Persimmons are like cartoon fruit.
They’re so bulbous, sweet and juicy that… I dunno… I have a hard time believing that they’re a real life fruit.
Every year around this time, my mom shoves giant bag of super ripe oozing persimmons in my hands and I’m left to figure out what to do with them.
Soup? Gross. Candy? Weird. Softballs? Possibly. Inside of the refrigerator decorator? Yes.
Bread? Why the heck not?
Persimmons taste like… sugar. That’s the best way I can describe them.
I used the rounder Hachiya Persimmon for this recipe. Fuyu persimmons are more squat and firm. They’re not for baking. They’re for eating like an apple or putting on salads.
This bread is delicious. It’s got just a hint of spice from ginger. It’s moist and sweet… and it has large, baked in chunks of persimmon fruit. Perfectly seasonal.
Ginger Persimmon Bread
adapted from Epicurious the website
makes one 9x4x3-inch loaf
1/2 cup persimmon pulp
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9x4x3-inch loaf pan and set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together flour and salt.
In a small bowl, whisk together persimmon pulp and baking soda. This will thicken the pulp a bit.
In a medium bowl…. (yea, we using a lot of bowls) whisk together sugar, oil, eggs, spices, and fresh ginger. Once well incorporated, whisk in the persimmon mixture. Pour the wet ingredients, all at once, into the dry ingredients. Fold to incorporate. Once no flour remains, pour into the loaf pan and place in the oven.
Bake loaf for 55 to 60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature before serving. Loaf lasts well wrapped at room temperature for up to five days.
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have you tried adding cinnamon on the bread? usually for holiday breads it’s a combination of ginger and cinnamon for spices. i usually like that combination with hot brewed coffee. no sugar please.
I’ve got a small oriental persimmon tree that is loaded with fruit this year. I’ve only eaten them fresh and never have I baked with them. I will try this recipe as soon as my persimmons are ripe!
Your recipe is perfect timing for me!!!! Thanks!
Persimmon does taste like sugar. It tastes of soft and fresh sugar dissolving in your mouth, leaving behind a hint of warmth. I’ll bake persimmon bread tomorrow :-)
Wow, this bread looks fantastic! Love the combination of flavors in it. :)
I was just passing through looking at recipes this bread looks wonderful
Persimmon is one of my very favorite things
I’ll be making this
thanks for sharing
We had a fuyu (they look like button tomatoes) persimmon tree at my grandpa’s. they are more dense than the oblong hachiya persimmons, so they are easier to just eat in hand, and work with in baking. my mom would make muffins with them every morning when they were in season. i love these ones, and they taste to me like a pumpkin pie in a fruit
funny, my mum does exactly the same thing with me and I didnt knew I could cook them!!
I also didnt knew the name of this fruit in english !!! in Portugal we call it “dióspiro”
Joy, I just had to tell you how much I loves this bread. I was given some fuyu persimmons and decided to try the recipe anyway (hey, I figured they were free and I could give it a shot). Although the persimmon flavor wasn’t as strong, because I was anxious to bake and didn’t let them ripen enough, the bread itself has an amazing texture and perfectly balanced spice. The rest of the persimmons are ripening on the counter, waiting for round two of this bread. Thank you, Joy, for such a fabulous recipe! You are one talented gal.
It is soooooo good! Thank you :)
Hey Joy,
I have this in the oven now. The kitchen smells amazing! We have persimmons coming out of our ears.. Thanks for the new idea.. Just one question, what’s with the water? I added it into the wet ingredients, but didn’t see it in the instructions.. Am I blind? Is this where it belongs? Thanks!!
okay so I want to try to make this one, it looks good and I have never ever tried a permission before. So I have a probably silly question, how exactly do I get the pulp from it? Just beet up the insides?
Obviously, that bread sounds amazing…. But I want to know where you got that pad of paper! ;-)
I’m baking the muffins right now! Can’t wait! I added actual chunks plus the puree…. cannot wait!
Hey Joy! I made this last week and it was amazing. My first time baking with persimmons – still not sure I’m pronouncing it right. Ha!
I made it gluten free and vegan (http://cookmarked.com/recipe.aspx?eID=UWDvpHPUAdtYJVdMQPLJF8uR3hZUswCW0rc1Fmf7DOE=).
I may have commented on this before to say how I LOVE persimmons (though I can’t pronounce them).
I also LOVE ginger, maybe more than persimmons.
Right now, I’ve decided to make this : )
Just wanted to say I’ve made this recipe 3 times since you posted it. Once with persimmons and the other two times with cranberries. I make them into mini loaves and give them as gifts…after eating an entire mini loaf myself for quality control, of course!
So my dad calls me the other day to ask me what is a persimmon because he just bought a few. He wanted to know how the heck to eat it. What to do with it. I had no idea personally. So happy I came across your post. Now I can let him know. Lots of good ideas. He said it was very bitter tasting. I said to let it sit out and soften. He tried it that way and it was sweeter. Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions.
I decided to try this bread as I had been eyeing persimmons at the grocery store but had no idea what to do with them. Everyone who tried it loved it. The best reaction was from my mom, who spontaneously and clearly said, “It’s good!” She had a major stroke 4 years ago in the speech center of her brain so *any* spontaneous, clear speech is just short of a miracle. We’ll be making this bread again soon :)
This is so good, I’m making it for the second time in a week. If you’re considering making this, DO IT! You won’t regret it. :)
I made a little adaptation of this recipe. Persimmon Cornbread! Delicious, check it out Joy : )
I am so excited to use this recipe! I just whipped up a batch but noticed the recipe calls for 1/3 cup water but doesn’t use it in the instructions… i just added it and it looks a little thin, hope i didn’t commit baking suicide!! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I made this with super ripe Fuyus and it was fabulous. Nobody seems to be addicted to it like I am, but I guess that means more for me…! I also left out the mystery 1/3 c water.
Joy, I love your website and also persimmons! I wish they were in season all year round :-p And there are so few recipes with persimmons, keep them coming! I made this and it was delicious. Can you amend the instructions to specifically mention adding the water? This was the first recipe I tried off your website and although it’s listed in the ingredients, it wasn’t specifically referred to in the instructions so I was in a dilemma as to whether to add it or not! I did in the end, phew.
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