Recipe: Pear Bread

We stumbled across this recipe on Simmer and Boil and we couldn't wait to recreate it!  It's a beautiful idea and a real show stopper.  The Pear Bread combines sweet fruit and tender quick bread together in one pan, then slice to reveal the lovely pear inside, how lovely.  The bread is remarkably easy to make too, promise!

This bread is ideal to bring to the table for an afternoon tea and brace yourself for the oohs and ahhs.

Tip:  After poaching the pears, don’t throw away the poaching liquid.  It’s infused with a lovely pear essence and would be great in cocktails, drizzled on cakes, or stirred into Greek yogurt.  For more flavour in the pears, you can add cinnamon sticks or star anise to the poaching liquid.

Prep Time: 25 min. Total: 1 hr. 45 min.

Ingredients

4          cups water

2          cups granulated sugar

3          small whole pears

1 1/2   teaspoons all-purpose flour

7.88     ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)

1          teaspoon baking soda

1/2       teaspoon baking powder

1/2       teaspoon salt

6          tablespoons butter, softened

3/4       cup packed dark brown sugar

2          large eggs

1/2       teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2       cup stout beer (such as Guinness)

1/2       cup fat-free sour cream

1/4       cup maple syrup

Baking spray with flour (such as Baker’s Joy)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 170, gas mark 4.

2. Bring 4 cups water and granulated sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add pears; reduce heat to medium, and cook at a medium-low boil for 5 minutes or just until pears start to soften. Remove pears from pan; cool slightly. Trim bottom off each pear so that it is about the height of a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan. Lightly brush 1 1/2 teaspoons flour over bottom 2/3 of each pear.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon 7.88 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk.  Place butter and brown sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine beer, sour cream, and syrup, stirring well with a whisk. Beating at low speed, add flour mixture and beer mixture alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until combined.

4. Scrape batter into a 9 x 5-inch metal loaf pan coated with baking spray. Arrange pears in pan, pressing into batter. Bake at 170° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy with a cup of tea!