Banana Pear Bread
As my beautiful pears ripened, the texture was as soft as an overly ripe banana, so I got the idea of making my banana bread recipe with chunks of the ripe pears. I added a bit of homemade granola, instead of the toasted coconut I usually put in banana bread.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (spoon and sweep) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granola or 1 cup toasted coconut
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 ripe pears (or 2 ripe bananas) cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 cup 1 cup toasted nuts optional
Icing
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tbsp pear brandy (or rum)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granola, baking powder, sugar, salt, and spices.
- Cream together the butter and brown sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one. Alternate adding the flour and milk, in 3 additions, mixing just to incorporate after each addition.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool to room temperature.
Icing
- In a small bowl combine all the ingredients until smooth. Spread it on top of the cooled bread.