The Very Best Pear Bread Recipe
There are few things as comforting as a slice of warm pear bread. It is perfectly sweet and the best comfort food when it is chilly outside.
This pear bread recipe is perfect for cold winter mornings. Pop a slice into the toaster oven, and add a dab of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar for the perfect bite with morning coffee.
Chilly Winter Mornings and Pear Bread, The Perfect Combination
Winter mornings, even here in Southern California, are cold. Our mornings have been in the low 40s lately, and it has been snowing on the East Coast and Midwest.
Brrrrrr.
If you have never heard of pear bread, it is a cousin of banana bread, just not as sweet. Nothing says cozy and warm than a slice of pear bread straight from the oven.
I created this recipe years ago when I began receiving Harry & David pears at Christmas. For years, we received a dozen perfectly ripe pears, and while we love pears, we couldn’t eat an entire dozen. I didn’t want them to waste, so I adapted my favorite banana bread recipe to create this one.
What I love about pear bread is that it is not as sweet as banana bread, so it is kind of a sweet bread. My favorite way to serve it is to pop a slice into the toaster oven; when toasted, spread a bit of butter and a little cinnamon sugar mixture over the top and have it with my coffee.
Pure heaven!
It is not a bad afternoon snack or evening snack either. When I make a loaf of pear bread, it never lasts very long!
One of the keys to this pear bread is since I saute the pears, you don’t have to have perfectly ripe pears to make this recipe. And you don’t need fresh pears as I have used pears in a jar before when pears are out of season.
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How to Make Pear Bread
This bread is easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients.
Sauteeing the pears in the butter, vanilla, and cinnamon mixture is a tricky way to soften them while allowing them to soak up the yummy mixture and release their juices. If your pears are ripe, they will release all of their superb juices.
Once you add the flour, baking soda, and half and half, the mixture will be pretty wet which is perfect!
The Very Best Pear Bread Recipe
A slice for breakfast with your coffee, as you dash out the door, or as an afternoon snack, this pear bread will quickly become a family favorite
Ingredients
- 5 pears, peeled and diced (½”-¾”-ish)
- 2 TBL butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups of flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 4 TBL ½ and ½
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Prepare a loaf pan with non-stick spray.
- Peel and dice the pears.
- Using a saute pan large enough to hold all of the diced pears, melt the butter. Add vanilla and cinnamon, thoroughly combine
- Add the peeled and diced pears to the butter, vanilla, and cinnamon mixture. Cook until pears are softened and the pear juice has added liquid to the pan. Depending on how ripe your pears are, this can take as little as 10 minutes or as long as 20 minutes. Put a lid on the pears as they cook to capture all of the juice
- Once pears are browned, softened and juicy in the butter mixture, set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, blend together the brown sugar and 2 eggs. Make sure there are no lumps from the brown sugar.
- Add the cooled pears and juicy butter mixture to the bowl with the brown sugar and eggs. Thoroughly combine.
- Add flour, baking soda, and half and half to the mixture and combine thoroughly. The mixture will be quite wet.
- Pour the mixture into a prepared loaf pan.
- Place the loaf pan onto a cookie sheet in case of seepage and place it on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 40-45 minutes or until the knife comes out clean.
Notes
Depending on how ripe or unripe your pears are, step 4 can take as little as 10 minutes or over 20 minutes. I have used jarred pears before and they work beautifully!
Make sure to cool the pear, butter, and juice mixture before adding to the brown sugar and egg mixture so that the warm pear mixture doesn't cook your eggs!
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Your description of winter mornings with a warm slice and coffee added so much atmosphere. It didn’t read like a recipe alone, but more like a quiet ritual that fits naturally into everyday life.
The clear flow of the instructions, especially explaining why the batter stays quite wet, was very reassuring. It reads like guidance from someone baking alongside you, not just listing steps.
I really appreciated the detail about sautéing the pears first and how it draws out their juices. That small explanation made the whole process feel intentional rather than complicated.
The way you describe serving it—warm, toasted, with butter and cinnamon sugar—adds so much atmosphere. It reads less like a recipe and more like a cozy winter routine.
I also liked how flexible the recipe feels, especially mentioning jarred pears and varying ripeness. It makes this feel approachable for real life, not just ideal conditions.