Asian Pear Bread, #TwelveLoaves

A golden skin covers the pale white Asian nashi pear. Dripping succulence and deliciousness, this Japanese apple-pear signals the start of autumn in Japan. In the olden days, the road from the American School in Japan to Tamabochimae train station was lined with mom-and-pop shops. One sold fruit and vegetables. Another sold candy and Japanese rice crackers. Soba shops also lined the path to the train station. 

The golden Asian pear and a loaf of golden Asian pear bread!

At the fruit stand, I lingered and fingered many Asian nashi pears. My goal was always to buy the biggest and best one. Trying not to get my new clothes from America spotted with nashi juice was a challenge…But keeping tidy, looking cool in front of boys was nixed with one bite of nashi. Piercing the slightly stubbly skin with my teeth and tasting the crisp juicy pear is one of the great autumn pleasures in Japan. Japanese gardens are gorgeous in the fall…But so is the golden Asian nashi pear!

Asian pear bread is a sweet treat for a lunch box.

The Twelve Loaves bakers’ challenge for September was bread made with pears. Did I ponder over incorporating an Anjou or a red pear into bread? Decidedly not. Even though the Asian pear tends to be a bit pricey in America, the challenge was a great excuse to be a tad extravagant. Of course, a premium product deserves high-quality ingredients. So, I used coconut and Demerara sugar, razor-thin organic almond slices, dried cranberries and high-grade vanilla. (The Whole Foods in Boulder, Colorado sells the lovely essence in bulk. Instead of buying a $20 dollar bottle of vanilla, I was able to siphon off the required teaspoons.) I did, however, use Crisco in my Asian pear bread recipe… The result? Sublime deliciousness. 

Sliced almonds and Demerara sugar provide a sweet crunch to Asian pear bread. 

The Asian nashi pear tends to be filled with natural sugars but the bread was not very sweet. So, the Demerara and almond topping brought a candy crunch to my Asian pear bread….Yes, this bread is brunch / dessert material. The texture also leans toward cake…which in my book is a wonderful way to celebrate Autumn and the Asian pear!