Persimmon Bread: A Perfect Way to Use Hachiya Persimmons

Name: Persimmon Bread
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 3 ½ cups all purpose flour (I used 2 cups white whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour); 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt; 2 teaspoons baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh or jarred); 1/4 teaspoon allspice; 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon cardamom; zest from one medium orange; 2 cups sugar (Dec '22, used 1 3/4 cups and that was still sweet enough for my tastebuds.); 1 cup melted unsalted butter (cooled to room temperature or 3/4 cup of olive oil); 4 large eggs (at room temperature, lightly beaten); 2/3 cup Cognac (bourbon or whiskey works well too); 2 cups persimmon puree (from about 4 - 8 squishy-soft Hachiya persimmons depending on their size**); 1.5 cups walnuts or pecans (toasted and chopped ); 1 cup raisins

by Beth Lee · Published: Oct 17, 2020 · Modified: Dec 19, 2022

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Persimmon bread - the perfect way to use up all that gorgeous hachiya persimmon pulp. This hachiya persimmon recipe, a riff of the famous James Beard quick bread, makes two loaves or 16 minis so you can get ahead on your holiday gift giving.

Also a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving feast.

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Persimmon bread loaf with powdered sugar and a cup of coffee.

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Persimmon bread - A unique quick loaf for fall, Thanksgiving and the holidays

As with many dishes in my kitchen, this recipe started with an abundance of a food item beckoning me to find a creative way to use it up. In this case, it was a lovely gift of Hachiya persimmons from a friend.

I knew very little about persimmons, especially the Hachiya variety. I researched the myriad possibilities and decided to make a variation on James Beard’s famous persimmon bread.

Why is it famous? Probably because in the culinary world, James Beard is well-known or perhaps it’s because of the variable quantity of sugar or maybe the volume of cognac. Or maybe the one-bowl preparation. No matter – this persimmon bread recipe is fun to make and to eat!

Why you'll love this recipe!

This Hachiya persimmon recipe is flexible and easy to prepare. You’ll see in my step-by-step instructions below and in the recipe card, all the variations you can make and still end up with a wonderful loaf of persimmon bread.

It also makes 2 loaves or 16 minis. So it’s a great quick bread to bake and freeze or to give away as gifts. I like to make one large loaf and 8 minis.

Mini persimmon loaf sliced on cutting board along side dried fruit, persimmon pulp, and a knife.

A slice of the bread stands up to a slathering of cream cheese at breakfast but also tastes great on its own especially with a cup of tea or coffee.

The first time I made it, I tucked a loaf away in the freezer to serve on Thanksgiving Day. It was a lovely addition to the buffet – providing complementary flavors to the rich, sweet, and savory aromas of the meal.

Check out my persimmon bread recipe story for a quick visual guide on making this wonderful quick bread!

Ingredients you'll need

Ingredient shot for persimmon bread showing all ingredients to make 16 loaves.

Hachiya Persimmons: Be sure to use hachiyas for this recipe and not fuyus. Fuyus are the short squat persimmon that is firm and crisp and eaten more like an apple. The hachiya, on the other hand, is ripe when it becomes soft. You extract the pulp and use it for cooking and baking. Hachiyas are a deeper orange color than fuyus and more elongated and tear-dropped shape.

Comparison of fresh Hachiya persimmon to Fuyu persimmon on white background.

Butter (or olive oil): The original recipe calls for melted butter. You can substitute olive oil – using ¾ cup olive oil for every cup of butter (3:4 ratio). I’ve made the bread both ways. Personally, I love to bake with olive oil but either one will work well.
Flour: All-purpose flour is a great choice but I like to add some whole wheat flour to the mix.
Nuts: Use pecans or walnuts or a combination of both. Original recipe calls for 2 cups – I use 1.5 cups.
Dried Fruit: Use whatever you have around or a combination. The last time I made this, I combined barberries (tiny cranberry-like tart berry used in Persian cuisine), cranberries, dried apricots and raisins. Just raisins will also work well. For a little extra zing, you can soak the dried fruit in the cognac or some orange juice but this is completely optional and not a required step.
Cognac: We happen to have cognac in the house but other liquors will work such as bourbon or whiskey, for example.
Spices: The original recipe calls for just nutmeg. I use a combination of nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and cardamom. Use what you like or what you have around. The idea is to have it add up to about 1 teaspoon of dry warming spices.
Orange Zest: Orange is a perfect complement to the flavors of this loaf so I added some to the sugar for another layer of flavor. Optional but really excellent.

Steps to make this recipe

How to make persimmon pulp

Make sure your Hachiyas are soft and squishy. If they are still firm, they are not ready to use. Using Hachiya persimmons takes patience - they must be soft! Once they become squishy, then the pulp is ready to be used.

Wash them, cut them in half through the equator, and just scoop out the pulp with a spoon. You can puree the pulp in a blender or food processor. If you want it a bit chunkier, use a hand potato masher.

Hachiya persimmon pulp in a glass measuring cup.

Hachiya persimmon pulp in a food processor.

1. Toast your nuts and optionally macerate the dried fruit. If you macerate the dried fruit - just add enough orange juice (or even cognac) to immerse them and about a teaspoon of cinnamon - pour out most of the juice before you use them.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray 2 loaf pans. Line the bottoms with a piece of parchment paper or dust with flour and tap out any excess. (I used one loaf pan and one 8 compartment mini-loaf pan).

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the orange-zested sugar and whisk to combine.

Whisking dry ingredients in a large red bowl for persimmon bread.

Sugar whisked into dry ingredients for persimmon bread.

4. Make a well in the center then add the wet ingredients: butter (or olive oil), eggs, liquor, persimmon puree then the nuts and raisins.

