This pumpkin pear bread, with oat and brown rice flours, is a rich, flavorful quick bread that feels like dessert for breakfast.
Are You Here for The Food?
Pumpkin Pear Bread with Chocolate Chunks (GF & Whole-Grain)
Don’t let the “GF & Whole-Grain” part fool you. This pumpkin pear bread is still a rich, flavorful dessert-for-breakfast situation. Serve a slice with a dollop of thick Greek yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup, or a spread of pumpkin butter.
The recipe yields two loaves because if you’re going to all the effort of baking, you might as well have a loaf to give, to serve to your holiday guests, or simply to freeze and save for a busier week.
Are You Here to Connect?
Let’s Bake Two Loaves & Leave No Words Unsaid
We’re in the homestretch of Thanksgiving planning. This is a time when gratitude is supposed to take center stage but the state of the world, hosting stresses, family hot topics, dietary restrictions, and food shame often overshadow the one slated opportunity we have to express our deeper sentiments. Do it anyway. Be the one to say, “okay, what is everyone grateful for this year?” It is better to try for a vulnerable moment than regret not trying. This is what I tell myself.
For the past two years, a personal goal of mine has been to be a better ally to grief, to address the elephants of sadness or hurt in the room. My goal has been to speak against my internal voice that says, “don’t say that” for fear I will upset someone or reduce their opinion of me. (This voice means well, but she is misguided.)
My goal has been to speak positive feelings, which surprisingly, can feel even more vulnerable – to tell my boyfriend’s mom I am proud of her and admire her, to tell my “Maine parents” their relationship sets the bar, to tell my sister she was my role model, to ask my parents about their lives before me.
This recipe for pumpkin pear bread yields two loaves on purpose. Yes, a double batch is convenient for Thanksgiving hosting, or as a hostess gift, but I would encourage you to give the second loaf. My second loaf went to neighbors after their golden retriever passed away abruptly and traumatically. A pretty parcel of pumpkin pear bread, flowers, and a note was my way to say, “this sucks, and I am really sorry. His life mattered, and he will be missed.”
Address the elephants of sadness and grief. Celebrate the positive feelings that open you up and make you feel vulnerable. Bake a loaf to share because a slice of warm, spiced bread is like a hug. It doesn’t take away the pain, but it does help to warm the heart.
The Mint ‘n Maple Corner:
My boyfriend used to mock how I said “I love you Julep” every time I entered a room, but all the mockery made him actually fall in love with her. Maybe there’s a lesson there? Keep expressing positive emotions until they are earnest. I mean, look at that face though…
You Might Also Like: Lemon & Thyme Quick Bread
The lemon and thyme make this bread a worthy complement to fresh salads, light dinners, or a roasted turkey. Make it ahead of the holiday, and you can turn it into a unique, gluten-free crouton offering. Find this recipe and many more in my book, The Gluten-Free Grains Cookbook.
Pumpkin Pear Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot flour/powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons psyllium husk powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 4 large pasture-raised eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 pears, diced small
- 1 cup chocolate chunks, extra for topping
Topping
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 pear, sliced
- 1 Tbs light brown sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans; set aside.
- Sift the flours, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, psyllium husk, spices, and salt into a large mixing bowl, then whisk until thoroughly combined; set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugars until the mixture appears sandy, then add the eggs and whisk until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin puree and the vanilla until combined.
- Using a rubber spatula, add the dry ingredients into the wet in 3 applications, until the mixture is smooth.
- Fold in the diced pears and chocolate chunks.
- Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared loaf pans, top with the chopped walnuts, then arrange a half pear’s worth of slices on the top of each loaf.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. remove the bread and place it on a rack to cool for roughly 30 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the pan; let it cool completely before slicing.
