June 6, 2024

Old-Fashioned Peach Bread

Peach bread is a delicious bread to serve as a lovely summer treat or with your afternoon tea or coffee! Similar to banana bread; however, it has a sweeter taste. Once you taste this peach bread, you will wonder why you have never made it before!

In this blog post, you will learn how to make a delicious peach bread.

What is Peach Bread?

Peach bread is a type of quick bread made with fresh or canned peaches, providing a moist, sweet, and fruity flavour. It combines the rich taste of peaches with a tender crumb, often enhanced with spices and other complementary ingredients.

Characteristics of Peach Bread

Flavour: peach bread has a sweet and fruity flavour, dominated by the natural sweetness of peaches. The addition of spices like cinnamon or nutmeg can enhance its flavour profile.
Texture: the bread is typically moist and tender, thanks to the juicy peaches and often the inclusion of ingredients like yogurt, sour cream, or buttermilk; however, in this recipe the moisture comes from the peach juice and olive oil.
Appearance: peach bread usually has a golden-brown crust with chunks or slices of peaches visible throughout the loaf, adding visual appeal.

How Long Can I Store My Peach Bread For?

Refrigerator: You can store your peach bread in the fridge for up to 5-7 days.

Storage Tips

1. Cool Completely: before storing, make sure the peach bread has cooled completely to prevent condensation, which can lead to sogginess and mould.
2. Wrap Well: wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap or aluminium foil. Alternatively, you can place it in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag to keep it from drying out and to protect it from absorbing other odors in the refrigerator.
3. Label and Date: label the package with the date you made the bread to keep track of its freshness.

Freezer: If you want to store peach bread for a longer period, freezing is a good option. Frozen peach bread can last for up to 3 months.

How to Freeze Peach Bread

1. Cool Completely: Ensure the bread is completely cooled before freezing.
2. Slice (Optional): For convenience, consider slicing the bread before freezing. This way, you can take out individual slices as needed.
3. Wrap Individually: Wrap each slice (or the whole loaf) tightly in plastic wrap. You can also use parchment paper between slices to prevent them from sticking together.
4. Double Wrap: After wrapping in plastic wrap, place the slices or loaf in a resealable plastic freezer bag or an airtight container for an extra layer of protection against freezer burn.
5. Label and Date: Label the package with the date to keep track of storage time.

Thawing and Reheating

Thawing: To thaw, remove the desired amount of bread from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
Reheating: For a warm treat, reheat sliced in the microwave for a few seconds or in a toaster oven until warmed through. If reheating the whole loaf, you can warm it in a 350℉/175℃/Gas Mark 4 for about 10-15 minutes.

By following these storage guidelines, you can enjoy your peach bread for several days when refrigerated or extend its shelf life significantly by freezing.

Can I use Fresh or Frozen Peaches?

Yes, you can. Frozen peaches can be thawed and merely strain the excess liquid from them. Then dice your frozen peaches, and use as a straight substitute for the canned peaches. Fresh peaches will need to be prepared. See the next heading on how to prepare fresh peaches for your peach crumble.

You will still need 2 cups of the peaches even if using frozen or fresh peaches in this recipe.

How Do I Remove the Skin From my Fresh Peaches?

You will need to blanch your peaches to remove the skin from your peaches.

Blanching is the process of scalding your vegetables or fruit in boiling water for a very short amount of time and transferring them quickly to a very cold bowl of water or an ice bath. This allows the skin to fall off very easily.

These are the steps to blanch and prepare your peaches.

Boil a pot of water, then insert your peaches for 30 seconds.
Remove and transfer your peaches to an ice bath. The skins should then easily slide off and now the peaches are ready to be sliced.
Slice your peaches evenly as this allows for a more even baking of the peaches.

Using a free-stone peach makes slicing and cutting your peaches much easier as the pit of the peach will not stick to the flesh and make slicing difficult.

Can I Substitute the Butter for Oil?

Yes! The general substitution ratio is 1:1. So for this recipe, you would swap the 1/2 c. of butter for 1/2 c. of oil, either vegetable or olive oil.

The bread will be only slightly different if you use oil instead of butter.

Texture

Oil: using oil instead of butter will typically result in a moister and denser bread. Oil is 100% fat and helps retain moisture in baked goods.
Butter: butter provides both fat and air pockets (due to water content), which can result in a lighter, slightly fluffier texture.

Flavour

Oil: oil has a neutral flavour, which won’t impart the same richness and depth that butter does. If you want a more flavourful oil, use olive oil to compensate for it.
Butter: butter adds a rich, creamy flavour to the bread.

Best Practices for Substitution

Choose the Right Oil: use a neutral-flavoured oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, or sunflower oil. If you want to add a subtle flavour, you can use olive oil or coconut oil.
Combine with Other Ingredients: mix the oil well with the wet ingredients before combining with the dry ingredients to ensure even distribution. Whisking is the best option for combining ingredients.
Adjust Cooking Time: keep an eye on the baking time as it may vary slightly when using oil. Start checking for doneness a few minutes earlier than the original recipe suggests.

Ingredients

For the best results for this bread, make sure that the ingredients are room temperature, especially the milk and egg.

Canned Peaches: fresh, canned, or frozen peaches can be used. Fresh peaches are often preferred for their vibrant flavour, but canned or frozen peaches work well, especially when peaches are out of season.

Granulated Sugar: sugar to add sweetness.

Olive Oil: olive oil to provide moisture and richness.

Milk: milk helps to give this recipe its moisture. Whole milk increases the richness of the bread and its flavour.

Egg: an egg to bind the ingredients and add structure.

All-Purpose Flour/Plain Flour: All-purpose flour is commonly used, though whole wheat flour can be included for a heartier texture.

Vanilla Extract: vanilla extract adds warmth and depth of flavour to the dessert.

Baking Powder: baking powder is leavening agent used in this recipe to help the bread to rise properly.

Salt: salt enhances the flavour.

Tips

This recipe calls for two cans of peaches. That roughly works out to two cups of peaches with the cans being 250g of weight after they have been strained.
Using butter in the recipe causes the peach bread to have the texture of bread whereas using oil causes the bread to have a more cake like texture.
Letting the peach bread cool and sit for 20-30 minutes until it has fully cooled allows the peach bread to be cut more easily without it falling apart. You will get nicer slices of bread if you let it sit before cutting it.
Serve after dinner as dessert or use this peach bread as a nice afternoon snack with your coffee or tea!