Soft, spiced, and with the perfect amount of pear flavor, you’ll be enjoying this loaf with a nice, warm beverage all season long. Vegan, nut-free, soy-free.
Fall is just around the corner and while I will always be enamored with apples, I feel that pears don’t get the love they deserve! So, to show this fruit some appreciation I’ve made this spiced pear bread that borders on a tea cake. I’ve been enjoying slices of it toasted with some vegan butter and a cup of coffee, for breakfast the last few days.
What I love about this loaf is that it is moist but not too dense, as some seasonal loaves can get (bordering on gummy, no thank you). Part of that is because whole wheat pastry flour is used, which gives a nice texture and density, but is not as coarse as whole wheat flour, so it is less likely to become stodgy. (Can you tell I’ve been watching the Great British Baking Show?)
I’ve decided to not add nuts so that it remains a bit allergy-friendly, but it would be great with some chopped walnuts or pecans folded into the batter before baking. Another great, but possibly polarizing, addition would be some golden raisins or dried cranberries. May try that out next time!
Substitutions and Tips:
- Pears – I used red Bartlett pears in this recipe, but other varieties can also work. Just make sure they are definitely ripe so that you can get the most sweetness out of them for the loaf.
- Ground flaxseed – this is used as a binder, but chia seeds will also work.
- Brown sugar – love the deeper sweetness this brings to the bread, but if you want something less sugary, you can use coconut sugar instead.
- Olive oil – other oils or even melted vegan butter will work in place of olive oil. While you could make an oil-free version of this recipe, I don’t think the texture will be as good.
- Whole wheat pastry flour – as mentioned earlier, this is a finer ground whole wheat flour. If you can’t find it, try using 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 all-purpose flour instead.
- Pumpkin seeds – use raw seeds so that they do not burn when the loaf is baking. If you prefer nuts to seeds, try chopped pecans or walnuts instead. Raw sunflower seeds will also work here.
Spiced Pear Loaf
Soft, spiced, and with the perfect amount of pear flavor, you'll be enjoying this loaf with a nice, warm beverage all season long. Vegan, nut-free, soy-free.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) hot water
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) ground flaxseed
- 1 cup (150 g) chopped pear, roughly 1 pear
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (342 g) whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 a pear, cored and sliced into wedges 1/4-inch thick
- 2 tablespoons (20 g) raw pumpkin seeds, aka pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4) and line a 9-inch bread pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together water and flaxseed and set aside to gel. In a food processor equipped with an s-blade, place pear, brown sugar, olive oil, and vanilla extract and puree until very smooth. Whisk the flaxseed mixture again to get it gelatinous and add to the food processor, pulsing to combine.
- Next, add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, allspice, and sea salt to the processor and pulse until there are no dry spots, but make sure to not over process as you don't want the gluten to develop and become stretchy.
- Transfer batter to the bread pan, and smooth it into an even layer. Next, arrange the pear slices on top and sprinkle, then press, the pumpkin seeds into the remaining surface area. Bake loaf for 55 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick draws clean. Cool on a rack for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting into the loaf.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Pears - I used red Bartlett pears in this recipe, but other varieties can also work. Just make sure they are definitely ripe so that you can get the most sweetness out of them for the loaf.
- Ground flaxseed - this is used as a binder, but chia seeds will also work.
- Brown sugar - you can use coconut sugar instead.
- Olive oil - other oils or even melted vegan butter will work in place of olive oil.
- Whole wheat pastry flour - as mentioned earlier, this is a finer ground whole wheat flour. If you can't find it, try using 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 all-purpose flour instead.
- Pumpkin seeds - use raw seeds so that they do not burn when the loaf is baking. If you prefer nuts to seeds, try chopped pecans or walnuts instead. Raw sunflower seeds will also work here.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 381Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 236mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 8gSugar: 23gProtein: 6g
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Patti
Tuesday 4th of October 2022
Truly the best pear bread ever. The spices make it stand out from others - simply delicious.
Arvie
Sunday 11th of September 2022
Hello! I only have all purpose and speltā¦ will 100% of either of those work just as well? Thanks ~~ looks amazing š¤©
Jackie @ Vegan Yack Attack!
Thursday 15th of September 2022
I think that if you did 1/2 spelt 1/2 Ap flour that could work! Or all AP flour