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Sweet Alabama Pecan Bread

Sweet Alabama pecan bread with a crackly brown sugar and toasted pecan top. This Southern-style loaf is baked until set, with a moist buttery crumb and a clean toothpick finish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
salt
  • 0.5 tsp salt
ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
butter
  • 0.5 cup butter, softened
brown sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar for topping
eggs
  • 2 large eggs
buttermilk
  • 1 cup buttermilk
vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
pecans
  • 1.25 cup pecans, toasted and chopped, divided

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 stand mixer

Method
 

Prep and heat
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, then grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment to prevent sticking.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon until evenly combined.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Beat softened butter and packed brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in eggs one at a time and mix in vanilla extract.
Combine batter
  1. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, mixing just until combined for a tender crumb.
Add pecans and fill pan
  1. Fold in 1 cup of toasted chopped pecans, then pour the batter into the loaf pan.
Top and bake
  1. Top the batter with remaining pecans and sprinkle over the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
Bake and cool
  1. Bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean, then cool 15 minutes in the pan before slicing.

Notes

Pro tip: pack the brown sugar for the fluffiest butter-sugar base, and don’t overmix once the flour is added—stop as soon as the batter looks uniform. Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze slices up to 2 months. For a lighter variation, you can use half the butter in the loaf with neutral oil (about 1/4 cup butter + 1/4 cup oil) while keeping the same bake time.