burn. At once, pour hot caramel onto a 12-in. foil square on a flat surface.

When caramel is cool enough to handle, peel off foil. Break caramel into chunks and put in a heavy plastic food bag. With a rolling pin or mallet, crush until lrg.st chunks are about 1/4 in..

In a lrg. bowl, Mix together egg, applesauce, 1/4 C. butter, vanilla extract or flavoring and brown sugar. With a mixer on med.-high speed, beat until well blended. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; beat just until evenly moistened. Stir in caramel.

Scrape batter into a buttered 4 1/2 x 8 1/2-in. bread loaf pan (about 6 1/2-C. capacity) or equally into 2 buttered bread loaf pans, each 3 1/2 x 7 1/4 in. (about 3-C. capacity).

Set pan on a sheet of foil placed on oven rack (to catch topping drips). Bake in a 350 degree F oven until bread is firm when pressed in the center, about 40 min. for 61/2-C. pan and 30 min. for 3-C. pans.

Meanwhile, in a sm. bowl, mix coconut with remaining 1/4 C. sugar and 1/4 C. butter. When bread is firm to touch, spread mixture evenly over hot loaf or loaves. Continue to bake until coconut topping is evenly brown, 15 to 20 min.

Run a thin-bladed knife between bread and pan sides. Let bread cool in pan on a rack for about 10 min., then invert to release bread. Turn loaf rounded side up on rack. Let cool about 10 min. Slice to serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTES: As the bread bakes, the caramel chunks in the batter soften to form sweet lumps throughout. If making up to 1 day ahead, cool, wrap airtight, and store at room temperature; freeze to store longer.

Makes approximately 1 loaf (about 1 3/4 lb.) or 2 loaves (about 3/4 lb. each); 8 to 10 servings

Per servings: 294 cal., 34% (99 cal.) from fat; 3.4 g protein; 11 g fat (6.7 g sat.); 46 g carbo (1.1 g fiber); 330 mg sodium; 47 mg chol