Persimmon pecan bread is a flavorful moist quick bread made with hachiya persimmon puree.
Persimmons are in season between September and December in the Northern Hemisphere. These autumn fruits typically peak in November.
There are many varieties of persimmon. However, the two most common varieties found in the United States are Hachiya and Fuyu.
Are you new to this orange autumn fruit? Persimmon quick bread is a wonderful introduction to the versatility of this fruit. The flavor of persimmon puree is not very strong. It can best be described as a light maple flavor.
Like banana, zucchini, and apple puree, persimmon adds great moisture to baked goods.
Every autumn I look forward to harvesting baskets and baskets full of persimmon from my dad’s giant persimmon trees in his garden. Over the years, I have experimented with numerous ways to use persimmon in cooking and baking.
Persimmon bread is still my favorite. It’s the first persimmon recipe I make each fall.
How to Use Persimmon Fruit
For baking purposes, wait until the persimmon is super ripe and very soft. Once you peel off the skin, the inside of a very ripe persimmon is soft and mushy.
Instead of using a food processor or blender, I smash the fruit with muddler to puree it. I like to leave small chunks of the fruit in the puree.
FRUIT 101: Hachiya Persimmon
The hachiya is elongated and acorn shaped. They are tart when firm. At this point, they taste a bit chalky when unripe.
- Ripe hachiyas are very sweet and juicy.
- It is ripe and ready to eat when the fruit is very soft to the touch. Haychiyas are ripe and ready to eat when very soft.
- Best used for baking. Like any other fruit puree, it adds moisture and sweetness to baked goods.
Fruits 101: Fuyu Persimmon
The fuyu is much smaller and flatter than the hachiya. It resembles a tomato in shape.
- Ripe fuyu is firm, yet gives to gentle pressure.
- Peel the skin and quarter into wedges.Remove any seeds and enjoy like an apple!
- Rarely used for cooking or baking. Rather, better used for raw applications like snacking and salads.
Fuyu Persimmons taste great raw, fresh from the tree!
However, when baked into a bread, much of its flavor mellows out, leaving a very mild taste. Rather than providing a punch of persimmon flavor, the fruit ends up moistening the bread.
Regardless, its very delicious and in my opinion, beats banana bread any day!
More Persimmon Recipes
- Persimmon Cranberry Pie topped with sweet and crunchy pecan crumble.
- Autumn Persimmon Pasta with arugula, sharp cheddar, and parmesan cheese.
- Coconut Persimmon Shortcake stacked with Fuyu slices, coconut whipped cream, and maple syrup.
Persimmon Pecan Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, (455 g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, (150 g), packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar, (200 g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, (226 g), melted, slightly cooled
- 4 large eggs,, lightly whisked
- 3 Tablespoons dark rum, , optional
- 2 cups persimmon puree , , hachiya variety
- 2 cups pecans, (230 g) lightly toasted, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5'' loft pan. Set aside two 4×6'' aluminum mini loaf pans.
- In medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, sugar, and melted butter. Use a study spatula to mix together. Add eggs and mix until incorporated.
- Add about 1/3 of flour mixture to large bowl. Fold to combine.
- Stir rum into persimmon puree. Add half of puree to mixing bowl. Mix, follow with another 1/3 of flour mixture. Mix, add remaining puree. Mix and adding remaining flour mixture. Stir together until there are no longer any dry streaks of flour.
- Add pecans and fold until thoroughly distributed.
- Transfer half of batter to prepared 9×5” loaf pan. Divide remaining batter between two smaller loaf pans.
- Bake 9×5” loaf for 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. The smaller loaf should bake for about 40 minutes.
- Let bread cool in pan for a couple of minutes before unmolding. Allow bread to come to room temperature before slicing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Love this recipe! I have modified it to a gluten free version that is also very good.