i hope you all had a wonderful holiday! we spent ours with our lovely families, consuming lots of good food!!
last year, we began the tradition of making baked goods to share with others, and whipped out four different cookies to give as gifts. this year i wanted to continue the tradition in a new way, and make something that could be enjoyed well after the cookies made by the fabulous bakers we’re related to were eaten with relish. so, we decided to make a bunch of mini loaves that could be frozen and reheated for breakfasts, snacks, or desserts in three different flavors: zucchini, banana, and persimmon.
the persimmon bread recipe was a gift from my mom last year, and i took a bunch of photos when i made it for the first time after christmas ’08. but i didn’t get the pictures up here before persimmon season ended, and i didn’t want to taunt you with an amazing recipe that you couldn’t make. because this bread is THAT good!
all the components are fabulous – the persimmons add a lovely texture and flavor, and keep the bread very moist and soft, the orange and lemon zest brighten the spice profile, and the pecans add a marvelous crunch. the bread rises well and yields the perfect combo of hearty but light goodness, standing up well in the hours between breakfast and lunch, but also not sitting heavily in your tummy if you eat it as a dessert. so what are you waiting for? go make this while persimmons are still in season, or you’ll be regretting it for the rest of the year!
one year ago: applesauce
persimmon spice bread
yields 8 mini loaves, 1 regular loaf, or 1 x 9″ round cake
- 1¾c all purpose flour
- 2t baking powder
- 1t ground cinnamon
- 1/2t ground nutmeg
- 1/2t ground cloves
- 1/2c butter, softened
- 1c sugar
- 1 egg
- 6 very soft, ripe persimmons
- 1t baking soda
- 1/2c chopped or broken pecans
- 1t orange zest
- 1t lemon zest
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- preheat oven to 350º
- in a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
- in another large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg
- cut the tops off the persimmons and scoop out the fruit, discarding the seeds, skin, and stems
- place the fruit into a blender and whirl with the baking soda until combined and smooth
- beat the persimmon and baking soda mixture into the butter, sugar, and egg mixture
- add the flour to the persimmon and butter combo and continue beating until well combined
- stir in the nuts, orange zest, and lemon zest
- pour into 8 greased mini loaf pans, 1 greased 8.5×4.5″ loaf pan or a greased 9″ round cake pan
- the mini loaves will bake for about 30 minutes, while the other two will bake for 40-45 minutes
- test the bread by pressing down off center and watching for it to spring back
- allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then pop out and enjoy!