This vanilla pear bread is gently flavored with warm spices and loaded with fresh pears. It's a moist, soft, and delicious quick bread that will satisfy all of your Fall flavor cravings.
This moist vanilla pear bread recipe has cinnamon, spices, and vanilla mixed into a pear filled quick bread. Sweet, delicate juicy pears and vanilla make the most delicious flavor combination. The texture is soft and will melt in your mouth, making this bread so comforting and perfect to serve warm with coffee or tea on chilly Fall or Winter mornings.
This recipe was made possible by Heinen's. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Dollop of Dough possible!
For more Fall recipes, check out my apple cider cupcakes and pumpkin chai snack cake.
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Why You'll Love This
- Quick bread- A quick bread is any bread that is leavened with baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast. The most common quick bread is banana bread, which this pear bread is a less sweet cousin of! Quick breads have a texture more like a dense cake than yeast-leavened or sourdough bread.
- Spiced- Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice balance the sweet and juicy pears and vanilla.
- Easy to make- The bread comes together so easily. The hardest part is waiting for it to finish baking!
- Customizable- There are lots of things you can add to the batter, like nuts and chocolate chips! And if you don't like pears, you can try making this bread with apples or peaches.
Watch How to Make This Recipe
Ingredients
Here are notes about the ingredients used. For quantities, see the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter- Melted and slightly cooled.
- Brown sugar- Light or dark works.
- Eggs- Make sure they are room temperature.
- Vanilla extract
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- Cloves
- Fresh pears- Ripe Bartlett pears are best because they are sweet, soft, and juicy but keep their texture when baked. Tosca, Concorde, and Bosc pears also work in this recipe.
Substitutions
- Brown sugar: Coconut sugar can be used instead.
Helpful Equipment and Tools
To make this, you'll need a 1 pound bread pan. You'll also need basic baking equipment like parchment paper, measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixing bowls, a whisk, and a rubber spatula. I recommend a food scale too.
How to Make Vanilla Pear Bread
Here are step by step instructions to make the recipe. Before you start, grease a loaf pan or line it with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F. Melt the butter and set aside.
STEP 1: Prepare the pears. Peel the skin off the pears with a potato peeler or paring knife. Slice each pear in half, remove the stem, and then use a melon baller or teaspoon to core them. Dice 3 of the pears and thinly slice 1 for the topping.
TIP - Toss the diced pears in a bit of lemon juice to prevent them from browning as you prepare the batter.
STEP 2: Mix the wet ingredients. First, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the eggs one at a time and vanilla extract until well incorporated.
STEP 3: Fold in the dry ingredients. Add half of the flour and all of the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Mix with a rubber spatula until no streaks of flour remain. Then fold in the rest of the flour and all of the spices.
STEP 4: Fold in the fresh pears. Gently fold the pears into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula. Carefully place thin pear slices on top.
STEP 5: Bake. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out with a few moist crumbs. Bake time will depend on the juiciness of the pears, so start checking at 50 minutes. Let the bread cool in the pan before slicing.
Expert Tips
- Sauté the pears. If your pears aren't perfectly ripe, you can sauté them in a large pan until they have softened. Let them cool and then add them to the bread batter.
- Baking times may vary. All ovens are different, and your loaf may bake quicker or take longer than the indicated baking time. I recommend checking on it occasionally and testing for doneness!
- Cover with foil while baking. To prevent the pears on top from burning, loosely cover the top of the loaf if you notice the pears are getting a bit dark.
- Cool before cutting. It's hard not to dig in right out of the oven! Waiting until the loaf is completely cool will make it easier to cut into slices.
Additions & Variations
Here are some things you can add to the pear bread and different ways to serve it.
- Fold coconut flakes, hemp or flax seeds, pepitas, pecans, or walnuts into the batter for some crunch.
- Swirl dried fruit into the batter, like raisins or dried cranberries.
- Add chocolate chips or toffee pieces to the batter.
- Add a streusel topping before baking, like the almond flour streusel in my cinnamon streusel muffins recipe.
- Pop a slice in the toaster, add a smear of butter or jam, and sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar.
Storage & Freezing
- Room temperature: Store the baked pear bread in an airtight container for 2-3 days. I recommend slicing it only when you are ready to serve it, since it might dry out otherwise.
- Freezer: The best way to store the loaf in the freezer is to first cut it into individual slices. Then wrap each individual slice in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container or freezer bag for 1-2 months. This will keep the bread fresh and make it easier to take out a slice or two whenever a craving strikes!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use canned pears in a pinch! Just make sure they've been drained and won't add any extra moisture to the batter.
I have not tested this recipe gluten free but I'd love to hear how it turns out! I recommend using Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
Yes! Bake the muffins for 15-20 minutes at 350F.
More Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Vanilla Pear Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups Bartlett pears about 3 pears peeled and chopped
- 1 Bartlett pear peeled and thinly sliced for topping
Instructions
- Grease a loaf pan or line it with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar. Mix in the eggs one at a time and vanilla extract until well incorporated.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Add half of the flour and all of the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Mix with a rubber spatula until no streaks of flour remain. Then fold in the rest of the flour and all of the spices.2 cups all purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula. Carefully place thin pear slices on top.2 cups Bartlett pears, 1 Bartlett pear
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out with a few moist crumbs. Bake time will depend on the juiciness of the pears, so start checking at 50 minutes.
- Allow the pear bread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!
Bonnie
Had so many Pears from a friend's tree. Delicious pear bread. I love all these recipes so easy to follow and easy steps help guide me. Best recipes ever.