Fresh Peach Bread

Ripe juicy peaches are synonymous with summertime. Are you with me? Homemade peach ice cream is hard to beat, but somehow our ice cream freezer didn't survive the last couple of moves, so I had to think of a different way to use the peaches sitting on my counter. When I get ready to make a cobbler, I always go to the foolproof recipe in the original Cotton Country Cookbook. But, yesterday I decided to try something a little different and made 2 loaves of bread -- great when it's hot out of the oven or perfect for breakfast the next morning. Here's the recipe in case you've got some peaches begging to be used.

FRESH PEACH BREAD

Preheat your oven to 325-degrees. Peel and puree the peaches, then set aside. Spray two 9" by 5" loaf pans with Pam.

Cream together until light and fluffy 1 1/2 c. sugar and 1/2 c. shortening.

Mix in 2 eggs.

Stir in 2 1/4 c. pureed peaches.

Add the dry ingredients until well-blended: 2 c. all-purpose flour, 1 t. soda, 1 t. baking powder and 1/4 t. salt.

Then stir in 1 1/2 t. vanilla and 1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts. (The Pearson children were never big fans of pecans or nuts of any kind, for that matter, so feel free to leave these out. You'll still have a moist delicious finished product).

Divide the batter between the 2 loaf pans and bake for 55-60 minutes.

Sweet tea is my beverage of choice, but I bet this would taste great with lemonade. Enjoy!