I am sitting in my living room, candles lit, under a (very) thick blanket, wondering when the girls are going to get cabin fever. It’s mid-October and the second snow of the season is swirling around in the wind. Sometimes in Wyoming, we don’t get to enjoy the change of the leaves for very long. Despite the way it looks outside, I am finding ways to hold on to fall before winter settles in for good. And the perfect way to celebrate the season is this gluten free spiced pear bread. Cardamon, cinnamon, and nutmeg surround the whole Bartlet pears – creating the perfect fall flavor combination. The perfect bite is half fruit, half bread. And it’s the best with any warm drink – especially with the pear cider recipe in this post.
If you have been following me for any amount of time, you are well aware that I love creating and styling scenes and tables. What I love even more, is collaborating with other creatives (recent Halloween tablescape created with my sister) to build something beautiful together with our different eyes for design. For this scene among the fallen leaves, I partnered with my good friend and fellow blogger, Lydia Senef of Dressed in Grace. I bring the food, and she brings the fashion to all of our shoots.
The Pear Bread Recipe
Lydia also happens to eat gluten-free, so I couldn’t wait for her to try the bread recipe. A mix of almond flour, rice flour and ground up walnuts is used instead of all-purpose flour. That mixture combined with cardamon, cinnamon and nutmeg is what truly give this recipe that dreamy fall flavor. The pears are baked into the bread whole, giving it a beautiful and unique look – the best kind when you’re serving guests. It’s a recipe that looks intimidating, but is actually extremely easy. Give it a try and share it with others – it’s something most anyone would enjoy.
Gluten Free Spiced Pear Bread
An amazing combination of honey, nutmeg, cardamon, and cinnamon creates the incredible fall flavors that surround around the whole pears that are baked into this bread. Its moist, comforting, gluten free and made with zero refined sugar.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 70 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 slices
- Category: Gluten free
- Method: Baking
Ingredients
- 3 ripe pears (do not use overly ripe pears)
- 10 Tbs soft butter
- 3/4 C coconut sugar
- 1/2 C ground walnuts
- 1/2 C rice flour
- 1/2 C almond meal flour
- 2 Tsp organic baking powder
- 2 Tbs honey
- 3 eggs
- 1.5 Tsp cardamon
- 1/4 Tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 3/4 Tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tsp vanilla
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a loaf pan. If you do not have a loaf pan that opens, line one you have with baking paper so the bread can easily be removed from the pan. If using baking paper, still make sure to grease the pan as it will sometimes stick.
- Beat the soft butter, the sugar, honey, salt and vanilla together for 3-4 minutes with a hand mixer.
- Add one egg at a time and beat to the butter mixture.
- Mix the rice flour, almond flour, baking powder, cardamon, cinnamon and nutmeg in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture and mix.
- Stir in the ground walnuts (I used a food processor to grind the nuts) to the batter.
- Evenly pour the batter into the greased loaf pan.
- Rinse the pears and pat dry. Place each pear on the top of the bread batter and once they are lined up how you like, press them down into the batter.
- Put the bread into the oven and bake for 55 minutes. If the top of the bread is getting to brown before it is finished baking, cover it with tin foil and place it back into the oven until baked through.
- Let the bread cool before removing it from the load pan. Slice and serve.
Notes
Do not use overly ripe pears – they will become too soft during the baking process and will become mushy, making it hard for the bread to bake surrounding the pears.
Recipe adapted from Our Food Stories.
Keywords: gluten free, bread, pears
The Pear Cider Recipe
Cider is also a flavor that defines the fall season for me. It’s one of those things that makes me close my eyes and snuggle in when I first take a drink. There is nothing else like it. Pear cider is extremely similar to apple cider, but with a lighter fruit flavor. All the same spices used in the traditional apple version of this drink can be used to create the pear version as well. The main difference between the recipe featured here and the traditional apple cider, is the use of vanilla bean. It gives this drink a smooth, sweet flavor – the perfect pairing with the bread.
This is not a made-from-scratch recipe. I decided to use pear juice for the cider that I bought from the store. I was actually able to get my hands on an organic version as well. So if that matters to you – it’s out there. Simply put all of the ingredients into a large pot, or crock pot and let everything simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Your house will smell amazing. Then pour it into a thermos and pack it along to an outdoor fall gathering of your choice.
Can you add alcohol to this cider? Well of course you can. Rum is definitely the number one choice. It pairs well with the spices and flavors of the cider. If you choose something different, please let me know! I am always up for experimenting with new cocktail flavors.
Pear Cider
Simple, clean, and healthy recipe for the best fall flavored drink – pear cider. Hints of vanilla give this recipe all the warmth you need for this season’s chilly months.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1-3 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Category: Cider
- Cuisine: Drink
Ingredients
- 32 ounces organic pear juice
- 1/2 Cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 Honey (omit if you prefer a vegan version of the recipe)
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp whole cloves (or 1/2 tsp ground cloves)
- 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 vanilla bean pod, split open.
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients into a large pot, or crock pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn heat down and let it simmer for at least an hour, or up to three hours.
- Strain any whole ingredients you added to the cider.
- Serve!
Notes
If you choose to add spiced rum to this recipe, add it last, about ten minutes before serving the drink.
Keywords: cider, pear, pear cider, warm drink recipe, fall drink
