BAKE WITH ME

You know you want to…

Every month I'll post a recipe that I love. Some will be mine, some will be from cookbooks I love, with my modifications. 

This week everyone on 143 street is talking about this Spiced Pear Bread recipe as it was mentioned in the Corbin Hill Food Project newsletter on Tuesday. It's easy and makes two loaves, give one to a neighbor, take it to the office, or Sunday to church coffee hour. It's a great visiting cake (thanks for the term Dorie Greenspan.) You won't be disappointed. What will be tragic, is if you don't take advantage of this seasons pears. They are stellar. 

SPICED PEAR BREAD

3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of Cinnamon

1/4 scant teaspoon of allspice (FOR ALL YOU PUMPKIN SPICE FIENDS)

1/8 teaspoon of cloves (EVEN LESS IF YOU'RE SCARED, CLOVES ARE SCARY)

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon baking powder

zest from half a lemon

1/2 lemon squeezed over diced pears (ZEST IT BEFORE YOU SQUEEZE IT)

4 medium ripe pears peeled and diced

1 cup toasted and finally chopped pecans

2 cups sugar (IF YOU CUT THE SUGAR ONLY DO IT BY HALF A CUP)

1 cup oil (MY GRANDMOTHER CALLED IT SALAD OIL)

4 eggs 

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract (DON’T USE IMITATION)

Oven at 350

Grease and flour 2 9x5 bread pans. Mix dry ingredients. Add sugar, oil, and eggs and mix until smooth. Add remaining ingredients (BE GENTLE WITH THE PEARS.) Bake at 350 for 55-60 min. Cool in pan 10 mins.

*Whisk the eggs a bit. Use a fork

** This recipe is hard to make into muffins. It will make A LOT at least 24. A better bet would be to use a mini loaf pan, just make sure it's really sprayed down with oil/butter whatever your pleasure is. It should make about 12 of those. Adjust cooking times accordingly. 

***Before you whisk those eggs with the fork, whisk the dry ingredients a bit, move those spices around!!

Enjoy!!!

Love, Carmen