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Overhead shot of a tray of james beard persimmon bread
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5 from 3 votes

Persimmon Bread

This classic Persimmon Bread recipe yields a moist, warmly spiced loaf that's easy to stir together with just one bowl in about 15 minutes!
Course bread, Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine American
Keyword james beard persimmon bread, persimmon bread, persimmon bread recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 1 loaf (about 12 slices)
Calories 348kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch (or 9 x 5-inch) loaf pan; set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.
    1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • Make a well in the center and add the melted butter, eggs, apple cider, persimmon puree, and vanilla extract. Stir just until combined – do not overmix. Fold in the nuts and raisins, if using.
    ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, ¼ cup apple cider, 1 cup persimmon puree, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional, 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries, optional
  • Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent loosely with foil towards the end of the baking time if the bread starts to get too dark on top before it’s done.

Notes

  • How to Make Persimmon Puree: You need 1 cup of persimmon puree, which requires about 2-3 very ripe, soft persimmons. I prefer fuyu persimmons, but other varieties will also work -- as long as they're very soft and sweet! To make the puree, just peel the fruit, cut off the green tops, and puree in a food processor or blender.
  • Reduce the sugar for a less-sweet loaf. The persimmon puree is very sweet on its own, plus you get a little bit of sweetness from the cider. You can cut the sugar to ¾ cup or even ½ cup if you prefer.
  • To prevent quick breads or Bundt cakes from sticking to the pan, I prefer to use a baking spray (that includes flour). It also helps to run a knife around the outside of the bread while it's still warm and cooling in the pan or line the pan with parchment paper before baking. 
  • The total baking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use (and on your individual oven). I prefer light-colored pans (or gold pans), which cook the bread more evenly. Dark metal pans tend to cause the outside to burn before the inside cooks through. You'll know that the bread is done when a toothpick inserted deep into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
  • Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients just until they're combined. Too much mixing and the bread will come out tough, dense, or dry. The key to keeping a quick bread moist is NOT over-mixing.
  • I like to shield the top of the bread loosely with foil after the first 45 minutes of baking. This prevents the top from becoming too dark, while the rest of the loaf can cook through,
  • Recipe adapted from the book, Beard on Bread.
  • Persimmon Bread with Bourbon: James Beard's persimmon bread recipe calls for bourbon or cognac instead of apple cider. Feel free to use the alcohol for a more grown-up bread!

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 319mg | Potassium: 268mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 278IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg