This delicious bread tastes best if cooled completely, then wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature overnight. The recipe is 'improved' because I added baking soda to help offset the acidity of the pears and lemon in the original recipe, resulting in a more tender texture and better browning.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1-1/4 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups flour
- 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 16-oz. can pears, drained, reserving pear liquid
- 1/3 cup lemon juice OR reserved pear liquid
- 3/4 cup ground blanched almonds
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. reserved pear liquid
Preparation:
Cream butter, 1-1/4 cups sugar, and eggs until light and fluffy. Drain pears and puree them in a blender or food processor, making sure to reserve some of the pear liquid before pureeing. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and add alternately with the pureed pears and lemon juice (or 1/3 cup reserve pear juice). Stir in ground nuts. Spoon batter into two greased and floured 4x8" loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes, or until bread is light brown and begins to pull away from sides of pan.
In small bowl combine 1/3 cup sugar and reserved pear liquid. Brush this glaze over loaf immediately after it's removed from the oven. Let stand in pan for 10 minutes, then pour rest of glaze evenly over bread. Remove and cool on wire rack.
