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Sweet Alabama Pecan Bread

Sweet Alabama pecan bread delivers a moist, buttery crumb with a crackly brown sugar and pecan topping. This Southern-style loaf is baked until toothpick-clean, then cooled briefly for clean slicing and a tender crumb.
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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: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, then grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan so the loaf releases cleanly after baking.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon until evenly combined with no visible streaks.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Beat butter, softened and brown sugar, packed until fluffy, then beat in large eggs one at a time followed by vanilla extract.
Combine batter
  1. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, mixing just until combined so the batter stays thick and moist.
  2. Fold in 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped, divided, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Top and bake
  1. Sprinkle remaining pecans, toasted and chopped, divided and brown sugar for topping over the batter so the surface browns and crackles.
  2. Bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean with only a few moist crumbs clinging.
Cool and slice
  1. Cool the loaf 15 minutes in the pan, then slice while it’s still sturdy for clean pieces and a tender crumb.

Notes

Pro tip: pack the brown sugar firmly in the wet mixture and keep mixing after adding flour to a minimum—this helps the loaf stay tender while the pecan topping crackles. Store leftovers tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 4 days; freeze slices up to 2 months. For a dairy-free swap, use a 1:1 plant butter and lactose-free buttermilk alternative (or make buttermilk with unsweetened plant milk plus a splash of acid) to keep the same moist texture.