My Bran Pear Molasses Bread is a moist spiced bread with a slight molasses flavor. A lovely winter treat that is both comforting and wholesome.
In the winter months, the fruit selection around here is a bit limited. Basically it’s lots of oranges, grapefruit, apples and pears, that’s about it.
The citrus we both eat and drink. My tot loves eating oranges and I love drinking smoothies with grapefruit. And of course apples we mostly eat or I occasionally make apple crisp.
But pears are a bit trickier. We love eating pears but it’s hard to time when they are perfectly ripe. I feel like I slice them when they are too ripe or not ripe enough.
With the super ripe (borderline mushy) pears, I peel and make pear sauce with them. They are perfect cooked up and spiced with a little cinnamon.
However for some reason I always get a few pears in a batch that don’t seem to ripen well. They are always just kind of hard. And if I leave them too long they rot. Not anymore!
I have finally found a good use for those weird underripe pears that no one wants to eat!
Bran Pear Molasses Bread
You guys, I know the word bran is not synonymous with delicious, but in this case it totally is! I love this moist spiced bread! It’s such a lovely way to use up pears and get a little fiber in your diet at the same time.
The bread has a dark spiced note with the molasses, brown sugar and bran. Yet at the same time its soft, fruity and moist thanks so the pears melting into the batter..
As a waste-less recipe, this is a total winner. So keep hold of those strange pears that are not great for eating, and bake this delicious loaf with them. I promise you will not regret it 😀
8-10 servings
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup wheat bran
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded pear
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh hard pears, peeled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a standard loaf pan (10×5 in or 9x5 in).
- Mix together molasses, maple syrup, egg, buttermilk and oil in a large bowl.
- Add the flour, bran, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Stir in chopped and shredded pears.
- Pour batter into the pan and place in the oven.
- Bake at 350°F for 60 to 70 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Notes
This bread can be made with store bought or homemade buttermilk. To make the buttermilk, simply combine 1 cup of whole or 2% milk and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Stir and let sit for 3-5 minutes, then use in the recipe. Pear bread will save in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer wrapped and stored in a freezer Ziploc bag for 3 months. Thaw overnight.
Recipe slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour
Originally posted 2018-01-30 09:50:00.
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