Pear Bread with Ginger and Chamomile
Fragrant ginger and chamomile tea add layers of flavors to this fruity fall tea bread, made with fresh pureed and chopped pears.
Servings 8 slices
Calories 308kcal
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Milk
- 1 Ginger and Chamomile Tea Bag
- 5 Medium Pears divided
- ¼ Cup Brown Sugar
- ½ Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Egg room temperature
- 1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour
- ½ Cup + 1 Tbsp All Purpose Flour divided
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- Cinnamon, Butter, Mascarpone Cheese, or Honey optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F, with a rack in the center. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
- Heat the milk in the microwave or on the stove until simmering, but not boiling. Add the tea, and let steep at least 5 minutes.
- Peel if desired, remove the seeds, and cut 3 of the pears into large chunks. Place them in a large bowl, and use a pastry blender to mash thoroughly. Add in the sugar, egg, and olive oil, stirring until combined. Then squeeze any excess tea from the bag into the milk and discard the tea bag. Add in the milk and mix until uniform.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flours, using ½ cup of the all purpose, baking soda, and salt until thoroughly combined. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet to create a uniform batter.
- Peel if desired, remove the seeds, and dice the remaining pears into ½-inch pieces. Toss with the 1 Tbsp of flour remaining until coated. Then fold the pears into the batter.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and smooth the top. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
- Bake 55-65 min until internal temperature is 190°F in the top-middle, cool completely before slicing. Serve warm with butter or room temperature with mascarpone and honey.
Notes
- Choosing Pears: You can use any type of US or European pear you'd like in this recipe. I used Bosc pears, which tend to be a bit crisper than Bartlett or Anjou varieties. They should be just ripe, and still firm on the outside.
- Choosing Tea: If you can't find a ginger-chamomile tea bag, you can use individual tea bags of each flavor. Or you can use chamomile and add 1 tsp dried grated ginger when mixing the flours. For a more intense flavor, use 2 tea bags, or let it steep for up to 10 minutes.
- Make ahead tip: This bread does not store well for more than a day or so, so make it the day of or before serving for best results. Quick breads freeze very well, either whole, halved, or sliced. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and place in a zip-top bag with as much air as possible squeezed out. Reheat by removing from the bag, and placing the foil-wrapped bread in a cold oven as it heats up to 350F then continue baking until warmed through, or thaw at room temperature for a few hours.