When I finally got fresh quince at a local farmer’s market in the East Village, I bought 6 pounds of quince this season In the weeks prior, I had looked everywhere. When I finally found them, I guess in my excitement, I overbought. In retrospect, I am glad I did as so many good recipes were created as a result, like my last post showcasing poached quince in cranberry vanilla syrup.
Quince flavor is sour when fresh but when cooked it has a lovely floral and fragrant quality that makes it flexible for sweet or savory dishes.
This sweet, dense quince and almond-studded loaf pan bread is a perfect choice for holiday breakfasts or brunches.
To make the bread, grated fresh quince, and chopped slivered blanched almonds are kneaded into the bread dough and provide a unique flavor and crunch to this beautiful loaf pan bread.
If you would like to fancy up the recipe, cover the bread with a simple sugar glaze. Whisk together one cup of powdered sugar and a tablespoon of water and pour it over the top of the bread after it has cooled completely. If the glaze is too thick, add more water, a few drops at a time until it has thinned out enough to easily pour over the bread. Add flavor to the glaze by incorporating a few drops of pure vanilla, rum, or almond extract. Lemon and orange flavors would also work well.
Quince Almond Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb fresh quince
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup lukewarm whole milk divided into 1/4 cups
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg slightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup blanched almond splinters
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
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Rinse the fresh quince and pat dry. Peel quarter and core each one. Grate the quince quarters into a bowl.
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Add the apple juice and toss together to coat completely. Let stand for 15 minutes.
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Place the all-purpose flour in a large bowl and make an impression in the middle.
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Pour the active dry yeast into the well, sprinkle 1/2 the white granulated sugar over the yeast, and pour 1/2 the lukewarm milk over the sugar and yeast.
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Cover and stow in a warm place for 15 minutes.
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Roughly chop the almond splinters.
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Grease a large (9×14) loaf pan.
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Retrieve the bowl of yeasted dry ingredients from its warm place.
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Mix the contents of the bowl together with the grated fresh quince, salt, egg, melted unsalted butter, the rest of the white granulated sugar, and lukewarm milk.
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Knead in the almond splinters.
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Place the mixture back in the bowl, cover, and let stand for another 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead once more.
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Transfer the dough to the greased loaf pan.
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Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
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Remove from oven. Cool, then slice and serve while the bread is still warm.
Like this Quince almond Bread? Also, check out some of these other recipes:
QUINCE POTATO SPECK SOUP
TURKEY BREAST IN CREAMY QUINCE HORSERADISH SAUCE
QUINCE STREUSEL ICE CREAM
