Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teasppon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup almond, soy, or other nondairy milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons warm water

1 3/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup

(Optional: About 1/2 cup of anything you want to add such as dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or raw apple pieces.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 360 degrees F. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9×5 inch Pyrex loaf pan. Place the parchment-lined pan into the oven to preheat.

Mix almond milk and vinegar. Set aside.

Mix flax seed and water. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.

In another large bowl combine applesauce, vanilla extract, maple syrup, milk mixture, and flax mixture. Stir until blended.

Add flour mixture to apple mixture. Stir just until you see no dry flour. Don’t over-blend.

Blend in apple pieces, dried fruit, raisins, nuts, seeds, or other addition. (In this loaf I diced a small apple into 1/4-inch chunks, skin on.)

Remove loaf pan from oven. Pour batter into pan. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove loaf from pan after 15 minutes, gently peeling away parchment. Let cool for at least an hour before slicing.

This is a very moist loaf. It’s better if left to age for a day which will even out the moisture. I slice it, freeze it, then defrost a few pieces the next day.