Spiced Apple Bread

Tim and I made this recipe before Christmas - it's a family recipe of his dad's, and is perfect for when the cold weather and fog rolls in.  Full of warm spices, apples, raisins, and nuts, this bread is a wonderful breakfast or snack on a chilly day.  My favorite way to eat this bread was with sharp cheese - I can't remember the name now, but we'd picked up a really fantastic hard cheese at Cowgirl Creamery earlier in the weekend.  Something about apples and cheese together always floats my boat.  This recipe makes two loaves, but if you only need one you could cut it in half or freeze the extra - Tim says this recipe freezes well.

Spiced Apple Bread (from Tim's dad)
Makes 2 loaves

2-2/3 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup softened butter
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 cups coarsely chopped tart apples
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp sugar mixed with 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Grease two 9x5 loaf pans and line the bottoms with parchment.  Grease the parchment.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.  Set aside.
3. Beat together the sugars, butter, and oil.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then beat in the vanilla.  Stir in the apples, raisins, and pecans.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.  Scrape into prepared pans. Bake 20 minutes, and then pull out the rack and sprinkle the loaves with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Bake for another 40-50 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.  Cool in pan for ten minutes, and then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.  Freezes well.