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Sweet Alabama Pecan Bread

Sweet Alabama pecan bread with a crackly brown sugar pecan top and a moist, buttery crumb. This Southern loaf is baked until set, then cooled briefly for clean slices.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert, Desserts & Baking
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan. The pan should be ready for batter as soon as mixing finishes.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Stop when the mixture looks evenly speckled with cinnamon.
Cream butter and sugar
  1. Beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla extract. Continue until the mixture looks lighter in color and smoother.
Combine wet and dry
  1. Add the dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, mixing just until combined. The batter should look thick and no dry streaks remain.
Add pecans and bake
  1. Fold in 1 cup pecans, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spread it into an even layer and scatter over the remaining pecans.
  2. Top with the brown sugar for topping, then bake for 55–60 minutes at 350°F. It’s done when a toothpick comes out clean and the top looks crackly and browned.
Cool and slice
  1. Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes before slicing. The loaf should firm up slightly so slices hold their shape.

Notes

Pro tip: toast the pecans until fragrant before chopping for deeper flavor, and don’t overmix the batter after adding the dry ingredients to keep the crumb tender. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze slices up to 2 months. For a dairy swap, use lactose-free buttermilk or a plant buttermilk-style substitute for a similar tang.