Glazed Apple Cider Streusel Quick Bread

I love a new four-lane highway between Hutchinson and McPherson. For years, those 29 miles inevitably slowed one segment of our trip from home to Manhattan. It never failed that we'd get stuck behind someone who was crawling along, and there was rarely a chance to pass on the heavily-traveled roadway.

However, much as I love that four-lane highway, I have missed stopping at a roadside market at the tiny "spot-in-the-road" town of Medora. To reach the little white shack now, you have to take an exit and quit zooming along at 70 miles an hour. And, let's face it, we don't take the time. Out of sight, out of mind, I suppose.

I used to buy apple cider and apples from that little roadside market. This year, I bought my apple cider at a grocery store. And, as I've said before, I've made sure to stock up on Jonathan apples, two bags at a time, to make sure I can savor those tangy seasonal treats for as long as possible.

I initially bought the cider for a caramel sauce for an apple cake. I knew I could use the leftovers for my own variation of a wassail to serve when I hosted PEO at my house this week. Then I saw a recipe for apple cider muffins and thought they sounded good. But to save time and add my own twists on the recipe, I added a streusel and a glaze with even more apple cider flavor.

It would be a tasty addition to your Thanksgiving snack table or for breakfast on that special day. Your guests will definitely thank you!

I slipped a couple of loaves into decorative fall bags and gave them as thank you gifts this week. If you can still find apple cider during December, this recipe would also be great for gifts from the kitchen, since it makes seven mini loaves! It might be worth grabbing an extra container of apple cider during this fall harvest season and freezing it for apple cider goodness later on!

Glazed Apple Cider Streusel Quick Bread

For the Bread:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 eggs
4 cups flour
2 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups apple cider
2 cups apples, finely diced

For the Streusel:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

For the Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp. apple cider

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare mini loaf pans. (For me, this made 7 mini loaves. You could also make larger loaves or muffins, if desired.)

For Streusel: Combine oatmeal, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon, mixing together. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until evenly distributed. Set aside. 

For Bread: Beat the butter and sugars together until creamy. Add the vanilla and eggs; beat again. Stir together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir together the milk and the apple cider. Alternate adding dry and wet ingredients to the butter mixture until well combined. Stir in the apples. Pour batter into loaf pans (or muffin tins). Evenly distribute the streusel over the batter. Bake until the bread is done, about 25-30 minutes for mini loaves, depending on your oven. (Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out dry.)

Turn out onto cooling racks and cool completely.

Mix glaze ingredients, adding additional powdered sugar or cider to make it the right consistency. Using a piping tube, pipe glaze in a decorative manner. (Or, you can just spread the glaze, if you prefer.)

Note:  I used leftovers from a wassail punch I served at PEO this week for the apple cider. (It had apple cider, cranberry juice, orange juice, lemonade, tea and spices). It worked well.

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Today, I'm linked to the Weekend Potluck. Check out lots of other recipes from bloggers across the country, including the hosts of Weekend Potluck, just in time for your Thanksgiving meal preparation:

• Sunflower Supper Club ~ Kim & Julie
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Frugal Family Favorites ~ Tabitha
• Sweet Little Bluebird~ Mary
• The Country Cook~ Brandie