Apple Sauce Sweet Bread

This is a recipe from The Machine Shed Restaurant. I bought the recipe on a postcard they sell in the "Gift Shop" portion of their store. You can also find it on their website.

With 3 sticks of margarine and 5 eggs, it isn't the healthiest thing to eat. Another downside is that it takes forever to bake (1 1/2 hours). So if you're feeling like Suzy Homemaker and you have a hankering for some moist sweet bread, whip this up and give it a try!

Apple Sauce Sweet Bread

3 C. sugar
1 1/2 C. + 1 Tbsp. margarine
1/3 C. + 2 Tbsp. evaporated milk
5 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda
3 1/2 C. applesauce
5 1/3 C. flour

Topping:
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon



-With mixer, cream sugar and margarine 3 minutes on medium speed. (FYI you're going to need a BIG bowl for all the ingredients)
-Add evaporated milk, eggs and vanilla.
-Add salt & baking soda. Mix for 3 additional minutes.
-Add applesauce and mix for additional 2 minutes.
-Add flour until fully blended (do not overmix)
-Place batter into greased 9x13 pan. Top with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake at 300° until toothpick inserted into center comes out dry. (Approx. 1 1/2 hours)

Unfortunately my oven doesn't really bake evenly, so mine came out a bit doughy in the middle and overcooked on the edges. The whole experiment ended with me tossing the thing out and cursing at my oven. A helpful tip for an oven that bakes funky: buy an oven thermometer - if you're oven is running hotter or colder you can adjust the temp accordingly ($2 or $3 at Walmart). Another tip: Tinfoil - fold a sheet of Tinfoil into the shape of an A-tent and place it over your pan (shiny side up). I've done this most every time I've baked bread and it works great. A friend gave me another suggestion - a pizza stone. Placing the pizza stone in your oven keeps the temperature steady and constant. I haven't tried this yet but I think that will be my next venture. (Thanks Brian!)