In the Garden with Persimmons
A Growing Obsession Bears Fruit in Li’l Rhody
This is one of the prettiest loaf breads in existence, thanks to occasional flecks of deep orange persimmon. It bakes well without the nuts and raisins, so feel free to use or not as you prefer. Do check the size of your loaf pan, as this amount of batter will overflow 8- by 4-inch pans.
Ingredients
- 3½ cups flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground mace
- 2 cups Hachiya persimmon flesh (4–6 persimmons, peeled and cored)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
- ⅔ cup bourbon
- 1½ cups pecans, toasted and chopped
- 1½ cups golden raisins
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter two 9- by 5-inch loaf pans. Line the buttered pans with parchment paper, to cover the bottom and long sides of the pan. This will keep the raisins from sticking to the sides of the pan.
Sift together the flour, salt, soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and mace in a large mixing bowl. Scrape the persimmon flesh into a blender and process on a medium speed for 30–60 seconds, until it’s a smooth purée. Scrape the persimmon pulp into a second large bowl and stir in the sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, eggs, bourbon, pecans and golden raisins. When the wet ingredients are fully combined, gently fold in the dry ingredients to the mixture, ½ cup at a time. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake for 65–75 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 30 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. This persimmon bread is very moist and will keep well for several days in an airtight container at room temperature. Makes two 9- by 5-inch loaves. Start to finish: 2 hours.
Adapted by Beth Maxey from Edna Lewis and James Beard
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