Pumpkin-Pear Bread

• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 c. low-fat milk
• 3/4 c. pumpkin puree (or 1/2 15 oz. can)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 15 oz. can pears, drained and diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat 8- or 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Whisk together sugar, flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in bowl.  Set aside.

Whisk together oil and egg in bowl until smooth.  Whisk in milk, then pumpkin and vanilla.  Stir flour mixture into oil-egg mixture until just combined.  Fold in pears.  Spread batter in prepared loaf pan, and bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Serves 12; 272 calories.

VERDICT: I made what turned out to be fatal substitutions--regular whole-wheat flour for whole-wheat pastry flour and fresh pears for canned (guessing how much pear that might be).  The bread never cooked all the way through and fell apart when I tried to take it out of the pan.  However, the crunchy top pieces that I picked off the soggy mess showed enough promise that I'm going to try it again as written.  Keep.