1/2 c. melted butter
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon or nutmeg, mixed with flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 c. raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar in large bowl. Beat in 1 egg at a time. Stir in applesauce and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients and stir by hand until well blended.

Pour mixture into a 9x5 inch loaf pan, greased on bottom and corners only. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool before slicing.

Note: Mixture can be divided into smaller loaf pans to make gift size individual bread loaves. Bake shorter time until toothpick comes out clean.