Kristin's homemade Southern Pecan Bread
Pinterest can really get you into some deep spirals of craving and the past few weeks I have been craving pecan bread. I just looked at one recipe and the next thing I know Pinterest is showing me every form of pecan bread, pecan pie, pecan bread pudding, pecan cookies and so on until I absolutely HAD to make one of them. I picked two recipes for a sweet pecan bread and proceeded to bake.
The photo at the top of the page was taken on my patio and was the result of the recipe below. I am pretty sure that top piece never made it to the freezer.
The first recipe I made was very good. Steve and I ate it up. Then I froze the rest of what was left that night so as not to eat the whole thing. I thought the bread was real good but it sort of stuck in my teeth a bit and seemed a bit chewy. None of it was bad, because the taste was fantastic, but I thought I'd try another recipe to see if maybe a small shift in ingredients could make it even better.
Well, I'll tell ya, this recipe, below, is some fine pecan bread. It doesn't stick in my teeth, has a nice chew but doesn't need any effort to eat. It has fewer pecans than the first bread by just a little and the sugar ratio is different. It is so much better in my opinion. I bet this would be real good warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Hmmm, why didn't I think of that earlier?
I certainly picked a winner from the hundreds of recipes on Pinterest. The recipe states that it's good sitting on the counter for up to 3 days. That's all well and good if you can keep out of it! It might not last that long. This bread freezes beautifully, too. Make now, eat at Thanksgiving!
No sense keeping you all waiting -- here is the recipe!
Southern Pecan Bread
adapted from Cookies & Cups recipe
350°F - 9x13 baking dish
Ingredients
1 1/2 c light brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 1/4 c butter, melted
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t vanilla
1 1/4 t kosher salt
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 t baking powder
1 1/2 c chopped pecans
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a nonstick cooking spray into a 9x13 baking dish.
In a bowl combine both the sugars and butter, mixing on low until combined with either a stand mixer or hand held mixer. Add in the eggs, vanilla, and salt and mix at a medium speed for 1 minute until smooth.
Turn mixer to low and add in the flour until just combined. Fold in the pecans by hand.
Transfer mixture to your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center is just set and the edges are lightly golden.
Cool completely in the pan, and then cut into squares.
NOTES
*Store, airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
*If you want to use self rising flour - Omit salt and baking powder, then add back in 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
*If you want to make several batches, line your baking dish with parchment paper to lift right out of the dish to use again. You could also freeze the whole batch this way, too. Lift out, wrap in foil, freeze.
Let me know if you try this recipe.
Have a great day!
Kristin
