Recipe: Apple bread (vegan)

(use vegan versions)

- 165 g sugar
- 80 g margarine
- 2-3 tablespoons applesauce
- 360 g flour (I used spelt)
- 2-3 teaspoons baking powder
- 100 ml apple juice
- 125 apples (sliced and cut into small dices)
- vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more, if you like!)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Mix sugar and margarine.
3) Mix in flour, vanilla, cinnamon and baking powder.
4) Add apples, applesauce and apple juice - stir in a little bit more liquid if the batter is too stiff)

Put into a loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy! :)

Optional:
+ add some nuts (about 60-100 g should work fine)
+ add some raisins
+ use orange juice instead of apple juice
+ add some grated lemon or orange peel
+ use spices that suit the season: some nutmeg, cardamom, cloves or ginger gives your apple bread a great "christmas" aroma

(thanks to and inspired by www.chefkoch.de)

• Old apple varieties are said to be more allergy-friendly than newer varities. However, this statement has not yet been scientifically confirmed. Golden Delicious, for example, counts among the old apple varities but is still said to be highly allergic. Braeburn, Cox Orange or Granny Smith frequently cause allergic symptoms, too.

• Symptoms of apple allergy? - Apple allergy is usually associated with "oral allergy syndrome". Wikipedia defines "oral allergy syndrome" as "a cluster of allergic reactions in the mouth in response to eating certain (usually fresh) fruits, nuts, and vegetables that typically develops in adult hay fever sufferers." Most common reactions are itching and burning sensations in the mouth, tongue or lip. 

• Oral allergy syndrome occurs most often in adult hay fever sufferers, especially those allergic to birch pollens (so-called "cross reaction"). 20-70% of people who are allergic to birch pollens also have OAS. People with allergy to birch pollens form antibodies against a certain protein that is found in a variety of other plants, too - including apples. 

• Removing the apple's outer skin could help prevent an allergic reaction.

• Better still: Cook the apple before you eat it. That way the troublemaking protein (see above) is rendered nonfunctional and an allergic reaction can be prevented.

• People with histamine intolerance frequently have problems with digesting apples, too. Here removing the apple's skin or cooking the fruit won't help because the problem is not in the protein but in the build-up of histamine in the body.