Gluten-Free Pear Bread

Hi Bakers,

This is the first time I’ve eaten or made this bread but, it's a great and unusual bake so I wanted to share it with you. It's a moist, delicately flavored pear bread with dried chunks. It is the perfect sweetness to have with a cup of tea or as a snack bread. It would also make great muffins.

I found this recipe at my mom’s house when I was cleaning out some of her things. She was a great cook and made wonderful meals. Mom was one of my greatest influences in the kitchen with her ability and desire to make new dishes. I got my love of many foods and passion for baking sitting at her counter waiting to lick the beaters :)

According to the recipe, Eleanor Roosevelt and her friend Elinor Morgenthau used to make this bread each Fall when the pear trees were loaded with fruit. I had never made or tasted pear bread, so of course, I had to try it! 

I adapted this recipe to be gluten-free and also made the following changes

-added a 1/8 teaspoon of almond extract to complement the pear flavor

-substituted shortening for butter 

-added 1/2 cup chopped dried pear to increase the pear flavor 

-added sliced pear and sugar to decorate the top

-did not add sugar or spices to pear sauce

Have fun with this unusual recipe and let me know what you think -Carolyn

Pear Bread 

Recipe adapted for gluten-free from an old Dutchess County Recipe for Pear Bread.

Dry 

1 3/4 cups Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour

1/4 cup blanched almond flour

1 teaspoon sweet rice flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Wet

1/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups pear sauce, cooled

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup chopped dried pears

Optional: 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in the center position.

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg, extract and mix until combined. Add pear sauce and mix again. Add dry ingredients and stir until almost combined. Now, add dried pear and mix just enough to incorporate into the dough. Spoon and smooth into a greased  9x5 loaf pan. Garnish the top of the loaf with two thinly sliced pears and a sprinkle of coarse sugar crystals if desired. Bake for 45-55 minutes* or until loaf tests done with a toothpick coming clean when inserted into the middle of the loaf. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then on a rack. Store in the fridge for more than a day to keep fresh. Enjoy!

Pear Sauce

 2 cups slightly ripe pears, 

 Cook and cool the pears before making the bread. Remove the center core and cut pears into pieces. Add to a saucepan with about an inch of water and cook until softened. Mine took about 20 minutes. You can also use the microwave for cooking them but be careful they don’t boil over and make a mess!  I removed the skins after cooking and mashed the pears roughly. 

*If the loaf is browning too much, cover it with foil until cooking is completed.