Gingerbread-Pear Loaf
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup unsulfured molasses
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole buttermilk
- 8 Poached Pears halves, recipe follows
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2 (9x5-inch) loaf pans with baking spray. Line with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang over sides of pan, and spray again.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, salt, cloves, and nutmeg.
- In a separate large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter, and molasses with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk to brown-sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
- Spoon batter into prepared pans. Divide pear halves between pans (4 halves per loaf), inserting into batter, standing horizontally.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Store, covered, in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe by Victoria at https://www.victoriamag.com/gingerbread-pear-loaf/
3.5.3226