By Martha Rose Shulman
Updated Feb. 28, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Cook Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- 4(136)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Years ago, when I lived in Austin, Tex., I had a little business selling hot cups of soup to vendors and shoppers on the “Drag” in front of the University of Texas. This soup was always a favorite on a chilly day. It’s sweet and spicy, and although you can serve it at lunch or dinner, I prefer it for breakfast, with more yogurt stirred in. Use whole-grain sandwich bread if you can.
Featured in: A Bowlful of Our Daily Bread
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 6 to 8
- 1½quarts water
- 4large tart apples, like Pink Lady, unpeeled, cored and diced about 2½ pounds)
- ⅔cup dark or golden raisins
- 1teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1½teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼teaspoon ground cloves
- ½teaspoon ground allspice
- Pinch of salt
- ¼cup honey
- 4slices whole-wheat or multigrain bread (about 6 ounces), diced 3 cups tightly packed)
- 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ to 1cup plain yogurt, to taste, plus additional for garnish
- Thin lemon slices for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
203 calories; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 29 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 122 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Combine the water, apples, raisins, spices, salt and honey in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and stir in the bread. Cover and simmer one hour. The bread will fall apart and thicken the soup.
Step
2
Remove from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice and yogurt. Serve hot or warm, or chill and serve cold. Garnish each serving with a dollop of yogurt and a thin slice of lemon.
Tip
- Advance preparation: This soup will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.
Ratings
4
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Cooking Notes
Jane Macdonald
Delish. I used apple cider instead of lemon juice, and bumped it up to 3 tablespoons. Instead of cooking it with honey, I served it with maple syrup, so everyone can sweeten to taste (just enough sweet to bump up the apple-y taste). I also used up some loaf ends I've had kicking around in the freezer. I cooked it more like 2 hours, and gently whisked the soup to break up the bread a bit. Although the bits of bread are really nice, so not sure I'd do that again. A keeper!
Stephanie
I’ve made this both with bread as the thickener and with steel cut oats as the thickener. Both are delicious!
Denny Stein
Do you have away to reduce the number of servings and have the recipe reflect that?
Anita
I moved to Austin to attend the University where Martha was selling this soup but never had a chance to partake of it then. I wish I had. This was such a treat this morning, here in our Denver house where the temps are single digits this morning. The spices and mild sweetness were so comforting, and the lemon and yogurt really enhanced it. The only personal touch was chopped roasted almonds because I like the crunchy texture of nuts. This soup will now be a go-to breakfast for cold mornings
Sylvia
Very soothing soup, especially now ... during coronavirus time in NYC. I thought the yogurt would curdle in when soup is hot, but it didn't. Looking forward to eating it chilled as well. Lovely fragrance and taste.
jessica
This is so yummy. I had a lot of apples brought home from a cider festival, and this was a wonderful way to use them up. I too used loaf ends that I had in the freezer. I used a bit of cider in place of water, but that definitely makes it sweeter, maybe too much so. I doubled the recipe, and it froze beautifully. Though, we probably could have eaten all of it within a couple of days; it’s very morish. I’ve made it since with store bought apples and just water: delicious. Definitely a keeper.
Christa
This was tasty and very ineresting! I, too, had to whisk the soup to break up the bread and get it to dissolve. Just as flavorful after it cooled down as it was hot. Very warming and comforting on a cool autumn day. I agree that this recipe is a keeper--a refreshing change from oatmeal and good for both breakfast and lunch--flavorful but not sweet, but nor is it overly spicy. I used only half a cup of yogurt and felt that was sufficient and no need to garnish with additional to stir in.
Lauren
I needed to do something with those pesky end slices of bread and was happy to stumble upon this recipe. OMG. This made my entire home smell like apple pie. The first few bites I ate directly out of the pot because I was that hungry and I wasn't impressed... Then I finally ladled the stuff into a bowl and added the yogurt. It made a huge difference. I don't know if I will ever again wait an hour to cook yogurt topping, but I'll definitely keep this in the recipe book just in case.
Nancy
I found this to be a comforting breakfast soup and an easy way to use stale bread. I added a tablespoon of butter to give it some richness.
Michael
Like the apple cider idea. But like the lemon juice to brighten the flavor. May try replacing the water with apple cider.
Jane Macdonald
Delish. I used apple cider instead of lemon juice, and bumped it up to 3 tablespoons. Instead of cooking it with honey, I served it with maple syrup, so everyone can sweeten to taste (just enough sweet to bump up the apple-y taste). I also used up some loaf ends I've had kicking around in the freezer. I cooked it more like 2 hours, and gently whisked the soup to break up the bread a bit. Although the bits of bread are really nice, so not sure I'd do that again. A keeper!
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