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Sliced gingerbread pear loaf on a marble board, dark crumb with pear pieces and a sugar-crisp top in window light

Gingerbread Pear Loaf with Molasses and Fresh Ginger

Key takeaways: bake at 175 C / 350 F for 55 minutes, cool for 45 minutes, and pat the pears dry so the center sets. Wrapped, the loaf keeps 3 to 4 days at room temperature.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 10 slices
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 271
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g all-purpose flour (2 cups); 1 tbsp reserved for tossing the pears
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 115 g unsalted butter (1/2 cup); melted and cooled 5 minutes
  • 100 g dark brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
  • 80 ml unsulphured molasses (1/3 cup)
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 120 ml buttermilk (1/2 cup); room temperature
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger (10 g); finely grated
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 firm-ripe pears medium (about 300 g); peeled, cored, diced to 1 cm / 1/2 inch
  • 1 tbsp turbinado sugar for the top

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 175 C / 350 F with a rack in the center. Grease a 23 x 13 cm / 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment, leaving an overhang on the two long sides.
  2. Dice the peeled pears into 1 cm / 1/2-inch pieces and blot them dry with paper towels. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the measured flour and set aside.
  3. Whisk the remaining flour with the baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a 3-quart / 2.8 L mixing bowl.
  4. In a second bowl, whisk the cooled melted butter, brown sugar and molasses until smooth. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then the buttermilk, grated ginger and vanilla until glossy.
  5. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and fold with a spatula for about 15 strokes, just until no flour streaks remain. Fold in the pears. The batter will be thick but pourable.
  6. Scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake for 55 minutes, tenting loosely with foil at 35 minutes if the top darkens quickly, until a toothpick in a spot without pear comes out with a few moist crumbs and the center reads 205 F / 96 C.
  7. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then lift out by the parchment and cool on the rack for another 30 minutes. Slice into 10 slices about 2 cm thick with a serrated knife.

Notes

  • Pat the pears dry and toss them in flour so they don't sink.
  • Cool the melted butter for 5 minutes before adding the eggs.
  • Test doneness in a spot without pear, since fruit pieces read wet.
  • Wait 45 minutes before slicing for clean edges and a set crumb.