Have you ever eaten or made something with persimmons?
Growing up this fruit was pretty foreign to me. I remember my first experience with one. It was sometime during my college years and they were all over the markets in New York City. The beautiful autumn-esque hue of orange was stunning and I couldn’t resist buying a few. I picked some I thought were ripe and without much bruising. Excited to try it when I arrived home, I cut right into it and ate a slice. It. Was. Awful. Not only was it pretty bitter. It left this really unpleasant chalky sensation on my tongue that took what seemed like forever to go away.
You guessed it. Turns out, I had purchased a Hachaya persimmon. If you’re unfamiliar with the name, these are the taller, slightly pointier type which need to be eaten when they are so ripe, they feel like water balloons ready to bust (as David Lebovitz puts it.) The shorter, rounder Fuyu persimmon can be sliced and eaten much like a pear or apple and are often what you see accompany a cheese plate this time of year. The former variety is better suited for breads, cakes, jams, and other baked goods.
Well, lesson learned, and I came to love this fall fruit. Last year in LA, I was lucky enough to have a childhood friend who had a Fuyu persimmon tree in her backyard and shared some of her delicious harvest. While I have noticed the Fuyu less here in Istanbul, the Hachaya is pretty much in all the bazaars and most markets right now. With just a few days in a brown paper bag or left on the counter, they are ready for the pulp to be scooped out and used.
I recently made a great banana persimmon bread that was gluten and refined sugar-free that I’ll share soon. But first, I’ve got to talk about this Spiced Persimmon Bread. The original recipe by David Lebovitz can be found here. I adjusted it to make one loaf instead of two and only made a few changes.
If you want to wow your guests over some coffee or tea or have something spectacular and different to take to Friendsgiving, this will do it. It’s sweet with just the right amount of spice and studded with walnuts and dried fruit that’s soaked in fresh orange juice. The original version uses bourbon, which I think would be amazing too. For the dried fruit I used dates, apricots, tart cherries, and raisins. I thought this a perfect combo, but you can use any that you’d like or have on hand. I think some candied orange peel would also be delicious.
This bread will leave your home smelling so intoxicating, don’t be surprised if your neighbors follow the aroma and stop by. It’s exactly how every kitchen should smell all through the holidays.
Enjoy!
Spiced Persimmon Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried fruit, chopped (I used dates, apricots, raisins, cherries)
- 1/3 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed
- 1 3/4 cup (220g) whole wheat flour, sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup (110g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (90g) light brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted
- 2 eggs, lightly whisked
- 1 cup persimmon puree (from about 2 super-ripe Hachiya persimmons)
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
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Spray a loaf pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper so some hangs out over the sides. (This makes removal so much easier.)
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In a medium bowl soak the dried fruits in the orange juice and set aside.
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Sift the flour and combine with the baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.
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Add the wet ingredients, the sugars, spices, and salt to the bowl with the soaked dried fruit and mix to combine.
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Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the persimmon/ fruit mixture. Fold until almost combined, then fold in the walnuts.
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Pour into the loaf pan, level the top and bake about 55 minutes to 1 hour until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Recipe Notes
Makes 1 loaf and can be stored at room temperature tightly wrapped up to a week, refrigerated about 10 days, and frozen up to a month.
