Spiced Pear Breakfast Bread

Last week, I had to skip my weekly challenge update to give another dairy-free challenge some face time. But, I’m making up for it with a two-week progress update today and this lovely new spiced pear breakfast bread recipe from my kitchen.

I’ve never been one to love super-sweet quick breads. I mean, they taste great, but they leave me feeling over-sugared; not the best thing since I prefer enjoying bread in the morning with tea. Instead, I usually bake lightly sweet, whole grain quick breads and top them with nut butter for a hearty start that’s just indulgent enough.

The idea to make a pear breakfast bread wasn’t exactly a stretch of the imagination – pears seem to be abundant and on sale all over town (even organic!). I always think of pears as an autumn fruit, but it turns out their peak lasts right through the cold spells of winter. That said, if you simply can’t find any that are ripe for the picking, this recipe will also work with your favorite sweet apples.

I’ve been enjoying each slice of this pear breakfast bread with a slather of almond butter and a big mug of tea, but if you prefer, it also goes great with a schmeer of buttery spread or a drizzle of your favorite sweet topper.

365 Dairy-Free Recipe Challenge Update

This Spiced Pear Breakfast Bread is a success from my personal 365 New Dairy-Free Recipe Challenge for 2016. My goal is to trial at least 365 new-to-me recipes this year, and that doesn’t even count all of the retesting I am doing to perfect many of those dishes.

My New Dairy-Free Recipe Trials for January 14th through 27th:

1. Tigernut Milk (I tested multiple varieties to find the best ingredients to use; nailed it!)
2. Italian Rice & Sausage Skillet – (Another winner after a couple of trials; recipe to come)
3. Tigernut Granola (I used the tigernut pulp to make this delicious maple granola – just one more trial needed!)
4. Amish Chicken (holy richness! A fun one that I’m perfecting)
5. PB Apple Breakfast Cookies (super tasty, but wow, these do not keep – super-soft and fall apart)
6. Thai Marinated Chicken (a delicious surprise success; I think just one more test is needed)
7. Spiced Maple Pear Bread (which became this Spiced Pear Breakfast Bread recipe after trials!)
8. Cherry Blossom Protein Power Smoothie (good, but this might become ice cream)
9. Creamy Miso Dressing (yummy, but have to punch up a bit for salads)
10. One-Pot Greek Meatballs with Lemon Rice (adapted from Dinner at the Zoo – turned out great! Will be trialing again)

I didn’t quite reach my one per day (mostly due to all of the re-testing I was doing), but I’m still well on track with my overall goals and this sure looks like success to me …

For a more elongated shape with petite slices, I used my Revol Les Naturels Loaf Pan (pictured above and As Seen in Williams-Sonoma) to test this pear breakfast bread. It’s longer and narrower, but is roughly equivalent to an 8×4-inch loaf pan. I prefer this high quality ceramic for baking, but it does retain heat longer once removed from the oven, so the loaf will continue to cook a touch until it is flipped out of the pan.

Special Diet Notes: Spiced Pear Breakfast Bread

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian. I’ve not yet tested it gluten-free. If I did, I would use either just oat flour or a whole grain gluten-free blend, and I might add either another egg or some xanthan gum (perhaps 1/2 teaspoon) for binding. Tony isn’t big on pears, so I wasn’t inclined to test a gluten-free version this time around!

For vegan pear breakfast bread, you can swap in your favorite egg sub for muffins. Since this recipe is heavy on puree, I would lean toward a powdered egg replacer that has leavener in it (like Ener-G or Bob’s Red Mill). Another option is to simply add 2 to 3 tablespoons more pear puree and increase the baking powder by 1/8 teaspoon. I do not recommend using a dense egg substitute, like flax or chia “eggs.” Please note that we have not tested this recipe without eggs – these are merely suggestions. See the comments for others who have!

5.0 from 4 reviews

Spiced Pear Breakfast Bread

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

For the naturally sweetest breakfast bread results, use Bartlett pears. If not available, ripe Anjou pears are a good option. The results are still just gently sweet; if you prefer a sweeter pear breakfast bread, add ¼ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar with the liquid sweetener in the recipe.

Author: Alisa Fleming

Serves: 1 quick bread loaf; 12 to 16 slices

Ingredients

• 1 cup white-wheat flour*
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (high altitude: reduce to ¾ teaspoon at 4000 feet or higher)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon baking soda (high altitude: reduce to ¼ teaspoon at 4000 feet or higher)
• ⅜ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ cup rice bran oil (or your favorite baking oil)
• ¼ cup maple syrup or honey**
• 1 egg (see post above for vegan suggestions)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup pear purée (about 2 medium pears, peeled, cored and pureed in your blender)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
2. Grease an 8x4-inch or 9.5x3.5-inch loaf pan (I use this one), and flour the bottom.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, and cloves.
4. In a large mixing bowl, blend the oil, liquid sweetener, egg, and vanilla until just combined. Stir in the pear followed by the flour mixture. Stir just until combined; do not over mix (a few little lumps are okay).
5. Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf pan and even out.
6. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes (I'm at 4500 feet / dry climate and 50 minutes is spot on), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 minutes or until cool enough to pick up. Gently remove the loaf from the pan and cool it completely on a wire rack before slicing. Tightly wrap and store any leftovers at room temperature for up to 2 days, but chill in the refrigerator or freezer if you want it to keep longer.

Notes

*White-wheat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill Ivory Wheat Flour) is actually 100% whole wheat / whole grain, it's just made from a softer type of wheat than traditional wheat flour and produces more tender muffin and quick bread results. If desired, you can use all-purpose flour instead.
**Tip: Measure out the oil first in a ¼ cup then use that ¼ cup to measure the liquid sweetener - it will slide right out!

3.5.3229