Well, while I still had a few of the fresh peaches Mr. C. brought home the other day, I decided to make a peach quick bread for our upcoming trailer trip. (I like to have tasty baked breakfast treats tucked away in our trailer freezer so that I can make each breakfast a bit different than the one I served the day before.) And no, I had never thought to make a peach quick bread before I came up with this recipe. But after going online and reading several recipes for peach bread and cake, I came up with the recipe you find below.

And oh my, it was such a lovely surprise when it actually worked. But then, how can you go wrong with fresh peaches, pecans, and a bit of bourbon to bring the whole taste sensation together?

So, if you too love peaches, bourbon, and a quick bread that is sweet, but not too sweet, then give this recipe a try. The bread is moist and very flavorful and easy to pull together. Who could ask for anything more?

Well, Labor Day is over and it’s back to school for all the kids in our neighborhood. And I’m sure I heard a big sigh of relief this morning from all the parents for whom the summer had been plenty long enough, thank you very much! I know if it had been my kids going back to school, I probably would have gone outside and joined the celebration. Not that I didn’t love my little darlings, but I would have taken it for granted that they would be safe and cared for at school. If only that were the case today. Today I would wonder if my kids really were safe at school. Cared for by their teachers – yes. Safe – not so much.

I can only hope that in my lifetime there will be action taken to help everyone in our society be safe. That mere condolences and prayers after a mass shooting, for example, become a thing of the past. That action replaces complacency (forget which political party you represent), compassion replaces greed (does any one person actually need billions of dollars), and that people start to work together for the common good. (I know this will never happen, but an old gal can dream.)

So, while I’m dreaming, I wish nothing for you but love and peace. (And a delicious quick bread in your future.)

For the crumb topping:

2 T. packed brown sugar

3 T. unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

2 T. unsalted butter, cold and cubed

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. Or dump the whole mess in a small food processor and whirl until chunks form.

Refrigerate until ready to use. (The colder the topping, the less likely it will sink into the bread while it is baking.)

For the bread:

⅓ c. granulated sugar

⅓ c. brown sugar

3 T. whole milk

1 T. bourbon (or more whole milk)

¼ c. canola oil

2 lg. eggs

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

1 c. pecans, coarsely chopped

2 lg. peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into small chunks

In a large bowl, stir the sugars, milk, bourbon, oil, and eggs together. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon together and add to the sugar mixture. (The batter will be quite thick.)

Carefully fold in the pecans and peaches until thoroughly blended.

Spoon the batter into 1 standard 9×5-inch loaf pan or 2 7-inch loaf pans that have been lightly greased and the bottom of the pan or pans lined with parchment paper.

Evenly top the dough with the cold crumb topping.  

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 50-60 minutes for a large pan or around 35 minutes for the smaller pans. Or until a pick inserted into the loaf or loaves comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing. (Don’t eat the parchment paper.)