Oh, August. You know what that means, don't you? I'll tell you. It means many of our fruit trees are bursting and bountiful! We had cherries and purple plums last month. Now we have red plums, peaches, and pears. Soon, the figs (eeeee!), persimmons and apricots will bring forth their beauty. It really is the beginning of the best time of year. August also means that I can officially get away with making fall-spiced baked goods. Yes, yes I can. Wanna fight about it?
I thought not.
Anywho, I cracked open a can of pumpkin puree to accomplish my latest oven-lovin, a cinnamon pear bread. I used fresh pears from our tree, which really made the whole thing that much more special. If you make this, get the freshest pears you can, and maybe dice them a little smaller than I did if you don't like big chunks.
They kind of look like yams, don't they? Let me assure you, they don't taste like yams. They taste like sweet August.
Cinnamon Pear & Pumpkin Bread
1 cup pumpkin
1/3 cup light olive oil (or any oil you prefer)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp bourbon
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 cup diced fresh pears, peeled and cored
Preheat the oven to 350. If you keep your flour in the freezer, like I do, remember to take it out well in advance! With a wooden spoon, mix oil into pumpkin puree in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, egg, vanilla and bourbon, then cinnamon, and thoroughly combine. Sprinkle baking soda, salt, and flax over batter and mix in. Then add flour and stir to combine. Finally, add pears and gently incorporate.
Pour mixture into an oiled and parchment-lined loaf pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing from pan. Slice and devour!
