One of my Southern foodie friends brought this bread to me as a hostess gift a few years back, wrapped up in a cloth napkin and tied with a ribbon, and I will never forget how special I felt or how good it tasted. There is something so comforting about receiving a homemade cake or bread that makes you feel cared for. It’s the gift of time and thoughtfulness and in whilst in Ireland I have wonderful memories of friends and family bringing me freshly baked wheaten bread, or Belfast boiled cakes or Madera cakes all of which meant so much.In my upcoming book, I have a chapter called the ‘The Ulster Bakery’ that includes some of my favorite Irish baked goodies so, this means you too will be able to get out the measuring cups and bake up a storm to comfort and delight those you love. And, lest there be any excuse, I also have a chapter in the second half of my book entitled the ‘Southern Bakery’ where I likewise bring you recipes for tasty goodies you may be more familiar with, only with an Irish twist! Tasty treats like ‘Chocolate chip pumpkin bread’, or ‘Coconut pound cake’ or ‘Irish oat scones with pecans and blackberries’. Yummy huh?
So, now that you have the smell of baking in the air, may I bring you a very creative recipe straight out of my cookbook ‘The Shamrock and Peach’, taken from the Southern Bakery chapter that will fit the bill nicely.
Its a little taste of what is to come, and a good reason to bake up this delicious sweet bread just as Summer turns to Fall. Enjoy it with coffee for breakfast or as a snack during the day. Either way, just enjoy!
Zucchini & Pear Bread with Pecans & Blueberries:
3 cups zucchini (coarsely shredded by hand)
1 cup pear (coarsely shredded by hand)
3 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
2 ½ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecans (chopped)
1 cup dried blueberries
Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans size 9x3x3.
In a large cake mixer beat the eggs and sugar. Add all remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
Pour batter in to prepared pans. Bake for one hour or until the center of the bread comes out clean when inserted with a skewer.
Cool bread slightly before removing from pans and transfer to a wire cooling wrack to cook completely.
*(If you wish to print this recipe for use in your own kitchen, then I suggest you cut & paste the text into Word and print. Don't print the blog as it will waste a lot of paper!)
Enjoy!
J the I F
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