Pear Bread

This quickbread is one of the Dishwasher's favorite treats.  It is incredibly moist, and the the mix of the nutmeg with the pears is heavenly.  The recipe comes from Boston Tea Parties, a great collection of tea sandwiches, bars, cookies, and quick breads published alongside prints from the Museum of Fine Arts here in Boston.

I have always followed this recipe to a T, but I think next time I would like to try adding some fresh raspberries or white chocolate chips.  What do you think?

Pear Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
                                 1 tsp baking powder
                                 1/2 tsp baking soda
                                 1/2 tsp salt
                                 1/8 tsp nutmeg
                                 1/4 cup buttermilk
                                 1-2 coarsely chopped pears
                                 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat at 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.
2. Cream butter.  Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet alternately with buttermilk.  Do not overmix.
6. Gently fold in pears, and nuts if using.
7.  Pour into loaf pan.
8. Bake at 350 until a knife comes out clean.  (The recipe says 50-60 minutes, but last time it took me 70!)