Apple Pecan Bread

 This recipe from "The Best of Byerly's" looked like a good one to try out the tube pans that Bonnie had given me.   These pans were from 1985 - and were pretty popular for awhile back then for baking appetizer breads.

To bake quick breads in these pans, it helps if the mixture is thick, so it doesn’t leak.  I used a double-thickness of parchment paper between the bottom cap and the pan to help prevent leaks.  After spraying the pans with pan coating with flour in it, I filled 2 of them half full of this batter, and set them in a small baking pan to catch spills and keep them upright on the oven rack.  The breads simply fell out of the pans after baking, when the bottom cap was removed!  The pans were about ¾ full after baking.

The recipe, besides being appropriate for these pans, was also very good – the cheese added a little something, and the fresh Granny Smith apple was much better than sweetened applesauce often used in this type of bread.

                            Apple Pecan Bread

     1/2    Cup  Butter -- softened

     3/4    Cup  Sugar

  2           Large  Eggs

  1 3/4    Cups  Flour, All-purpose

  1           Teaspoon  Baking Powder

     1/2    Teaspoon  Baking Soda

     1/2    Teaspoon  Salt

     1/4    Teaspoon  Cinnamon

     1/8    Teaspoon  Nutmeg

  1           Large  Apple -- Granny Smith, peeled, shredded 1 cup

     1/2    Cup  Cheddar Cheese -- sharp, shredded (2 ounces)

     1/3    Cup  Pecans -- chopped

Grease 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" loaf pan.  Heat oven to 350°.  Beat butter and sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg blend into butter mixture alternately with apple.  Fold in cheese and pecans.  Spoon batter into greased pan.  Bake until wooden pick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean (60-65 mintues). Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove loaf to wire rack to cool completely.  Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate up to 4 days.

2011 Cost:  $ 2.47

Yield:  "1 Loaf"

Per Serving: 181 Calories; 9g Fat (45.3% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 46mg Cholesterol; 226mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

**If using 2 tube pans, bake for about 55-65 minutes.  Line bottom cap with 2 layers of parchment paper, spray with flour-type pan coating, fill ½ to 2/3 full, cap with top cap, place in shallow baking pan to catch any spills.  Recipe could be doubled and used to fill 3 tube pans more fully.  Use a piece of dry spaghetti to test for doneness.