More like cake than bread, this 'plummy' creation is moist and delicious. The pears and spices combine so tastily that I only bake this when there are other people around so I won't eat both loaves all by myself.
INGREDIENTS (for 2 servings):
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 3 tablespoons eggs
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 very firm D'Anjou pears, thinly sliced
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and generously grease two large loaf pans. (The long pieces of pear make the loaves more susceptible to sticking in the pans and falling apart, so make sure you grease the pans generously.)
In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, vegetable oil, molasses, and eggs. Mix in salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and allspice. Stir the pear slices in, coating them evenly. Stir in the flour. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pans
Bake for 50 to 65 minutes. Allow loaves to cool in pan about ten minutes before removing them and placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Note:It is very important that you add the pears BEFORE the flour. If you try stirring them in after you've added the flour, it will seem impossible to mix them evenly into the thick batter.