The most delicious Fall treat! This Spiced Caramelized Pear and Walnut Bread with Cinnamon Streusel is moist, perfectly sweet, and deliciously spiced. It's honestly just SO. GOOD.
Spray a 9"x4" loaf pan with baking spray. Set aside.
Peel, core, and dice pear. Set aside.
In a small, heavy pot, combine sugar, ginger, and nutmeg.
Cook over medium low heat, stirring only after sugar starts to melt, until sugar is dissolved.
Stir in pears.
Return to heat.
Continue to cook and stir over medium low heat until sugar melts again completely.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Streusel
In smallest bowl of food processor, combine all ingredients.
Pulse until well-combined and walnuts are chopped. Set aside.
Bread
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, egg, and oil.
Add dry ingredients.
Mix until just incorporated.
Add buttermilk and vanilla.
Mix in pears and walnuts.
Pour into prepared pan.
Top with streusel.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until done, covering the last 20 minutes or so.
Notes
Do not leave your sugar unattended when making the syrup. It can burn very quickly.
Lumps may form when you stir the syrup. This is okay. Just break them down with your spoon and stir until everything is dissolved and the syrup is a beautiful golden brown.
Make sure your spices are in-date and not expired.
Don't panic when you add the pears to the sugar syrup! The sugar syrup will harden, but you need to just keep cooking and stirring. It will dissolve.
Remember to cover the bread after 30 minutes of bake time!