Pear Bread with Almond Glaze

Lightly sweet and spiced, this Pear Bread with Almond Glaze is a delicious way to enjoy pears during the colder months. The recipe is made in a loaf pan so it can be sliced up and enjoyed as a sweet breakfast, snack, or dessert!

Danae here from Recipe Runner with a great fall recipe using pears! Pear bread is a quick-bread (a type of loaf cake) with pear pieces mixed into the batter. Sometimes spices are added to complement or enhance the natural flavor of pears, such as cinnamon and nutmeg. It is similar in texture and taste to banana bread but without bananas.

This pear bread recipe is spiced with a hint of cardamom for a little kick of warmth and spice that pairs well together with the sweet taste of fresh pairs. A homemade almond glaze is made with powdered sugar, almond extract, and a bit of pear juice to add a sweet finish to the top. 

Prep this quick bread in 15 minutes before popping in the oven to bake. Your house will smell amazing while baking!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• A great way to use up fresh pears during the cooler months. 
• Pear bread makes a great homemade gift for friends and neighbors. 
• Delicious flavors and textures from the soft bread loaf to the sweet almond glaze. 
• Good for breakfast or as a snack with tea or coffee.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – Used as the main dry ingredient in this pear loaf. It helps hold all of the ingredients and lends to its dense bread texture. You can substitute with half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda – A combination of these two leavening ingredients helps make the bread rise when baking. 
• Salt – Activates the leavening agents and also balances out the sweet flavors in the pear loaf. 
• Spices – You’ll need a mix of dried cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger to give this pear loaf a warming spiced flavor. 
• Non-fat Greek Yogurt – Gives the bread a rich and dense texture without the use of extra fat or butter. You can substitute with sour cream.
• Pear Juice – Used to give the bread a rich pear flavor along with fresh pears. 
• Honey – Gives an additional natural sweetness to the pear loaf that is refined sugar-free. You can substitute with maple syrup or light brown sugar, if needed, but it may change the flavor slightly.
• Flavor Extracts – You’ll need both vanilla extract and almond extract to help infuse the pear bread with warming flavors. 
• Shredded Pear – Bits of fresh ripe pears in this pear loaf help give this loaf its classic taste and flavor. 
• Toasted Almonds – Sprinkled on top of the glaze, crunchy almonds give texture and nutty flavor on top. 
• Egg – A whole egg and egg white are used to help bind the bread together to keep it set while baking. 
• Vegetable Oil – Helps give the loaf mix a smooth texture while keeping it dense and satisfying. You can substitute with butter.

For the Almond Glaze:

• Powdered Sugar – Gives the glaze its classic white color and sweet flavor. 
• Pear Juice – Infuses the glaze with pear flavor that mixes well with the pear loaf. You can substitute with water, if needed.
• Almond Extract – Gives the glaze an infusion of almond flavor. 

How To Make Pear Bread With Almond Glaze

1. Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and set it aside for later. 
2. Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Whisk together until fully combined. 
3. Combine the dry ingredients: In a separate medium-sized bowl, add the yogurt pear juice, honey, oil, eggs, and flavor extracts. Whisk until fully combined. 
4. Assemble the loaf batter: Combine the wet and dry ingredients together using a rubber spatula and stir until evenly combined. Then, fold in the shredded pear once the batter is almost mixed through. 
5. Bake the pear bread: Pour the mixed batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until the bread is cooked through. When it’s done, an inserted toothpick should come out clean.
6. Assemble the almond glaze (while the bread is baking.) In a small bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the glaze until smooth and pourable.
7. Cool, glaze, and serve: Let the bread cool for 10 minutes, then place it on a wire rack to cool completely. Once the bread is cooled, drizzle the almond glaze on top, then sprinkle with slivered almonds if desired. Let the glaze set before slicing and serving. 

