By Erin Jeanne McDowell
- Total Time
- About 1½ hours, plus 1 hour's cooling
- Rating
- 5(443)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Roasted pears add juiciness and depth of flavor to this otherwise simple quick bread. You can peel the pears if you want, but they add a sturdiness to the roasted fruit and a nice texture to the finished loaf. The addition of streusel takes this bread over the top, but it is excellent without it, too, if you feel like skipping a step.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 2½cups/355 grams chopped pears (from about 2 medium pears, cored and cut into ½-inch pieces)
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- ¼cup/25 grams old-fashioned oats
- ¼cup/55 grams light brown sugar
- ¼cup/30 grams all-purpose flour
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 3tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
- ⅓cup/45 grams coarsely chopped almonds
- 2½cups/320 grams all-purpose flour
- 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½cup/120 milliliters vegetable, or other neutral, oil
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1cup/220 grams light brown sugar
- 2large eggs, at room temperature
- ½teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- ¾cup/180 milliliters buttermilk
For the Roasted Pears
For the Streusel
For the Quick Bread
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
602 calories; 29 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 79 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 39 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 353 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the roasted pears: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. On a large baking sheet, toss the pears with the melted butter, vanilla and salt and spread in an even layer on the pan. Transfer to the oven and roast until pears are tender and beginning to brown at the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
Step
2
While the pears cool, make the streusel: In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon to combine. Add the cubes of cold butter and use a pastry cutter or your hands to work the butter into the other ingredients until the mixture becomes clumpy. Stir in the almonds. Set aside.
Step
3
Make the quick bread: Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, and lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine. Set aside.
Step
4
In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil, butter and brown sugar until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well to incorporate after each addition, scraping the bowl as necessary. Beat in the almond extract if using.
Step
5
With the speed on low, gently add in half the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Add the buttermilk in a slow, steady stream and mix to combine, then add the remainder of the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add the cooled roasted pears and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread in an even layer.
Step
6
Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the loaf. Bake the quick bread until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the streusel is golden brown, 55 to 65 minutes. If the streusel is getting too dark before the interior is fully baked, tent with foil. Let cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then unmold onto a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Ratings
5
out of 5
443
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Cooking Notes
lorri
I used dark brown sugar and only added 1/2 cup, came out great!
Kristin
Really good. I think it could use more pears, so will try with 3 next time. Agree with others that it takes longer than 65 min to cook. 75 min was perfect. Streusal was the best part!
Julie
I read all the comments before I set out. The streusel is terrific. I subbed 1tsp of ground cardamom for the cinnamon. I also halved the sugar. It’s really nice, but I’ll split the difference on the sugar next time, and use 3/4 of a cup. A keeper.
The Never Ending Kitchen
Fabulous recipe. I baked these in dark brown paper muffin cups and my friends thought they were store-bought until I told them I whipped them up. I baked the pears for an extra-long amount of time until they caramelized a bit and this really does the trick to make them sweet and flavorful. When they're too fresh and juicy it makes the texture of the bread seem undercooked in the mouthfeel.
kate
I made this last night (with streusel, without optional almond extract) and brought to work this am and our company Slack channel was full of comments about how good it was :) 2 notes: 220 grams of light brown sugar seemed like a lot so I just measured out a cup instead and the result was plenty sweet. Make sure the tester is really in the center and really does come out clean because the middle of my loaf was slightly undercooked, so I just cut around that part.
Newbie
I had some overripe pears no one was going to eat. The ends were a bit soft and the skin was tough and bitter. I decided to try roasting them according to this recipe, and the result was a total transformation to carmel-ly deliciousness. So I went ahead with the recipe for the bread, including the optional almond extract but without the streusel topping and with only 2/3 C sugar. Lovely bread. Will make again. And I had some extra roasted pears, which were FAB on ice cream!!!!!
Bri
Subbed sour cream for the buttermilk because I was out of milk, and made it in an 8x8 glass baking dish. Came out beautifuly in 50 minutes. So easy and flavorful. I doubt it will last more than 2 days bc we will eat it up! Will definitely make again! Next I’ll try with apples.
DachshundMom
I am gluten-free so I convert everything to that. And for this recipe I used 1.5 c sorghum flour 1 c arrowroot and 1/2 c tapioca flour. I added 1 tsp xanthan gum. I sautéed the pears as opposed to roasting them, and used whole milk with lemon juice instead of buttermilk. And I cut the sugar in half because I find most recipes are way too sweet. I didn’t miss the sugar at all in this. This recipe is so good, and I couldn’t even tell it was gluten-free.
Andrea
SO YUM! I don't love pears, so this was the perfect recipe to incorporate the few I didn't eat before they went bad. Took about 75 minutes to bake, and I put tin foil over the top about 45 minutes in. Streusel was delicious, but made it into a dessert. I plan on leaving it off next time to make it (more) breakfast appropriate. And I agree with Rachel: better the next day! Pears had some time to soak in :)
Adjustments were not ideal!
Absolutely increase pears to at least 3 or 3.5 cups! In my 9x5 loaf pan, this was nearly overflowing. Not necessarily a problem though. I decreased sugar to just under 3/4 cup brown and I also swapped buttermilk for yogurt. As a result, the bread is quite dry which is where the extra pears come in handy. I’m going to try again, sticking close to the recipe. I really like it as I made it but think it can be even better.
Shanti D
Made exactly as directed and used the almond extract option. I did have to tent it and bake for longer as at the prescribed time resulted in a wet tester. The results were absolutely fabulous. This will be on my regular rotation.
Delish
Used 3/4 of the sugar
JenBeee
This came out overly dry for me. I would try adding more pears.
Amber
Added more pears, more spices, and cooked in an 8x8 pan. Nice flavor, but quite dry.
LR
Baking time in recipe is wrong. It was still completely raw o the inside. I baked it for 55 minutes, put aluminum foil over it and baked it another 35 minutes to have it baked all the way through. Great flavor, better the next day.
Jules
Just got a holiday gift basket full of pears that no one in my household will eat, so this recipe was perfect! Read all the helpful comments and added 3 1/2 cups of pears. This is hardly a quick bread. I baked it for 90 minutes. Came out delicious. Streusel is amazing. Will definitely make again, but in another baking dish and not a loaf pan.
A Cozy Winter Quick Bread
Delicious! I only had dark brown sugar (instead of light brown sugar) and walnuts (instead of almonds for the streusel topping), so I used those, and it still turned out great. Per other notes, I reduced the brown sugar a little, and I ended up needing to bake the loaf for about 70 minutes.
Elena
Pretty tasty, especially with the streusel. Husband says delicious, but declared it "coffee cake, not bread." I think next time I will use walnuts in both the streusel AND in the bread itself.
Berkeley Baker
This was too much work for not enough bang. No real flavors shined through. Baking time was sufficient.
Park Slope
Very good! I agree that there was too much streusel. Also, I am now remembering that simple poached pears are also delicious, with less fuss to prepare and without all the butter and sugar!
kathleen
Can use 1/2 cup brown sugar
Nancy
Excellent! I used parchment paper which made it easier to remove from the pan.
katie and otto
This was pretty good but a bit fussy. Agree that the sugar should be reduced and had issues with an undercooked middle. Next time we’ll probably use the roasted pears in a simple torte, galette or crisp instead.
MM in CA
Made with apples instead of pears because that's what I had on hand. Made with 2/3c c brown sugar per the comments. For us the recipe made way too much streusel - we used half and saved the other half for a future quickbread. Very good!
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