Just like apples shouldn’t get all the crisp and crumble love, bananas shouldn’t get all the quick bread love. Pears are ready to step right up and show you just how tasty they can be. Have ripe pears? Make a Pear Ginger Crumble. Have overripe pears? Don’t throw them out! Make a Pear Bread! And, though the bread is awesome all by itself, totally make the streusel topping. SO GOOD.
This pear bread is brought to you by the rest of the pears I bought for the crumble. Even though we all like eating pears out of hand, no baked goods needed, we didn’t think about them while they got softer and softer. Which left me with a whole pile of overripe pears and a whole pile of baking to do! Luckily, I have a variety of different quick breads in my repertoire, so then the questions were yogurt/buttermilk/or sour cream, streusel or not, chop or puree, and what sort of sweetener.
When I made the Bourbon Pecan Banana Bread, I used sour cream. This time I had some buttermilk in the fridge, so buttermilk it was. Streusel makes a fun addition to the recipe so streusel was a yes. Chop and puree is the answer! And, as I mentioned in my Pear Crumble recipe, I’m trying to move away from granulated sugar while reducing sugar in general, so the answer there was a little maple syrup in the bread and a little coconut sugar in the streusel. What I ended up with is a bread that is soft, moist, full of pear flavor, and lightly sweetened. Just the thing to have with a cup of coffee in the morning. Or for a snack any time of the day.
Next time you have a few pears in the soft and squishy phase of life but before the too far gone phase, make a pear bread! A few minutes of your time and you’ll have a loaf or two to enjoy.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
- 3 medium pears, (1½ cups chopped pears)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur Flour white whole wheat)
- 1 cup white all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp table salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp powdered ginger
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅓ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar, or light brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp powdered ginger
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ tsp table salt
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.
- Peel pears. Chop the pears into ½ inch dice. Take ½ cup of the chopped pear and mash it well until it's basically pureed.
- In a large bowl, mix together wheat flour, white flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in pears. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine with a large spatula until just mixed together.
- Add all streusel ingredients to a bowl and mix with your fingers until until well combined and there is no dry flour left.
- Using the spatula, scrape the pear batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the streusel over the top, patting it down to push it into the batter a little. This will help it adhere to the bread.
- Bake the bread for 45 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325F and bake for 15 minutes more. Allow the bread to cool for 1 hour on a rack. Then run a butter knife around the edges and carefully take the bread out of the loaf pan.
I used Green Anjou pears for this recipe. They are a mid-sized pear with a thin skin and sweet flesh.
To freeze, slice the bread and put it in a single layer on a tray lined with wax paper in the freezer. When frozen, transfer it to a resealable container.
Mahy says
Oh this would make my morning so much better! Wish I can grab a slice right off the screen! Love how soft and fluffy this looks! And the pears–my favorite fruit to bake with! Thanks for sharing 🙂
justalittlebitofbacon says
I wish I could share! I love pears but I usually just eat them so I’ve been enjoying baking with them.
Peter @ Feed Your Soul Too says
Can’t go wrong when topped with struessel!
justalittlebitofbacon says
I can’t argue with that. 🙂
Christie says
Love that you used pears to make bread. It is something I don’t see a lot and my family would adore it.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! I had never considered a pear quick bread before but now I wonder why not since it was so good. 🙂
Shadi says
I love pear! This bread is just so perfect for rainy days with a cup of tea!
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! I agree. It would be lovely with a cup of tea, a rainy day, and a book.
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy says
Quick breads are so awesome, and I can honestly say I have never made one out of pears before. It sounds wonderful.
justalittlebitofbacon says
I never had either but now I wonder why not. I hope you try it! 🙂
Jag Ryan says
I tried this. It is really not good and I had to throw it out. Bland, stuck to the pan, and gritty texture from the whole wheat flour and the pears.
justalittlebitofbacon says
While I have enjoyed this recipe on many occasions, it seems it was not the recipe for you. I would suggest that you not bake with whole wheat or pears since you don’t seem to like them and get new pans so you don’t have to worry about your quick breads sticking in the future.