Expert Tips

1. Do not overmix the batter. When mixing the ingredients it’s important to make sure you don’t overwork the dough and mix everything just until combined. An overmixed dough could cause the bread to become too stiff and tough. 
2. Baking at high altitude: If you live at a high altitude your baking time will probably be closer to 45 -50 minutes and if you are closer to sea level it will probably be closer to an hour. I also recommend if you don’t live at a high altitude that you decrease the pear juice from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup as you typically need more liquid when baking at altitude.
3. Cover bread with foil if browning. While the bread is baking, it may start to get brown on top. If the bread starts to get too brown on top cover it loosely with a piece of foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
4. If the glaze is too thick add more pear juice, about 1/2 teaspoon at a time, if it’s too thin add more powdered sugar.

Variations

• For a refined sugar-free pear loaf, simply omit the almond glaze and enjoy it plain sweetened with honey and pear juice. 
• Mix up the nuts. Almonds are a great flavor to add to pear bread, but you can also use chopped walnuts or pecans instead. 
• Add dried fruit. Dried raisins, cranberries, or currants make add a sweet and tart flavor twist to the pear bread along with texture. 
• For a gluten free pear bread, replace the flour with a gluten free substitute that is a 1:1 ratio with all purpose flour. Make sure it contains xanthan gum in the mix. 

FAQs

Did you try this pear bread recipe? Leave a recipe rating and review below!

Pear Bread with Almond Glaze

Yield: 1 (9×5) loaf

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 50 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Cardamom Pear Bread with Almond Glaze is the perfect quick bread to make for brunch or a holiday breakfast! The flavors of warm, citrusy cardamom, juicy pears and a sweet almond glaze will have you grabbing a second slice!

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients 

Cardamom Pear Bread

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ 1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• ▢ 1/2 cup pear juice*, I used this, see note below about high altitude
• ▢ 1/3 cup honey
• ▢ 3 tablespoons oil such as canola or vegetable
• ▢ 1 egg + 1 egg white
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• ▢ 1 cup shredded pear, approximately 1 large pear
• ▢ Toasted sliced almonds for topping the bread, optional

Almond Glaze

• ▢ 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon pear juice plus more if needed
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Cardamom Pear Bread

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the yogurt, pear juice, honey, oil, eggs and extracts
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together with a rubber spatula.
• When the batter is nearly combined fold in the shredded pear.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (See note below about baking times)
• If the bread starts to get too brown on top cover it loosely with a piece of foil.
• Cool the bread completely on a wire cooling rack.

Almond Glaze

• In a small bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the glaze until smooth and pourable.
• If the glaze is too thick add more pear juice, about 1/2 teaspoon at a time, if it’s too thin add more powdered sugar.
• Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled bread and top with the toasted sliced almonds if desired.

Notes

* If you live at high altitude like I do your baking time will probably be closer to 45 -50 minutes and if you are closer to sea level it will probably be closer to an hour.

* I also recommend if you don’t live at high altitude that you decrease the pear juice from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup as you typically need more liquid when baking at altitude.

Storing: Pear loaf can be stored outside of the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container or in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

Freeze Pear Bread: You can freeze the entire loaf or individual slices. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and then in a layer of aluminum foil. Add the slices or loaf to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw on the counter before serving. 

Nutrition

Serving: 0g, Calories: 2001kcal, Carbohydrates: 363g, Protein: 42g, Fat: 51g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 169mg, Sodium: 1842mg, Potassium: 1691mg, Fiber: 25g, Sugar: 212g, Vitamin A: 240IU, Vitamin C: 53.9mg, Calcium: 419mg, Iron: 8.6mg

Course: Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Author: Ashley C.

If you try this recipe, don’t forget to leave a review below or share a photo and tag @spoonfulofflavor on Instagram.

Other Quick Bread Recipes

• Carrot Cake Bread
• Apple Cinnamon Bread
• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Blueberry Banana Bread
• Pumpkin Bread
• Zucchini Bread

This post was originally published in October 2016 by Danae at Recipe Runner. It was updated with new tips in November 2021.