Cinnamon Pear Streusel Bread Recipe

Sweet fruit-based quick breads are nothing new, with bananas reigning supreme as the go-to fruit of choice and apples or peaches making the occasional appearance. One fruit that often finds itself in tart-like pastries but not so much in bread is the pear — though if this cinnamon pear streusel bread is any proof, the mild and juicy fruit certainly deserves a spot in the lineup. Recipe developer Jessica Morone says, "People make other kinds of fruit bread all the time, like banana or apple bread, pears just give this a different flavor." She goes on to say, "Pears are delicious and juicy and one of my favorite fruits in general. If you like pears you will like this bread."

As for the flavor and texture, Morone says, "This bread is moist, flavorful, and the crumble topping on top is buttery and delicious," and she explains that it "is kind of like a muffin." Instead of having to individually line an entire muffin tin and top off each muffin with streusel, you can cut out extra work by making one large loaf. She also notes that "The bread has a delicate sweet, cinnamon flavor." So even if pears aren't typically on the top of your fruit hierarchy, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this subtly spiced bread.

You'll need a couple of ripe pears to make this bread, along with a handful of baking staples: all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. As for the refrigerated goods, you'll need unsalted butter (melted and cooled), eggs, and buttermilk. To round out the bread ingredients, you'll also need a little bit of lemon juice.

As for the streusel topping, you'll need extra of a few of the ingredients you've already compiled for the bread. The streusel ingredients include unsalted butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and melted butter until fully combined.

Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk and mix well.

Add the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

In a medium bowl mix together the chopped pears and lemon juice.

Gently fold the pear mixture into the bread batter.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl mix together ¼ cup brown sugar, ¾ cup all-purpose flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon.

Add in the melted ¼ cup butter and mix together with a fork until crumbs form.

Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter in the loaf pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing the bread and cooling completely on a wire rack.

Slice and serve.

This cinnamon pear streusel bread is simple and sweet, and all of the ingredients work together to create a perfectly spiced treat. While it's wise to follow the instructions as-is, there is some room for creativity in the ingredients department. The easiest ingredient to switch up is the star of the show: the pears. "You can bake with any kind of pear you like," Morone says. "Bosc, Bartlett, and Anjou are all good options because they withstand heat pretty well."

There's also plenty of room for experimentation with flavor and texture. "Nuts would be a good addition to this bread, something like pecans or walnuts would be good in this," Morone suggests, adding, "Chocolate chips would also be fun." She also highlights the possibility of switching up the spices that you use and venturing farther than just cinnamon — she notes that "ginger and pears go well together."

If the recipe sounds perfectly delicious as written, then perhaps you're looking for ways to customize serving the bread. Morone notes, "You can just cut slices of this bread and eat it all by itself. You could also spread things like peanut butter or Nutella on it."

Like most bread recipes, this cinnamon pear version yields one large loaf — ideal for those who have families who will pick away at it throughout the week. If you happen to have some leftovers you have a few options for storing them. The first is ideal for those who anticipate the bread to be gone within a few days to a week. "Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days," Morone advises. She suggests, "Heating up the bread in the toaster oven when it starts to get stale is a really good option to give it some extra life."

If you want to save leftovers for much later down the road, then you'll want to turn to the freezer to take it from there. As Morone says, "You can also freeze it for up to 3 months." Before you just throw the loaf into the freezer, however, you'll want to take some steps to ensure it stays nice and fresh. "To freeze the bread you will want to wrap it fully in plastic wrap, and then put it in a freezer bag for additional protection," Morone says.