This Dutch Apple Bread is soft and tender inside, with juicy apples and crunchy walnuts in every bite. The magic is in the Pennsylvania Dutch–style streusel topping with a buttery, cinnamon-sugar crumble that turns simple quick bread into something special.
This Dutch Apple Bread has quickly become one of my favorite weekend bakes. It’s packed with tender apple chunks, crunchy walnuts, and topped with a cinnamon-sugar streusel that melts into a golden crunchy layer. It’s a quick bread, so it’s practical if your weekends can’t be dedicated entirely to the art of baking (weekend chores and errands are the norm here!). So, that means no yeast, no rising, and not much fuss. Just mix, bake, and eat!
What Makes It “Dutch”?
Admittedly, I did not know. I’ve enjoyed Dutch apple pie, but never gave a second thought to the origin. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t actually come from the Netherlands. It’s rooted in the traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch, a group of German-speaking immigrants who settled in the U.S. They brought their baking culture with them, and recipes with the signature streusel topping. The crumbly mix of flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon is a mainstay on crumb cakes, pies, and crumbles. That’s the magic component to this bread. Instead of a plain loaf, you get a crunchy, cinnamon capped loaf that takes the bread from simple to special.
Dutch Streusel Ingredients
The streusel topping is made with a simple combination of pantry staples: granulated sugar and light brown sugar for sweetness, ground cinnamon, all-purpose flour to bind it together, and cold unsalted butter to create that signature crumbly texture. When baked, these ingredients melt and crisp into a golden, buttery topping that perfectly balances the soft apple bread underneath.
Mix the Streusel Topping
In a medium bowl, whisk together both sugars, cinnamon, and flour. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture looks crumbly with small chunks of butter. You can do this with a pastry blender, a fork, or rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers. I personally use a combination of pastry blender and fingers for the perfect crumble.
Pro tip: Keep the streusel in the refrigerator until it’s time to bake. Cold butter will create a crunchy, bakery-style crumb topping.
Batter Ingredients
The batter comes together with a few everyday baking staples: all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to round out the flavor. Butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla are also mainstays in a baker’s kitchen. Peel and dice 2 medium apples for the 1 2/3 cups you’ll need. Aim for 1/2″ dice or smaller. This doesn’t have to be perfect because rustic is what we’re going for.
Toss the Apples in the Dry Mixture
Mix the dry ingredients together, then toss the diced apples directly into the flour mixture. This lightly coats the fruit in flour, which helps prevent the apple pieces from sinking to the bottom of the loaf as it bakes.
Tip: Granny Smith apples are a good choice for this bread as they are tart, dry and hold their shape during baking. Honeycrisp and Braeburn also work very well and are more sweet than tart. Avoid soft apples like Macintosh; save those for applesauce or apple butter-making.
Mix the Batter
Cream the butter and sugar until they’re light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, milk, and vanilla to build a smooth, rich batter. Add the flour and dry apple mixture, stirring just until the batter comes together. Finally, fold in the toasted walnuts with a spatula, making sure not to overmix so the bread stays tender and soft.
Sprinkle with Streusel and Bake
Spoon the chilled streusel evenly over the top of the batter, making sure every corner gets a generous spoonful. Transfer the loaf into the preheated oven and let it bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. As it bakes, the streusel forms a crunchy, caramelized topping that perfectly contrasts the soft, tender bread beneath.
Add the Glaze
Whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla until smooth and pourable. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the warm, streusel-topped loaf. Allow it to set for about 10 minutes before slicing. The bread is lightly sweet, so the glaze bumps up the sweetness. This takes the Dutch Apple Bread from delicious to irresistible!
Serve slices warm or at room temperature, it’s delicious both ways. This bread requires no toppings, but I did toast a slice in the oven, topped it with butter and a drizzle of honey – delish! (And so extra!)
This Dutch Apple Bread is the kind of recipe you’ll make once and then keep in your recipe arsenal forever. It’s easy, comforting, and has that Pennsylvania Dutch streusel heritage baked right in. Enjoy!
Related recipe: Apple Fritter Bread
Dutch Apple Bread
Streusel topping
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
Bread batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 2/3 cups diced apples without peel
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts toasted
Milk glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Streusel topping
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In a medium mixing bowl, combine the first four ingredients (the dry ingredients). Whisk together until well combined.
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Add the cold butter and cut into the dry mixture using a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingertips. Blend until the butter is well dispersed and the mixture is crumbly with some larger pea-sized chunks of butter throughout. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Bread batter
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper (or coat pan with flour-based baking spray).
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk well to combine. Add the apples to the mixture and toss to coat. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan during baking.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until smooth and combined.
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Add the dry ingredients/apple mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in the walnuts with a rubber spatula.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Remove the streusel topping from the refrigerator and spoon on top of the batter.
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Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick tester inserted near the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack.
Milk glaze
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Combine all the ingredients for the glaze in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk well until a lump-free, pourable glaze is achieved.
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Pour the glaze over the Dutch streusel topping. Allow the glaze to set completely, about 10 minutes, before slicing and serving.
Freezing Instructions for Full Loaf: This Dutch Apple Bread freezes well as a whole loaf. Do not add the glaze before freezing. Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw the loaf at room temperature, then drizzle with the glaze.
Individual Slices: Slice the cooled loaf and wrap individual pieces tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months. To enjoy, thaw slices at room temperature or warm them briefly (unwrapped) in the microwave for a cozy, just-baked taste.