This delicious maple bread recipe is irresistibly soft, fluffy, and packed with the flavors of warm maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon sugar!
The best homemade maple bread
- With rich maple swirled into each bite, it’s the perfect recipe for cold weather days.
- You will fall in love with the thick texture and tender crumb.
- A simple maple glaze icing takes the loaf to a whole new level of deliciousness.
- You’ll feel as if you were transplanted to a cozy little café in Vermont. Yet the recipe is surprisingly easy to make at home, with no yeast and no kneading or waiting hours for the bread dough to rise.
- Enjoy a slice or two for breakfast, hot from the oven with a cup of coffee. Or serve it warmed up, as a tasty afternoon snack or dessert.
- Low fat, oil free, dairy free, gluten free, and vegan options are all included. Plus, just 130 calories per serving.
You may also like this Apple Bread
Full recipe video
Maple loaf ingredients
Maple Syrup – You need a fourth cup in the bread and a tablespoon for the frosting. Be sure to buy pure maple syrup, which is not the same thing as maple flavored pancake syrup.
Pure Vanilla Extract – Warm vanilla compliments the maple and cinnamon in the recipe.
Flour – White all purpose flour or whole grain spelt flour both work. Whole wheat flour yields a heartier, denser bread. For a maple oatmeal loaf with a fun chewy composition, use oat flour.
If you want gluten free maple bread, go with all purpose gluten free flour. Or for a low carb baked good, follow my recipe for Almond Flour Muffins or Almond Flour Banana Bread and add half a teaspoon of maple extract.
Sugar – Use white sugar, unrefined coconut sugar, or a granular sugar free sweetener like monk fruit. For the best texture, it’s important to use both a dry and liquid sweetener. This gives the loaf a light and tender crumb, as opposed to a gummy finish.
Oil – I love coconut oil here. Vegetable oil or unsalted butter also work. You can substitute applesauce for an oil free quick loaf, but it will taste more like a muffin and lack that moist, buttery richness of bakery style bread.
Salt – The maple recipe calls for a pinch of salt to add depth of flavor.
Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon imparts autumn spice and natural sweetness without overpowering the maple.
Eggs (optional) – Eggs or prepared vegan flax eggs add lift to the loaf. If you want an eggless bread, swap half a cup milk or nondairy milk. It won’t rise as much but tastes just as delightful.
Water – Water adds moisture without extra calories.
Other ingredients – Unlike traditional yeast breads, this healthy maple quick bread uses baking powder and baking soda to create a wonderfully light texture.
What is maple extract?
This is the secret ingredient to the best maple flavor.
It may seem like a small amount, but do not skip the extract.
Your finished bread will not taste like authentic maple with just maple syrup on its own.
Look for bottled maple extract at your local grocery store, in the baking aisle near the vanilla extract. You can also find this extract at kitchen stores or online.
Maple extract is highly concentrated. A little goes a long way!
Still craving maple? Try this Healthy Maple Fudge
The easiest maple glaze
While the bread is fantastic on its own, homemade maple icing makes it even better!
And it’s fast and easy to prepare, with just 4 ingredients.
Simply whisk together powdered sugar, milk of choice, pure maple syrup, maple extract, and optional melted butter or plant based butter.
If the icing is too thick, slowly add more milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
Drizzle or spread generously over the top of the cooled maple bread, allowing the glaze to run down the sides.
How to make maple bread
Step 1: Set the oven temperature. Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit (176° Celsius). Grease a standard 9×5 inch loaf pan well, or line the bottom with parchment paper. Set this pan aside.
Step 2: Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Step 3: Add wet ingredients. Whisk in the water, pure maple syrup, melted butter or oil, eggs or milk, pure vanilla extract, and maple extract. Stir just until evenly mixed and do not overbeat the batter.
Step 4: Transfer to the pan. Use a spatula to smooth the mixture into your prepared loaf pan.
Step 5: Bake. Place the pan on the oven’s center rack, and bake for forty minutes. Then test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf. It is done when the toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Step 6: Let cool. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, and let it fully cool on a wire rack on the counter. Then go around the sides carefully with a knife and pop it out onto a large serving plate. (You can frost and slice it directly in the loaf pan if you prefer.)
Step 7: Serve and enjoy. The loaf is good on its own, but it’s even better iced with maple glaze. You can also spread maple butter, pumpkin butter, or almond butter on each slice. Sprinkle diced pecans or walnuts over the top if you wish.
Step 8: Store the recipe. If you have any leftovers, store them loosely covered on the counter overnight. Both the taste and texture are even better the next day. After one day, cover leftovers and refrigerate or freeze for freshness. They should keep about five days in the refrigerator or up to three months when frozen.
While the oven is hot, make Fall favorite Sweet Potato Brownies
Maple bread tips and troubleshooting
- Use pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup) and do not skip the maple extract.
- Measure the flour correctly. Loosely pack the measuring cup and level off any excess flour. If you want the most precise measurements, a kitchen food scale is recommended.
- Avoid overmixing the batter, which can lead to a tough or rubbery result.
- Start with room temperature ingredients. This helps the loaf cook more evenly and is especially important if you are using coconut oil, which hardens when cold.
- Turn the light on the oven to check the bread a few minutes before the written baking time. Climate, humidity, elevation, and an uncalibrated oven can all change the time a recipe needs to bake. If the top is browning too quickly while the inside is still gooey, add a foil tent and continue cooking.
Maple Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour (240g)
- 3/4 cup sugar (150g)
- 2 tsp baking powder (8g)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup water (180g)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (60g)
- 3 tbsp oil or butter (36g)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (5g)
- 1 tsp maple extract (5g)
- 2 eggs or flax eggs (or 1/2 cup milk of choice)
Maple Glaze
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (75g)
- 2 tbsp milk of choice (30g), or more if needed
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (15g)
- 1/4 tsp maple extract
- 1 tbsp butter (optional)
Instructions
- *The maple bread recipe works well with spelt flour, all purpose white flour, or all purpose gluten free flour.
- 1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit (176° Celsius). Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan well, or line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
- 2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Then whisk in water, maple syrup, melted butter or oil, eggs or milk, vanilla extract, and maple extract until just evenly combined.
- 3. Smooth into the loaf pan, and bake on the center rack of the oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the maple bread comes out mostly clean.
- 4. Meanwhile, make the optional maple glaze by whisking all glaze ingredients until thick and smooth. If too thin, slowly add in more powdered sugar. Or if too thick, add more milk.
- 5. Let the pan cool on a wire rack before popping the loaf out onto a serving plate and frosting with the maple glaze above or any toppings you wish. (You may also frost and slice the recipe directly in the loaf pan.)
- 6. Once cooled, slice and store leftovers on the counter for one night, in the refrigerator for up to five days, or frozen for up to three months.
Video
Notes
Easy Fall Breakfast Recipes
