Pear Cardamom Bread

[vegefood]

Pear Cardamom Bread

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, margarine or Crisco (room temp.)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk (soy milk works)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup peeled chopped ripe pears

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour an 8
1/2-inch loaf pan. You will have a little extra
batter for a little mini loaf pan, or an extra large
single individual muffin tin. (This is your treat for
making the bread).

In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking
powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamom.
With a pastry blender or a knife and fork (cut back
and forth), cut in the butter until mixture resembles
coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl beat eggs with the buttermilk and
vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and
beat on low or stir just until moistened.

Fold in the pears.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan.

Bake about 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted
comes out clean.

Cool for 10 mins. on a wire rack, remove from pan and
contimue cooling on rack.