Pear Bread with Candied Ginger is a delicious quick bread recipe for fall! Roasted pears add an amazing flavor that complements the candied ginger and buttery streusel.
I love a good quick bread. I keep making my Apple Bread over and over. It’s great for an afternoon snack with a cup of tea.
This Pear Bread with Candied Ginger is based on the apple bread recipe, but with a few tweaks. I obviously used pears instead of apples, and I roasted the pears first.
Roasting brings out the sweetness of fruits and veggies, and pears are no exception. This recipe calls for two pears that are almost-ripe. That ensures that the pears keep their shape when baked into the bread, and any lack of sweetness is made up for by roasting.
This pear bread is even more delicious with a buttery streusel. It crisps up in the oven and the toasted almonds are a great complement to the pears and ginger.
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Ingredients
- Pears are the star of this quick bread. I used D’Anjou, but Bosc or Bartlett would work, too.
- Candied ginger is optional, but if you like ginger, definitely add it! It adds a little warm spice to the bread which complements the sweetness nicely.
- The bread starts by beating together butter and sugar.
- Flour, baking soda, and salt make up the dry ingredients.
- You can make your own buttermilk using milk and vinegar OR lemon juice (see instructions below).
- Eggs help the bread to rise nice and high (and keep it moist).
How to roast pears
Chop two pears into ½ inch pieces, then toss them with melted butter and a pinch of sea salt.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until the pears are slightly soft and beginning to caramelize. The skin will change color from green to brown.
How to make pear bread
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beat butter and sugar together with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. You want the butter to be room temperature before doing this—leave it out on the countertop for one hour to get it to room temperature.
Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined.
Beat in half the buttermilk, then half the flour mixture. Repeat with remaining buttermilk and remaining flour mixture.
Fold in the pears and candied ginger with a spatula until just combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the streusel ingredients. Use clean hands to work the butter in with your fingers until there are pea-sized pieces.
Pour the pear bread batter in a greased loaf pan, then top with the streusel. Bake for 55–65 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick stuck into the center comes out without any batter attached.
Make it ahead
I personally love Pear Bread on the same day that it’s made. The streusel stays crisp that way.
However, you can make the loaf 1–2 days in advance of serving it with good results. Cover it tightly and keep it at room temperature until you’re ready to serve it.
Can I freeze pear bread?
To freeze, wrap the loaf tightly in aluminum foil, then place in a resealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
D’Anjou, Bartlett, and Bosc pears are all suited for baking. They hold their shape well when cooked, particularly in baked goods such as pear bread.
Yes. Substitute one (15 oz) can of pears, drained.
Make your own buttermilk by combining 1 teaspoon of vinegar (white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even lemon juice) with ⅓ cup of milk.
This is a personal preference. I chose not to peel the pears, since the skin gets very soft when roasted. If you prefer, you can peel the pears before chopping them.
Variations
Change it up with these simple swaps!
- Don’t have candied ginger? Add ½ teaspoon of ground ginger to the batter.
- Substitute apples for the pears.
- Swap pecans for almonds in the streusel (or leave out the nuts altogether)
The bread is chock full of pears and it’s super moist. I love it with a cup of tea for an afternoon treat!
More quick bread recipes
- Apple Cinnamon Bread with Streusel
- Easy Zucchini Banana Bread
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Date Nut Bread (Grandma’s recipe!)
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
📖 Recipe
Pear Bread with Candied Ginger
Ingredients
For the pears:
- 2 almost-ripe pears, unpeeled and chopped into ½ inch pieces (I used D’Anjou)
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- Pinch of sea salt
For the quick bread:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup buttermilk (see substitute in the notes below)
- 2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger, optional
For the streusel:
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons cold butter
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
Instructions
For the pears:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the pears with the melted butter and a pinch of sea salt. Spread the pears on a baking sheet and roast for 12–15 minutes, until the pears soften slightly. Let cool.
For the bread:
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Grease a 9x5x3 inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter.
- Place ½ cup softened butter in a large bowl. Mix on high with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add 1 cup sugar and continue beating until pale yellow and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, baking soda, and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat on low until just combined. Add half the milk and beat until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and remaining milk.
- Stir in the roasted pears and candied ginger.
For the streusel/baking instructions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, a ginger. Dice the butter into small cubes, and add the cubes to the flour mixture. Use your fingers to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture, squishing the butter between your fingers. Stop when the butter reaches pea-size pieces.
- Spread the batter into the greased pan. Sprinkle with the streusel. Pat down lightly.
- Bake for 55–65 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Check the loaf around 40 minutes—if the top looks golden brown, loosely place a piece of aluminum foil on top for the rest of the baking time.
- Remove from the oven and run a knife along the edges of the pan. Let cool at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan.
Vanessa says
Wow. I mean wow. I stumbled across your website by complete accident, and I am bowled over and overwhelmed by how lovely all these recipes are. This bread was killer good, pears are a favorite in our house. We’ve been playing around with different methods for biscuit making and I look forward to giving your recipe a go – it very much reminds me of the biscuits from Willa Jean in New Orleans.
As for banana bread – it can be pretty meh? Have you tried roasted banana bread? Or alternatively if you like a nutty flavor – Alton Brown does this bit where he toasts oats and blitzes them into a flour for his.
cheers,
Vanessa
Kate Shungu says
Hi Vanessa, thank you so much for your sweet message! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pear bread. And I hope you love the biscuits! And YES EXACTLY to banana bread—I will have to look up Alton’s recipe. I’ve tried the Cook’s Illustrated version where you microwave the bananas and then strain them (probably similar to roasting?), and that one was pretty good.