brown butter apple crisp skillet muffin bread

I just realized that my blog life in the past month has all been brown food. Ahhh, so boring.

But brown food usually = carbs, which always = yum so I hope you’re cool with it.

Especially today, because today? I have a video for you, but I also have a bread with brown butter and apples and streusel and glaze in it/on it. You’re most welcome.

Bring on the brown food!

brown butter apple crisp skillet muffin bread

So like I was saying, what we have here are three situations: A brown butter apple crisp skillet muffin bread situation, a streusel topping and vanilla glaze situation and a get-in-mah-belly-as-soon-as-possible situation. I’m sure you can relate. But before we go much further, you’re probably wondering what the hey-hoo a skillet muffin bread is. Well, let me tell you a story.

Whenever we go camping with my family, my dad is The Cook. He plans the meals (with my mom’s help, of course, otherwise we’d be eating brats alldayerrryday, true story), he prepares the meals, he takes pride in the meals — and as he should, because they are delicious. Sometimes, for breakfast, he’ll bust out a berry muffin pouch mix, mix it up in a skillet with some water, cover the skillet and let it bake on the campfire until it turns into what I lovingly refer to as the skillet muffin bread. I have fond memories of eating that skillet muffin bread, and that is why I am here today with a home-baked re-creation of it and why I’m about to tell you that you should really get some skillet muffin bread in your life.

brown butter apple crisp skillet muffin bread

You should really get some skillet muffin bread in your life.

I don’t know what it is about a muffin in bread/cake form (let’s be real, this is really pushing cake territory but for the sake of consistency it is BREAD), but I like it. I think it’s because I feel like I’m eating cake for breakfast, but it’s actually a muffin. The texture and crumb is muffin-like, too. And when you stir bits of fresh fruit into the batter, they soften as they bake in the bread and then they taste like absolute magic. Plus you don’t have to lovingly pour the batter into individual muffin cups; just spread it in a cast-iron skillet, top it with streusel and pop it in the oven. Done and done and done.

Oh, and about that fruit. Here’s a lil’ video tutorial on how to keep fruit from sinking to the bottom of your baked goods:

Because when you add just that teeny-tiny, easy-peasy step, you get this:

brown butter apple crisp skillet muffin bread

Apples, yo. Perfectly nestled on all levels of the bread. Soon to be in yo’ face.

P.S. I just decided you should totally roast the apples before putting them in this bread ahhhhhhh OMGEEEE DO IT.

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Brown Butter Apple Crisp Skillet Muffin Bread

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  • Author: Girl Versus Dough
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
  • Yield: 10 to 12 servings 1x
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

For the bread:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples (about 2 apples)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups milk

For the topping:

  • 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F; coat the bottom and sides of a large cast-iron skillet with butter.
  2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Continue to stir melted butter until brown bits form on the bottom and the butter turns a caramel color. Remove from heat; strain and set aside to cool slightly.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add apples to a separate medium bowl. Transfer 3 tablespoons of the flour mixture to the bowl with the apples; toss to coat.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and brown butter. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients; stir until just combined. Fold in apples.
  5. Make the topping: Combine flour, oats, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  6. Pour batter into prepared skillet; top evenly with streusel topping. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Cool completely in skillet on a cooling rack. Combine ingredients for glaze. Drizzle over fully cooled bread.