Wet ingredients for persimmon loaf added to dry ingredients in a big red mixing bowl.

Nuts and dried fruits added to persimmon batter.

Persimmon bread batter ready to pour in pans and bake.

5. Pour into prepared pans. The recipe will make one large loaf and 8 minis or as many as 16 minis depending on the size of your loaf pans.

Persimmon bread batter in mini loaf pans.

Persimmon batter in a large and mini loaf pan.

6. Bake 50 - 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (the mini loaves took 30 minutes and the large loaf took 50 minutes)

Hand holding a slice of mini loaf of persimmon loaf showing interior of nuts and fruits, with mini loaf pan in the background.

Expert tips and recipe FAQS

This recipe works really well if you sub in some whole wheat flour. But I don’t recommend all whole wheat as you probably will need extra liquid if you do. I used 2 cups of white whole wheat flour and 1 ½ cups of unbleached flour. I've also made it with all all-purpose flour with great success.
You can use all nutmeg like the original recipe but I like the addition of some of the warming spices like allspice and cinnamon and even a bit of cardamom. It adds extra nuance to the loaf.
I was out of regular sugar the first time I made this and used coconut palm sugar and organic regular and it worked out just fine.
Fearing it would be too much like fruitcake, I reduced the amount of dried fruit and nuts and love the current proportions. But feel free to add more.
Soaking (macerating) the raisins in some warm orange juice and cinnamon before adding to the mix is a nice touch but not mandatory.
You could back off on the cognac to ½ cup from ⅔ to make it a little more friendly for the young crowd (not that they didn’t eat and enjoy it anyhow). The alcohol does cook away.
I also grated about ½ tablespoon of orange zest into the sugar and rubbed it in to incorporate the flavor, before I added the sugar to the flour mixture.

Orange zest mixed into granulated sugar.

Can you freeze hachiya persimmon pulp?

If your hachiyas are soft but you aren’t ready to use them, just put the pulp in containers and freeze it. I would suggest portioning it into 1 cup amounts.

How long will the persimmon bread last after it is baked?

This loaf will last about a week on the counter well wrapped. It retains its moisture very nicely.

Can you freeze the baked persimmon bread?

Yes you can freeze the large loaf or minis. Wrap well, mark the date on the outside and use within 3 months (ish).

More Fun Fall and Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Menu Ideas and Planner

Vegetable Wellingtons

Soup Shooters

Orange Thyme Cocktail Cookies

Fig Cocktail Cookies

A mini loaf standing up on cutting board with knife in the background.

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Persimmon Bread

Beth Lee

Persimmon bread - the perfect way to use up all that gorgeous hachiya persimmon pulp. This hachiya persimmon recipe, a riff of the famous James Beard quick bread, makes two loaves or 16 minis so you can get ahead on your holiday gift giving.

4.80 from 10 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 35

Course bread

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 550 kcal

Ingredients

3 ½ cups all purpose flour I used 2 cups white whole wheat flour and 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh or jarred)
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cardamom
zest from one medium orange
2 cups sugar Dec '22, used 1 ¾ cups and that was still sweet enough for my tastebuds.
1 cup melted unsalted butter cooled to room temperature or ¾ cup of olive oil
4 large eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
⅔ cup Cognac bourbon or whiskey works well too
2 cups persimmon puree from about 4 - 8 squishy-soft Hachiya persimmons depending on their size**
1.5 cups walnuts or pecans toasted and chopped
1 cup raisins or a mixture of diced dried fruits (such as apricots, cranberries, or dates) - I used raisins soaked in orange juice and cinnamon

Instructions

Extract the pulp from the hachiya persimmons: Wash them, cut them in half through the equator, and just scoop out the pulp with a spoon. You can puree the pulp in a blender or food processor - I like it a bit chunky so I just used a hand potato masher.
If you need to toast your nuts, start that process now as well as macerating the raisins if you plan to add this step. If you macerate the raisins - just add enough orange juice to immerse them and about a teaspoon of cinnamon - pour out most of the juice before you use them.
Butter or spray 2 loaf pans. Line the bottoms with a piece of parchment paper or dust with flour and tap out any excess. (I used one loaf pan and one 8 compartment mini-loaf pan).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, kosher salt and spices together in a large bowl. Add the orange-zested sugar and whisk to combine.
Make a well in the center then stir in the butter, eggs, liquor, persimmon puree then the nuts and raisins.
Bake 50 - 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (the mini loaves took 30 minutes and the large loaf took 50 minutes)
Storage: Will keep for about a week, if well-wrapped, at room temperature. The persimmon breads freeze well too.

Notes

**I removed the pulp from 17 persimmons which yielded 4 cups of pulp - I froze the other 2 cups in one cup containers for later use.

This recipe works really well if you sub in some whole wheat flour. But I don’t recommend all whole wheat as you probably will need extra liquid if you do. I used 2 cups of white whole wheat flour and 1 ½ cups of unbleached flour.
All nutmeg is fine but using some of the warming spices in pumpkin spice like allspice and cinnamon and a bit of cardamom adds extra nuance to the loaf.
I was out of regular sugar the first time I made this and used coconut palm sugar and organic regular and it worked out just fine.
Soaking (macerating) the raisins in some warm orange juice and cinnamon before adding to the mix is a nice touch but not mandatory.
You could back off on the cognac to ½ cup from ⅔ to make it a little more friendly for the young crowd (not that they didn’t eat and enjoy it anyhow). The alcohol does cook away.

Nutrition

Calories: 550kcalCarbohydrates: 78gProtein: 7gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 380mgPotassium: 355mgFiber: 2gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 420IUVitamin C: 20.7mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 3.1mg

Keyword James Beard, persimmon bread, quick bread

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