This spiced persimmon bread recipe uses two different types of persimmons. The pulp of Hachiya persimmons is mixed into the batter along with the warming spices cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Thinly sliced Fuyu persimmons are arranged on top of the batter before sliding the bread into the oven for an extra punch of persimmons flavor.
This is a very easy quick bread recipe that's perfect for breakfast with your morning cup of coffee or this ginger lemon honey tea. Or save it for an afternoon snack, dessert, or as a holiday gift.
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Want to make this recipe perfectly the first time? I want to help with that. So, check out this Table of Contents to see which sections of this post will help you the most.
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- ๐คทโโ๏ธ What is the difference between Hachiya persimmons and Fuyu persimmons?
- โค๏ธ Why you'll love this recipe
- ๐ง Main Ingredients + Notes
- ๐ช Recommended Equipment
- ๐ฏ Why This Recipe Works
- ๐ฉโ๐ณ Tips for Success
- ๐กIdeas for Possible Variations
- ๐๏ธ Making This Recipe at High Altitude
- ๐ง What's the best way to store this bread?
- ๐ฅ More Holiday Breads
- Easy Persimmon Bread Recipe with Spices
In persimmon season, maybe you walk by the piles of hachiya and fuyu persimmons wondering what to do with them. I did for years. They're so pretty and eye-catching, they're just begging to come home with us.
When they show up now in the late fall, sometime in late October or early November, I always grab a few. I need a little patience to let the hachiya variety ripen, but it's worth it as it can be used in many baking recipes like these spiced persimmon cookies and this bread.
๐คทโโ๏ธ What is the difference between Hachiya persimmons and Fuyu persimmons?
In the United States, the two most common varieties of persimmon at our neighborhood market and local farmers' market are hachiya and fuyu. Both kinds of persimmons show up in the late fall.
Hachiya persimmons are oblong and acorn-shaped. They're slightly flattened at one end and pointed at the other end and are a bright autumn orange in color. When ripe, they are very soft and filled with a pulp that can made into jams, or mixed into cookie batters, cakes, and breads. This type of persimmon has an astringent quality. It can be eaten raw, for example with cheese and crackers, but is more often used cooked.
Fuyu persimmons are squat and round, with the same coloring as the hachiya variety. They are meant to be eaten when the fruit is firm and is easily sliced raw for snacking or toย make a persimmon salad. Fuyu are sweet persimmons and are considered to be non-astringent persimmons.
โค๏ธ Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy to make for any level of baker.
- The warming spices make this bread perfect around the holidays.
- This bread is beautifully moist from the persimmons, similar to pumpkin bread and banana bread.
- Enjoy it any time of day. It's great for breakfast, brunch, an afternoon snack or dessert.
- Makes a perfect holiday gift for family and friends.
๐ง Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minute meal or less.
For all of the ingredients, measurements, and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- All-purpose flour - I imagine gluten-free flour would work, but I haven't tried it.
- Baking soda
- Spices - I use cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, but allspice, mace, and cloves also are wonderful in this bread.
- Unsalted butter
- Sugar - use regular granulated sugar.
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract - Tahitian is the best, IMO. If you can't find that variety, use Madagascar vanilla extract.
- Hachiya persimmon - make sure they're very soft before using them. Unripe persimmons of this variety are too tart.
- Fuyu persimmon - This is for thin slices of persimmon arranged on top of the bread.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
๐ช Recommended Equipment
Having the right equipment for recipes makes prepping much easier. If you want more fuss-free prepping and cooking, check out my updated list ofย favorite kitchen tools and equipment.
- Loaf pan - the standard size is 9" X 5" X 3". I use a ceramic one, pictured below. Adjustments for using a glass loaf pan and a darkly colored one are included in the directions in the Recipe Card.
- Medium bowl - for mixing the dry ingredients.
- Kitchen scales - for weighing the flour.
- Whisk
- Standing mixer fitted with a large mixing bowl and paddle attachment.
- Silicone spatula or wooden spoon
- Chef's knife - if topping the bread with thin slices of Fuyu persimmon.
- Wire rack - for cooling the bread.
๐ฏ Why This Recipe Works
- Ripe Hachiya persimmon mixes wonderfully into batters and is perfect with warm spices that are so popular in the fall and winter.
- Adding thinly sliced Fuyu persimmon on top of the batter accents the persimmon flavors in the baked bread. And it tells everyone the fruit that's used for making the bread.
