My Spiced Peach Bread straddles the best of summer and fall, it’s got chunks of juicy ripe peach warmed up with cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. This easy quick bread became an instant family favorite at our house so I’m pretty sure your gang will love it too.
spiced peach bread is inspired by my mom’s spiced peaches
You don’t see old fashioned spiced peaches anymore, and the only reason I’ve ever experienced them is that my mom kept her mom’s tradition alive at Thanksgiving, and we always had a little bowl of them on the holiday table. But it doesn’t take much imagination to conjure up their flavor, and then it’s a short mental hop to this deliciously moist quick bread.
looking for more peach desserts?
- Brown Sugar Peach Cake
- Fresh Peach Shortcake
- Easy Peach Cobbler
- The Easiest Peach Buckle Recipe!
- Ripe Peach Popsicles
this foolproof peach bread was adapted from my ever popular lemon buttermilk bread
Whenever I riff off that recipe I know it’s going to be good, the texture is amazing. The key is creaming the butter and (in this case dark brown) sugar really really well, and then doing the same when the eggs are added. The batter becomes light and silky and bakes up with the perfect crumb. It does help to have a stand mixer, but electric beaters will work too.
the last step is key!
A quick sprinkle of sparkling sugar just before baking gives the bread a twinkle and a lovely crunch.
I love to use this coarse sugar on top of breads like this, as well as cookies, and cakes. You’ve seen it on my cranberry breakfast cake ~ it’s a simple step that adds a lot to the finished product, and it’s essential for holiday baking.
pro tips for really good spiced peach bread
- Peach season is June through September, but off season you can used drained canned peaches, or thawed frozen peaches, also drained.
- Use ripe but firm peaches for this bread.
- Peaches can turn brown after they’re cut, so I dice them shortly before folding them into my batter. Tossing with a little lemon juice will prevent browning in other cases.
- I don’t peel my peaches for this bread, the skins add color and flavor, so leave ’em on!
- Be sure to use a full sized standard 9×5 loaf pan for this recipe, there’s a good amount of batter.
always important when baking quick breads…
They can take a while to cook because the batter is thick and the shape of the pan is deep and narrow. Give it the time it needs to get that all important center cooked through. I will very often place a loose sheet of foil over the top of the bread towards the end of cooking so the crust doesn’t get too brown before it’s had a chance to completely cook through.
The toothpick test isn’t always accurate…use visual cues, too. If the center is not fully risen, or is sunk down, keep cooking. If you see wet batter in the cracks on the top of the bread, let it go a little longer.
quick breads are some of the easiest (and most comforting) bakes on the planet
And that’s why tvfgi has loads of recipes for them, you can’t go wrong with any of these…
Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bread
Spiced Peach Bread
Equipment
- 9×5 loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature (you can also use extra large eggs)
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour (you can also use all purpose flour)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup cultured buttermilk
- 2 cups diced peaches, skin on. For me this was 3 smallish peaches.
- 1 tsp coarse sparkling sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F Lightly butter a 9×5 loaf pan and line it with parchment paper with long ends so you can lift the bread out later for glazing and slicing.
- Put the brown sugar and butter into a stand mixer and cream until light and fluffy ~ a full 5 minutes. Make sure to get all the lumps out of the sugar.
- Beat in each of the eggs, one by one, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next one. Continue beating for another 2-3 minutes. The batter will be light and fluffy.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices and add to the mixer, alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Finish mixing by hand, to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed, but don't over beat. Fold in the peaches.
- Turn the batter into your prepared pan. Spread out evenly, and sprinkle the top lightly with sparkling sugar. You can use regular granulated or raw sugar if you like.
- Bake on the center rack for 50-55 minutes, or until fully risen and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it (moist crumbs are fine.)
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove, using the parchment paper handles. You can slice while it's still warm, or wait for it to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
My bread just came out of the oven. The peaches did NOT sink to the bottom of the pan at all! I wonder if you beat the batter as much as the recipe indicated? I usually don’t pay much attention to things like that, but this time, I even timed myself. Maybe it makes a difference? Anyway, the bread is really delicious. It’s. Rey moist and has a lovely texture as well. I used fresh peaches—don’t know if that made a difference either.
I am going to try this with Splenda. Being a diabetic I have to improvise. Oh would this loaf freeze well?
I made this and it was awesome. It seemed less sweet from other breads I have made, must be brown sugar instead, we actually liked it alot and will definately make again. I saw in some comments about the peaches sinking to bottom, I did not flour them and had not problems, seemed to be evenly distributed in batter. thanks for the recipe.
Is it possible to use frozen and thawed fresh peaches or will this be too soft
That should work fine Denise. Drain any excess liquid if there is any.
This bread was moist and delicious!! True that the batter is pretty “wet”. however I have made many quick breads, (mostly banana) and this one did not rise much in the middle (the nice dome shape). It also did bake over a little so I’d suggest putting a baking pan under your loaf pan. Also all the peaches ended up at the bottom of the loaf – I didn’t see the comment about tossing the peaches in flour first – will try that next time! Thanks – I will make this one again! Very good!
I made this loaf and the taste was great, I found a couple of things that I’m going to change for next time (I’ll let you know how the changes work)
All the Fruit sunk to the bottom of the loaf pan – next time I’ll toss the fruit in a bit of flour before I mix it into the batter that should prevent the sinking. I might slightly increase some of the (all) spices and I won’t sift the flour before I measure and add to the mixture. My loaf was very cakey in texture rather than a moist loaf texture. The spices were fresh but lacked their distinctive flavors.
can you make this keto by using brown sugar swerve and coconut or almond flour??
I haven’t tried so I can’t say, but it’s worth the experiment, Linnea, especially if you’re experienced with keto cooking.
Hi thanks for sharing this recipe it looks really good. Can I use oil instead of butter in this bread?
I haven’t tried that Monica, I think it should work, though.
Good morning. Have you ever tried substituting different fruits in this recipe? Thank you.
This bread is a recent creation so I haven’t experimented with it…yet! But any stone fruit would work beautifully, just make sure they’re firm. Pears would be nice.
Sue- how would you recommend making this recipe gluten free? What flour or flours do you recommend substituting for the all purpose what flour?
I haven’t tried this, but I usually suggest going with a good quality gf baking mix, I like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Flour, myself.
I used Bobs Red Mill Cup 4 Cup GF flour and it came out well. However I’d increase the spices and toss the peaches in flour just like everyone else mentioned and maybe add a nut and brown sugar topping.
I don’t have peaches, but I do have nectarines…. Could I use those?
Absolutely! I love nectarines 🙂