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
Great tasting bread. Mine took an extra 30 minutes of baking time until completely done, but well worth the effort.
My loaf was still “wet” after 1 hr.10 min.in oven. The cause? Perhaps because I used 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 oil? Or I should have drained any juice off peaches?
Sorry this didn’t work out for you Nancy ~ I can’t be certain what happened, but it you used canned peaches, then draining is important. Also pan size, be sure you use a full size 9×15 loaf pan for this recipe.
I make quick breads all the time and never use 1 cup of butter ? Is the amount correct ? Thanks
This one is particularly rich! For a lighter recipe, see this buttermilk peach bread.
This bread turned out perfect for me. I used a small cake pan instead of a bread pan and, I drained my fresh peaches before I folded them in. Thank you for sharing the recipe ?
Not sure if it was the bake time or temp or what, but this came out completely raw in the middle. I followed the recipe exactly with no modifications. I’ve had to put it back in the oven 3 times just to try to salvage it. Super disappointing, this never happens when I bake.
Sorry you had trouble with this LM. It could have been your pan…this recipe needs a full sized 9×5 loaf pan, and loaf pans can vary quite a bit. Also make sure you’re using just 2 cups chopped fresh peaches. Canned or frozen can make the batter wetter which might account for the longer cooking time. And lastly it could be an oven temperature issue, maybe an additional 25 degrees would have helped?
I have had this happen and the best thing you can do is instead of preheating your oven before you put in your loaf ,put the quickbread in when you turn on your oven and prehet with loaf in oven. I read this a few weeks ago and I have had this problem, mostly it seems, with thicker more dense quickbreads. My oven loses heat for some reason while baking so what happens is the bread cooks on the outside and inside middle is not cooked.I don’t know what else I can suggest but this seems to work for me and I don’t think this is an uncommon problem. I think the newer ovens seem to be more likey to blame for this.
Have you ever tried freezing this?
It will freeze nicely Liz, no problem.
Can I use canned peaches instead ? Thank you
Yes, sure. Just drain them well.
This sounds delicious and I would really love to try it. I made peach jam that I would like to substitute that for the fresh peaches but I’m don’t want it to be too sweet. I’m stumped on how to adjust the sugar because of the role it plays in keeping baked goods soft and moist. I would appreciate any suggestions that you might have. Thanks!
I had just made this recipe, followed it thoroughly, the only thing diff was that I used thawed peaches and mixed that into my batter! Cooked it the 50 mins time, checked it, didn’t look too overcooked, toothpick was a slightly moist but not alarming so I baked a little more to 56mins, looked fine but part of the area was a little moist so I proceeded to cook a few another 5 mins. Was not looking burnt and I saw the middle kinda sink, added about another 4 min longer, put it on a cooling rack. Once I got was ready to cut it, it basically fell apart.
I am going to try this. Do we have to leave the skin on the peaches?
I do, but it’s your call.