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This delicious and easy to make spiced Pear, Date and Walnut Loaf is studded with sweet dates and crunchy walnuts. Enjoy a slice as a snack or dessert!
My parents just gave me a bunch of ripe juicy pears from their tree and after enjoying some fresh, I knew I wanted to bake with some of them. So I made this quick bread with pears, dates and walnuts and spiced it with cinnamon and nutmeg. The loaf came out tender and moist, perfectly sweetened and with a nice crunch from the toasted walnuts.
One of my favourite things about quick breads is how easy they are to make. Though there is a bit of prep involved with this pear loaf, none of it is too demanding and it can be easily mixed by hand. It bakes up beautifully and when you take the loaf out of the oven the smell is amazing!
I like to serve this Pear, Date and Walnut Loaf warm with a bit of butter to spread on a slice and a hot cup of coffee or tea for a delectable treat. Enjoy!
Here are more of my favourite quick breads:
Chocolate Swirled Brown Sugar Pumpkin Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried dates pitted and chopped
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 medium sized pears, medium ripe peeled and grated
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup light tasting oil
- 2 eggs large
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup walnuts toasted (see notes) and chopped
Instructions
- Place a rack in the middle section of your oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a loaf pan with paper liner, leaving an overhang on the longest of two opposite sides (this will make it easy to lift the loaf out). Or butter and flour the pan.
- Add 1/2 cup boiled water over the chopped dates. Add baking soda and let sit 15 to 30 minutes.
- Peel and core the pears, then grate them. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine and whisk together the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- In a small bowl, beat sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Add the grated pears and the dates (along with their liquid) and stir until combined. Add the chopped walnuts and mix in.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for approximately 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Place pan on rack for 10 minutes to cool before lifting loaf out of pan. Serve warm or cooled. Loaf can be kept at room temperature for a few days.
Notes
- Toasting the walnuts will add to the texture and the flavour of your loaf. You can toast walnuts in a 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes or until fragrant, let cool and chop coarsely.
Nutrition
Sounds like a great recipe. I love quick breads. I made spiced pumpkin ricotta cookies with caramel icing this fall for my blog but, am in love with my neighbor’s pumpkin choc chip bread.
Thank you!
Couldn’t resist making this bread, it was delicious.
So happy to hear that. Thanks for letting me know!