20 September 2011

Pear and Pecan Bread from the 1997 edition of the Joy of Cooking

We had some over ripe pears in the fridge, so I decided to use them up in some pear bread. I thought everyone might like this recipe.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9" x 5" (8 cups) loaf pan.

Ingredients
Whisk together thoroughly:
1 1/2 c flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
1 c sugar (I reduced this amount)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 egg
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 c grated, peeled ripe pears, with their juice- (2-4 pears) (Ripened pears are so soft I will sometimes throw them into a food processor or a blender, and sometimes I leave the skin on)

Directions
Add the flour mixture to the pear mixture and fold until about three quarters of the dry ingredients are moistened.

Add:
1 c pecans

Fold just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes (put a piece of foil over the top of the bread if it's getting too dark before the bread is cooked through). Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on the rack.

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