Brighten Up Your Breakfast Streusel Bread With A Fruit Addition

Enjoying a nice slice of cinnamon streusel bread in the morning is a great way to start the day. But there's a way to make it even better: Add fruit. The right fruit will brighten up the loaf, adding sweetness and more complexity of flavor. This is exactly how we take the loaf to the next level in Tasting Table's cinnamon pear streusel bread.

Recipe developer Jessica Morone chose pears because they're not commonly found in breads, but still liven up the bread in a tasty way. Morone says, "Pears are delicious and juicy and one of my favorite fruits in general. If you like pears you will like this bread." The pears are cut into cubes and integrated directly into the batter — so the pear flavor will be front and center in the finished bread, completed by the buttery, cinnamony goodness of the streusel on top.

While our recipe uses pears for their uniqueness, you can also go with another fruit. The most obvious substitute is, of course, apples, as the two fruits are often exchanged for one another — such as in Tasting Table's suggestion to upgrade applesauce by swapping out the main ingredient for pears. Plus, it's no secret that cinnamon and apples complement each other perfectly — just look to apple pie or spiced baked apple crumb for evidence. But the options don't end there.

Read more: 23 Whole Foods Baked Goods, Ranked

How To Customize The Fruit-Filled Streusel Bread

One way to put a special spin on the streusel bread is to use both apples and pears — it's the perfect compromise when you find yourself torn between the two fruits. You could also try out a different fruit combination, such as pairing banana with either apple or pear — it will result in an ultra-moist and flavorful, upgraded version of banana bread.

No matter which fruit — or fruit combination — you decide to go with, there are also extra ingredients you could add to make the bread even more enticing and unique. For example, you can add your favorite type of nut, either by including them in the bread batter or by chopping them up finely and including them in the streusel topping. Or, if you want a bit more sweetness, you can throw in your favorite type of chocolate chips — both milk and dark chocolate will blend in beautifully with the other bread ingredients. To fully turn it into a dessert, you can even make homemade icing to drizzle over the top of the bread. Or, instead of icing, you can simply have vanilla ice cream on hand to serve with a warm slice of the fruit bread.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.