The Very Best Pear Bread Recipe
There are few things in life as comforting as a slice of warm pear bread. It is perfectly sweet and the best comfort food when chilly outside.
This pear bread recipe is perfect for cold winter mornings. Pop a slice of it 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 40’s lately and it has been snowing on the East Coast. Brrrrrr.
In case you have never heard of pear bread, it is a cousin of banana bread, just not as sweet. Nothing says cozy and warm more 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 go 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 little 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 that because I saute the pears, you don’t have to have perfectly ripe pears to make this recipe. And you don’t need to have 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 the pears while allowing them to soak up the yummy mixture and release their juices. If your pears are really ripe, they will release all of their wonderful juices.
Once you add the flour, baking soda, and half and half, the mixture will be quite 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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How much butter is recipe complete?
Oops – I updated it on the blog, but wanted to reach out to you. 2 TBL butter to saute the pears. The pears release their juice adding liquid. It is so, so yummy! Please let me know how yours turns out!
I will definitely be making this recipe. We are fortunate to have a pear tree which produces an abundance of pears. Agree as above, I think something (butter?) is missing from the ingredient list.
Thank you!!
Oh my gosh Barb, you have your own pear tree? You are so lucky and you will LOVE this recipe! Oops, I forgot the measurement for the butter – 2 TBL. The pears release their juice as they cook down so you get a lovely juice with the butter, pears, vanilla and cinnamon. Please let me know how yours turns out!
The last line of ingredients is not complete. Please double check.
Oops. I forgot to add the butter measurement. 2 TBL. Enjoy!
Great recipe. Since I cannot have wheat or dairy, I made it with oat milk and a commercially available gluten-free flour mix. Turned out perfect!
Amazing! So happy it turned out so well ☺️
Sounds delicious and I love pears! I want to make but it just might be your secret recipe since you left out a couple of ingredients 🙂
Oops – I left out the measurement for butter. It’s updated on the blog. 2 TBL. It is sooooo yummy! Let me know how yours turns out!
You NEED to update your ingredient list. This looks like a fantastic recipe but is missing at least one item – the BUTTER!!!!!
Thanks Crystal, I already did! Oops! 2 TBL butter. It really is the best. Let me know how yours turns out!
Def going to try this one!
Oh, it is so, so good. Please let me know how yours turns out!
Do you think Fuju persimmons (the firm kind) could be used instead of pears? We have a persimmon tree & am always scouting for more recipes. Hard to find for the Fuju persimmons.
I am not familiar with Fuju persimmons, but what I know about “persimmons” I think this could work! The key is to get the fruit to release its juice when sauteeing with the butter, vanilla and cinnamon. This creates liquid volume so that you don’t have to add more butter. My original banana bread recipe called for 1-1/2 sticks of butter and I cut it down to 2 TBL because of the fruit liquid! Let me know if you try it and how yours turns out!
I wonder if it would work just as well if you mashed the pears a bit for a more uniform consistency?
I’m sure it would Nancy. The key is that you want the pears to juice, together with the butter, vanilla and cinnamon, so if you mash them, be sure to keep any liquid the mashing may emit! Let me know how it turns out!
I would love to make this bread this weekend. Have the pears but the recipe appears to be incomplete. The butter and the amount of half and half. Thank you Leslie, it looks so yummy!
HiBarb – Hit refresh on your browser. I had left out the butter measurement but updated the post. It is 2 TBL. The half and half measurement is in there, it is 4 TBL. This recipe is so, so good. Let me know how yours turns out!
Love this pear bread recipe…will be making this for my husband…he loves bananas bread so will give this a try. Yours looks so yummy.I love the the loaf dish can this be bought from your shop and sent to Australia…let me know if you can Leslie”…await a reply. Cheers.🙂
Hi I’m in New Zealand and not familiar with half n half. Could you explain what it is please? Thanks
Half and half is simply a mixture of equal parts whole milk and cream.
Hi Leslie!
I live in Finland and I found your blog last year. We use desilitres here instead of cups. Could you transfer cups into desilitres in your recipes? It would be useful for your Euroopean readers…
What’s half and half?
Greetings and all the best,
Barbara
Half and half is simply a mixture of equal parts whole milk and cream.
Would you please let me know which type of pear you used, there are so many varieties and you didn’t mention which one was used in your recipe. Thanks so much, looks great!
Hi Lisa – I used bartlett pears. I hope you try this recipe, it really is so, so good!
This looks delicious! I have a couple of pear trees and always need new recipes. For those outside of USA, I googled half and half and it came up as half full cream milk and half whipping cream. I am in New Zealand so I would probably just use our regular cream.
Thanks Heather!
I just made this. It’s so delicious! Thank you for the recipe! ❤️
Thanks Jan!
You have add half and half but how much? Thank you.
Could you approximate the five pears into cups please? I have all different size pears from my four and one pear tree so I’m using a variety and many different sizes of Pears. Thanks!
As another reader asked, could you please provide an estimate total weight for the pears, in pounds or kilos? My pears range quite a bit in size.
Hi Caitlin! Apologies for the delay- about 1 kilo!
We love, love, love pears in our house! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you.
Oh yay! Let me know how it turns out ☺️
Just made it and used GF flour and baking soda…it looks and smells delish. We have two couples coming for the weekend and I wanted to use up my pears. Thank you.
Oh perfect! Hope it’s delicious- enjoy!