Persimmon Bread

I feel like I’ve been waiting patiently for persimmons to be in season ever since the beginning of September. Not only do I love to eat these things, I also love baking with them. I’ve had this persimmon bread recipe in my head for a few months, and have been waiting for my hachiya persimmons to get ripe, so I can make it. They were finally perfect last week, so I jumped at the chance to make a loaf! It is seriously so good, and I love how you feel the fall vibes when you eat it.

What are persimmons and how do you bake with them?

Persimmons are a popular fruit in Asian culture. There are 2 main varieties: fuyu and hachiya. Fuyu persimmons are short and hachiya persimmons are taller. In general, persimmons can only be eaten when they’re really ripe or else they taste bitter. This is especially true for the hachiya variety, which is the one I used for this recipe. When hachiya persimmons are ripe enough to use, they look like a bright red water balloon and the flesh is really soft.

Recipes that require persimmons to be mixed in are better made with hachiya persimmons, and recipes that require persimmons to hold their shape are better made with fuyu persimmons. Some fuyu persimmon recipes include persimmon crumble or a persimmon salad.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Hachiya persimmons – Make sure you use ripe hachiya persimmons for this recipe. Unripe hachiyas are really bitter. You can also use ripe fuyu persimmons for this recipe. If you use fuyu persimmons, use a blender to puree the persimmons before adding them to the batter.
• Unsalted butter – Adds a rich, nutty flavor to this recipe.
• All purpose flour – The main dry ingredient in this recipe.
• Baking soda – Helps the bread rise and gives it an airy texture,
• Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg – These warm spices add a bit of extra fall flavor to the bread. Feel free to add as much or as little as you want. You can also leave out spices.
• Light brown sugar – Adds sweetness to the persimmon bread. Feel free to substitute with dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will make the bread sweeter and more moist.
• Eggs – Adds richness to the bread.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the persimmon bread. Substitute with an equal amount of vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean.
• Salt for seasoning

Making my persimmon bread recipe

Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with oil or butter. Set aside. Mash the persimmons with a fork and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Brown your butter. Heat butter over medium heat until it fully melts. Lower to low heat and cook until the butter turns a golden yellow color. Remove from the heat and set aside. The butter will continue to brown as it sits. Add all purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to a bowl. Mix until well combined. Set aside.

Add the brown sugar, eggs, and browned butter to a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk until you get a light, fluffy mixture (1-2 minutes). Add the smashed hachiya persimmons, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until combined. Lastly, add your dry ingredients from step 5 to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting into it.

Tips on how to make the perfect persimmon bread

Use RIPE persimmons

I mentioned this a few times in this blog post, but it’s worth mentioning again. I’ve made persimmon bread with unripe persimmons, and it tastes horrible. They make the bread taste bitter. So how can you tell a hachiya persimmon is ripe enough? If you can squeeze the pulp out from the skin, it is ripe enough.

Why do you need to whip the wet ingredients until light and fluffy?

Doing this adds air to the batter and gives it a light and airy texture.

Don’t over mix the batter

Over mixing the batter will create a tough texture because every time you mix the batter, you create more gluten.

What can you eat persimmon bread with?

This bread doesn’t require anything, but if you want to pair it with something I recommend persimmon jam or just straight butter.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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