Description
A tender, buttery quick bread studded with crunchy pecans and swirled with a cinnamon-brown sugar streusel—finished with a silky vanilla-bourbon glaze for true Southern charm. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea!
Ingredients
For the Bread Batter
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2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
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1 ½ tsp baking powder
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½ tsp baking soda
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½ tsp fine sea salt
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1 tsp ground cinnamon
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¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
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¼ cup (50 g) packed light brown sugar
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2 large eggs, room temperature
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1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, well shaken
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½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
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2 tsp pure vanilla extract
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1 cup (100 g) chopped pecans, divided (reserve 2 Tbsp for topping)
For the Streusel Swirl
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⅓ cup (65 g) packed light brown sugar
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2 Tbsp (15 g) all-purpose flour
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1 tsp ground cinnamon
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2 Tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, melted
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½ cup (50 g) chopped pecans
For the Vanilla-Bourbon Glaze (optional)
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1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted
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2 Tbsp milk
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1 Tbsp melted butter
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1 tsp pure vanilla extract
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1 tsp bourbon (optional, but traditional)
Instructions
1️⃣ Preheat & prep pan
: Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease a 9×5″ loaf pan and line with parchment, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
2️⃣ Mix dry ingredients
: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon.
3️⃣ Combine sugars, eggs & wet
: In a separate bowl, whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth. Whisk in buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla.
4️⃣ Build the batter
: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined—do not overmix. Fold in ¾ cup chopped pecans.
5️⃣ Prepare streusel
: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until crumbly, then fold in the remaining ½ cup pecans.
6️⃣ Layer the loaf
: Spoon half the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle half the streusel evenly over. Top with remaining batter and finish with the rest of the streusel, pressing lightly.
7️⃣ Bake
: Bake for 50–60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs (avoid wet batter). If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 40 minutes.
8️⃣ Cool & glaze
: Let the bread cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Lift out with parchment and cool completely before glazing.
9️⃣ Whisk & drizzle glaze
: In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, and bourbon until smooth (add more milk ½ tsp at a time if too thick). Drizzle over cooled loaf.
🔟 Slice & serve
: Let glaze set 5 minutes, then slice thick and serve.
Notes
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Nut swap: Use toasted walnuts in place of pecans for a slightly different flavor.
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Gluten-free: Substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and add ¼ tsp xanthan gum if not already included.
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Maple twist: Replace the bourbon with pure maple syrup (use 2 tsp) in the glaze for extra sweetness.
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Mini loaves or muffins: Divide batter into two 8×4″ pans (reduce bake time by 10 min) or 12 standard muffin cups (bake 18–20 min).
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Storage: Keep wrapped at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze slices in an airtight bag for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (+ pan chilling if desired)
- Cook Time: 50–60 minutes