Description
This cake-like and moist peach quick bread comes together with a simple batter, juicy peaches, and a brown sugar crumb topping. Feel free to turn this recipe into muffins or mini loaves. See recipe notes below.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (24g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Bread
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream (or plain yogurt/Greek yogurt), at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Peach Layer
- 1 and 1/2 cups (about 230g) peeled and chopped peaches (about 2 medium-large peaches)
- 1 Tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
- Crumb Topping: Make the crumb topping first. Mix the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Add the cold butter and using a pastry cutter or fork, cut butter into the brown sugar mixture until pea-size crumbles form. You can also use your hands to mix it together. Refrigerate (or freeze) until ready to use in step 5. (The colder it is, the less likely it will sink down into the bread and lose its crumbly texture.)
- Bread: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and granulated sugar together until combined. Whisk in the oil, sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then whisk to completely combine. Avoid over-mixing. You will have about 3 cups of batter.
- Peaches: Mix the peach layer ingredients together.
- Pour/spread half of the batter into prepared loaf pan. Spoon/spread the peaches (and any juices) evenly on top. Carefully pour/spread remaining batter evenly on top. Using a knife, swirl the batter down the center of the loaf pan. Evenly sprinkle crumb topping on top.
- Bake the bread for 60-65 minutes, covering loosely with foil about halfway through to prevent the top from over-browning. Poke the center of the bread with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the bread is done. Oven times will vary between ovens. My bread usually takes 1 hour. Cool bread completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
- Once completely cooled, slice and serve. The portions of bread around the peaches can taste gummy since peaches are so wet, but warming a slice up in the microwave for 10 seconds helps. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Baked and cooled bread freezes well up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Pastry Cutter | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Peaches: Cut peeled peaches into (about) 3/4 inch chunks. Here is the vegetable peeler I use and love. Fresh peaches are best, but you can use frozen chopped peaches if desired. For best results, thaw peaches first. Blot dry as much as you can before mixing with sugar and cinnamon in step 4. Feel free to substitute nectarines or apricots. Do not use canned peaches because they are too wet.
- Sour Cream & Milk: It’s best to use a mix of sour cream (or yogurt) and whole milk here. I do not recommend using 1 cup buttermilk to replace both because the batter will be thin and the bread will taste wet. Lower fat or nondairy milks work as a substitute for the 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk in a pinch.
- Muffins: Feel free to try my peach streusel muffins, which are exceptionally cake-like and buttery. You could also use today’s bread batter to make peach muffins. Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. You will need a 2nd pan for 2-3 additional muffins because this recipe yields around 14-15. (Or bake in batches.) Instead of mixing the peaches with cinnamon and sugar and swirling into the batter as noted in the recipe above, mix the chopped peaches with only the cinnamon and fold directly into the batter after you mix the wet and dry ingredients together in step 3. Fill muffin liners to the top with peach batter. Press crumb topping lightly into the tops of each. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20-22 minutes, give or take. Cool muffins for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Makes 14-15 muffins.
- Mini Loaves: You can use this batter to make mini peach breads. Follow the recipe above as written, dividing the batter/peaches/topping between your mini loaf pans. Swirl batter and peaches together as instructed above. Bake time and yield depends on the size of your mini loaf pan. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Keywords: peach bread