Autumn Pear Bread

Make the most of your ripe pears by baking this delicious Autumn Pear Bread Recipe! 

Ever wondered what to do with ripe pears (besides make them into baby food?) You can make some Autumn Pear Bread!

My aunt Brenda gave me this wonderful recipe and in my usual style I changed some ingredients to try to make it healthier–it was a hit and got rave reviews from my family!

This easy pear bread recipe is a great way to use fresh pears that have become too ripe just to eat sliced. You definitely don’t want to waste overripe pears but they can get soft rather quickly.

This is a great recipe to have your kids help with; here are some things they can do:

• Measure ingredients (older and younger children)
• Stir the ingredients in the bowl (young kids)
• Dice pears (older children who know how to use a cutting knife)
• Transfer batter into loaf pans (older and younger with help)
• Eat and enjoy!

Autumn Pear Bread 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour (can use regular flour instead of course, if you don’t have whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup raw turbinado sugar or white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (can leave out if you don’t like this flavor)
• 1/2 cup butter

• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely diced pears, ripened**

**When I say ripe, I don’t mean super bruised and mushy. Just soft enough that they’re not as easy to eat in slices but are perfect for baking! A small amount of browning is ok.

Step by Step Instructions

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl, using a fork to stir.

Cut in butter into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Use two knives or a pastry cutter like this. I love mine and it makes cutting in butter so much easier!

Stir wet ingredients of eggs, milk, and vanilla into butter mixture just until moistened.

Dice and then fold in pears with a large “spoon” spatula. Don’t dice your pears until this point otherwise they brown quite quickly when exposed to oxygen.

Pour batter into a greased or sprayed loaf pan. I like to use the avocado oil cooking spray from Aldi. You can find a similar brand here, though the Aldi brand is more budget friendly!

Bake at 350 F for 35-45 minutes in the bread pan or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

If you are using a larger than usual loaf pan, you may need to bake for 45-50 minutes. Just be sure to check for doneness throughout the last 10 minutes of baking time!

Set on a cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes and remove carefully from the loaf pan.

Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee ;)

How long will my loaf of pear bread last?

You can keep your pear bread on the counter for a few days. I find that it is freshest when eaten within the first two days.

If you want to make a large batch of this bread during pear season, you can give some away or freeze several loaves for later!

Just put each loaf of pear bread in an airtight freezer-safe container or gallon-size freezer bag and store for up to 4 months (for best taste).

Old picture….from 2012 (!!)

What are the best pears for pear bread?

What I Learned from Changing this Recipe

The reason we like to use WHITE wheat flour is this:

Whole wheat flour is milled from hard red wheat berries. Whole wheat contains the wheat’s endosperm, the bran and germ. It makes for a courser flour and heavier tasting than all-purpose flour.

White whole wheat flour is milled from the hard white wheat berry. It contains the entire wheat berry. Because of the white berry’s bran, the result is a lighter colored, sweeter tasting flour. Retaining the bran and germ means the flour has more fiber and naturally occurring nutrients.

We prefer the lighter taste and texture of white whole wheat flour, so that’s why we use it! It’s a terrific substitute for whole wheat.

What to Do With Old Pears

If you have pears that are getting old or too ripe to slice for eating, there are a few things you can do with them:

• Make our pear bread recipe
• Make pear puree baby food
• Puree and make pear sauce
• Put them in a smoothie
• Dice as much of the pear as you can and stir into oatmeal

More Quick Bread Recipes (Some of our Favorites!)

• Banana Bread Recipe
• Spiced Pumpkin Bread
• Zucchini Bread with Applesauce

I hope you enjoy this amazing pear bread!

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