Spiced Buttermilk Bread

Awhile back, I got a bag of pears at Trader Joe's, hoping to make this bread before they were all eaten.  That didn't happen.  But, I still made the bread last night minus the fruit tucked into the top and the crunch of the raw sugar.  It turned out great but I wish I had let the browned butter cool a bit longer.  It curdled the buttermilk egg mixture some even though I poured it in ever so slightly.  Nonetheless, the bread was both tangy and moist from the buttermilk.  The nuttiness from the brown butter, the spiciness from the cinnamon, ginger and allspice, the sweetness from the brown sugar, and the brightness from the lemon zest give this bread tons of flavor.  I will definitely make this again with the addition of pears and sprinkle of turbinado sugar to the top, if we can ever keep pears around for that long :)
    
Spiced Buttermilk Cake with Pears

Source: Buttered Up

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

½ cup oat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon cinnamon 
¼ teaspoon ground all-spice

½ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

¼ cup butter, melted until brown and cooled
Zest of 1 medium lemon

½ a medium-sized pear sliced into ¼-inch wedges

3 tablespoons large grain raw sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375⁰F degrees with racks in the middle. Line a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon and all-spice, sugar and salt in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk, whisk in the melted butter, and the lemon zest. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture and stir until just combined (do not over mix).

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Gently nudge in the pear slices diagonally into the top of the batter, leaving about ¼ of the fruit peaking out. Sprinkle with the large grain sugar. Bake for 40-60 minutes or until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.