Almost Perfect Pear Bread
Submitted by siena99
Lightly spiced pear quick bread sweetened with honey and studded with raisins. Moist, tender crumb thanks to applesauce and minimal oil.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
1 hrsFresh pears and plump raisins nestle into a warmly spiced batter that’s naturally sweetened with honey and kept moist with applesauce instead of loads of oil.
Cinnamon and cloves give it that cozy fall flavor without overpowering the delicate pear sweetness, and a hint of lemon zest brightens everything up.
The batter looks dry before baking, but it transforms into a tender, sliceable loaf with a golden, crackled crust.
Kitchen Tips
- Pear moisture check: If your pears aren’t super juicy (press a piece and see if liquid beads up), add an extra tablespoon or two of applesauce to prevent a dry loaf.
- Don’t overmix: Stir the flour, pears, and raisins in by hand just until combined; overworking the batter develops gluten and makes the bread tough.
- Cooling patience: Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack; cooling completely before slicing prevents crumbling.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt; set aside.
Beat the egg, egg whites, brown sugar and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
Add the honey, applesauce and lemon rind and beat again.
If the pears are not juicy, add a few more teaspoons of applesauce.
Stir the flour, pears and raisins into the batter by hand just until combined.
The batter will be dry.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
The crust may crack.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Makes 1 loaf
Comments
