Persimmon Bread

Persimmon Bread

Persimmons have been a mystery to me.  I remember having them once a long time ago.  This year, I was going to make that change.  I bought some persimmons at COSTCO.  I remember seeing a recipe for Persimmon bread in my Beard on Bread cooking book.  I also found the recipe on David Lebovitz blog.

I was all excited about making this bread.  There was one problem.  I bought the wrong type of persimmons.  I bought the squatty  Fuyu   instead of the Hachiya persimmon.  The Fuyu persimmon is hard.   I peeled one and ate it.  It was wonderful.  Sweet and flavorful.  One down, seven to go.  What was I going to do? Then I read  the fine print on the packaging that  stated these persimmons will ripen and get soft.    It takes weeks but I am a patient person. In his post, David Lebovitz recommends that the persimmons be squishy soft - like  a water ballons.  

This bread recipe uses a lot of sugar.  The higher sugar content produces a moister and sweeter bread.
The sugar is combined with flour, salt, baking soda,  and ground nutmeg in a large bowl.   A well is made in the center of these ingredients.  The butter, eggs,  persimmon puree, Cognac ( I used orange juice) nuts, and raisins - I used half dried apricots diced and dried cranberries are mixed together until the batter is very smooth.  The batter is then  poured into the prepare loaf pans.  Bake for about 1 hour in a 350 degree F oven.  Cool the loaves on a wire rack.

This bread is one of the best fruit breads I have eaten. It is a delicious moist fruit bread that I like a cake.    It  has a delicious flavor from the persimmons and I love the extra texture the dried fruits and nuts give this bread.

Note:  This bread  freezes very nicely.


Persimmon Bread
From "Beard on Bread" by James Beard

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 to 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup melted butter, cooled to room temperature
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup Cognac or bourbon, or orange juice
2 cups persimmon puree (the pulp of about 4 medium, very ripe persimmons)
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
2 cups raisins, or diced dried fruits (such as apricots, cranberries, or dates)

Directions:
1. Butter 2 loaf pans.  Line the bottoms with a piece of parchment paper or dust with flour and tap out any excess.
2. Sift all five dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
3. Make a well in the center and add the melted butter, eggs, Cognac, persimmon puree, nuts and fruit.  Mix the dough until it is quite smooth.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans until they are about three-fourths full.  Bake 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Cool the loaves in the pans and turn out on a rack.

Makes 2 loaves

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