Pear Bread

Pear Bread

Serves: 2 loaves

Ingredients

3½ cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 cups sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup butter, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

2 cans (15 ounces each) pear halves, chopped; or 2 cups fresh pears, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5-inch loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, and nutmeg and set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl using an electric mixer on high speed, beat together the sugar, oil, butter, and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs one at a time beating well with each addition. The mixture will begin to thicken and be a light lemon color.

Stir the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fold in the pears.

Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out loaves and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Wrap each loaf in foil and let stand overnight in a cool dry place before serving.

Notes

I think 1½ teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans would also be awesome in this recipe. If you include these items, add the cinnamon into the dry ingredients, and the lemon juice into the wet ingredients. Stir in the walnuts or pecans at the same time you fold in the pears.