๐ฉโ๐ณ Tips for Success
- Weigh the flour to avoid using too much. This also gives you a consistent result every time you make this delicious bread.
- Whisking the dry ingredients together ensures a more even distribution of the baking soda and spices through the flour.
- Only use a Hachiya persimmon that is very ripe. It must be very soft to have a persimmon purรฉe. Otherwise, there are three problems.
- The persimmon will be too tart for the bread,
- It will be impossible to scoop the persimmon fruit out of the skin,
- The fruit won't mix into the batter very well.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the batter by hand. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon only long enough to combine the ingredients. The easiest way to do this is by adding the dry ingredients in thirds to the batter. This prevents overworking the flour. Overmixed flour results in a tougher baked good.
- If you choose to top the batter with slices of a Fuyu persimmon as shown, make sure the Fuyu slices are very thin. If they're thicker, the bread will cook unevenly.
๐กIdeas for Possible Variations
- Add 1 cup of golden raisins or 1 cup of toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Add โ cup of your favorite bourbon to the batter. I like doing this for gifts.
๐๏ธ Making This Recipe at High Altitude
- This is a moist bread, and when baked at 7000 feet, I didn't feel it needed additional moisture. But if you want to play it safe, add 1 - 2 tablespoons vanilla or plain yogurt to the batter.
- Use 1 teaspoon baking soda instead of the 1 ยฝ teaspoons called for in the recipe.
๐ง What's the best way to store this bread?
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 - 7 days.
- Freeze in a freezer-safe container for at least 1 month. It will probably be fine frozen for a longer length of time, but I haven't done it myself. If you know you'll be freezing the bread, don't add the thinly sliced persimmon on top of the batter when you bake it.
๐ฅ More Holiday Breads
The holiday season is a wonderful time to make and share breads whether they're a quick bread like this Persimmon Bread or one made with yeast. Here are some favorites you might like to try:
Julekake - This is a Norwegian Christmas Bread that's popular throughout Scandinavian countries. It's made with all-purpose flour and lighted scented with cardamom. Golden raisins and candied orange is folded into the dough for a delicious combination of flavors.
Soft Cinnamon Rolls - These rolls are based on a recipe on the King Arthur Flour website and was their most popular recipe a couple of years ago. The key to making this bread so soft is the tangzhong method.
Mamma's Orange Refrigerator Rolls - This is my great-grandmother's recipe and one she baked for holiday brunches she held in her home. All the bustling around her kitchen as she and my Aunt Bibby readied for the brunches are among my earliest memories.
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Easy Persimmon Bread Recipe with Spices
Equipment
- 9" X 5" X 3" loaf pan I use a ceramic one (linked)
- Stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment
- silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 5.625 ounces (1 ยผ cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- ยฝ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ยผ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ยฝ cup unsalted butter, room temperature plus more for greasing the loaf pan
- โ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup hachiya persimmon pulp from 3 - 4 ripe hachiya persimmons
- 1 medium fuyu persimmon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350หF and grease a loaf pan. NOTE: If using a Pyrex loaf pan or a dark-colored metal loaf pan, preheat the oven to 325หF.
- Weigh the flour into a medium bowl, and whisk in the baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Start on a medium-low speed, and move the mixer to high once the sugar is mostly folded into the butter. Keep on high until the butter becomes fluffy and lighter in color. This will take a few minutes.
- Lower the mixer speed to a medium speed and add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract. When these ingredients are all absorbed, add the pulp. There will be strands of the pulp through the batter, but most will mix in very well. Tip: If you prefer the persimmon pulp to be completely mixed into the batter, pour the pulp into a food processor or use an immersion blender to completely purรฉe it.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in thirds. A silicone spatula or wooden spoon works well for this. Try not to overwork the batter. As soon as the dry ingredients are incorporated, stop any stirring.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and even out the batter.
- Slice the fuyu persimmon into very thin slices and arrange on top of the batter.
- Bake for 45 - 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean.NOTES: If using a Pyrex loaf pan, the bake time will be about 10 minutes longer. If using a dark-colored loaf pan, the bake time will be about 5 minutes shorter, and you may need to cover the bread with foil for the final 15 minutes to keep the bread from turning too dark.
- Place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edges, slightly lifting the bread from the bottom of the loaf pan. Then carefully flip the loaf pan upside down to flip out the bread. Transfer it back to the cooling rack.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
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