Delicious Pear Bread

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 16-oz. can pears, drained, reserving liquid
• 1/3 cup lemon juice OR reserved pear liquid
• 3/4 cup ground, blanched almonds
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons reserved pear liquid

Directions

Cream butter, 1-1/4 cups sugar, and eggs until light and fluffy. Drain pears and puree them in blender or food processor, making sure to reserve some of the pear liquid before pureeing. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and add alternately with pureed pears and lemon juice (or 1/3 cup reserved pear juice). Stir in ground almonds.
Spoon batter into two greased and floured 4×8? loaf pans. Bake at 350 ° for 45 to 55 minutes, or until bread is light brown and begins to pull away from sides of pan. In small bowl combine 1/3 cup sugar and reserved pear liquid. Brush this glaze over loaf immediately after it?s removed from the oven. Let stand in pan for 10 minutes, then pour rest of glaze evenly over bread. Remove and cool on wire rack.
This delicious bread tastes best if cooled completely, then wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature overnight. Great for a different treat in those end-of-year school lunches.