I’ve been craving pear bread ever since I saw some in the store the other day. Funny how that happens. The store version was much too big for one person, so I ran to the Internet. I started out thinking I would make the Smitten Kitchen pear bread recipe. But, that turned out to make two loaves. I’d never be able to eat two loaves of bread before it went stale. Even a single, full-size loaf was more than I wanted, especially for an experiment. So I kept looking. Then I found that Desserts for Two had a banana bread recipe that, with some tweaking, would do nicely. So, ginger pear bread was born.
I balanced the sweetness of the pears with the bite of some cinnamon and a bit of ground ginger. Ginger is both sweet and spicy, depending on what other flavors you combine it with. Then, I topped the whole thing with some chopped almonds for a bit of nutty crunch.
One warning though, when you finish mixing the combined ingredients, the result will look a bit odd before you bake it. However, the finished bread is delicious.
UPDATE: After some though, I decided that grating the pear was too much work. So I now just dice it instead. I also found, that especially if the pears were fresh, sweet, and ripe, that they required a lot less sugar. So I have cut that down as well.
Small Batch Ginger Pear Bread
Ginger pear bread is sweet and slightly spicy.
Notes
Dip the spoon in water before you measure the honey; that way it won’t stick.
Use the leftover egg white for meringues or to brush the top of homemade bread (the white will give it a lovely shine).
If your pears aren't that great, use 3T of sugar and 2T of honey.
Ingredients
- 1 medium size pear (about 1/2 cup)
- 3T unsalted butter, softened (you can leave it out for an hour, or pop it in the microwave for a few seconds)
- 2T sugar
- 1 T honey
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 C flour
- 1/4 plus 1/8 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 T chopped almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Butter and flour a small baking pan (6 inches)
- Peel the pear, slice it in half, and remove the core.
- Dice it into small pieces.
- Add the butter, sugar, and the honey and stir it all together with a spoon.
- Add the egg yolk and stir the mixture again.
- Now add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and the nuts.
- Stir that all together and pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Sprinkle with additional nuts if desired.
Substitutions and Variations for Ginger Pear Bread
- If you like, revert back to the original and use bananas instead of pears
- I used almonds, but walnuts or pecans would work too
- Add more ginger, or some candied ginger for more bite
More Small Batch Dessert Recipes
Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce and Ice Cream
A sweet treat that’s elegant and surprisingly fuss-free. Gently cook the pears, drizzle with chocolate sauce, and top with ice cream.
Easy Pear Crepe Dessert Recipe for One Person
Standard crepes are hard to make. This one is easy. Hint: it’s not really a crepe.
Just six simple steps and you’ve got a rich pie-like dessert (without any actual pie). Just the thing to satisfy your sweet tooth without much fuss.
Small Batch Cinnamon Sugar Apple Bread
A moist, sweet (but not too sweet), treat packed with chunks of apples and topped with crackly cinnamon sugar. It’s been down-scaled, so it’s the perfect amount for one person.