Looking for a different kind of persimmon bread recipe

10 years ago

We get a good crop of persimmons every fall and I'm trying to find a way to bake with them. The problem is, I don't like very sweet foods--the standard baking powder fruit bread is to my palate very sweet--and I don't really want a bread with a lot of fat in it either. I experimented a modification of Beard's apricot bread (in Beard on Bread) with curious results. I substituted two cups of persimmon puree for the soaked apricots and their cooking water (2 1/2 cups in all) and decreased the sugar from one cup to 1/4 cup; and I baked the batter in a single long narrow loaf pan rather than in two pans as the recipe said. Ingredients as I made it: 2 c. persimmon pulp, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 2 eggs, 2 3/4 cup flour (half whole wheat, half white) 1 Tbsp. baking powder. I left out the chopped nuts, not being sure how the bread would come out. The results were heavy--pudding-y--rather than like a bread or cake.

So, experts: is there a way I can get a persimmon bread that IS a bread without adding more sugar or adding fat? The result had a decent flavor, by the way, and was plenty sweet. Could adding another egg help? Beating the egg whites and folding them in? I also don't want to increase the proportion of flour to other ingredients, for fear of dulling the flavor and also because I may be somewhat sensitive to wheat.

Thanks for all suggestions.

Featured Answer

User

10 years ago

I haven't made Leibowitz's version as it has a cup of melted butter and 2/3 c. cognac. I make this recipe which is a dense loaf.

Persimmon Bread

1 C. Hachiya persimmon pulp (about 3 persimmons)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1/4 C. milk
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. flour
1 C. sugar (try 3/4)
1 tsp. each bk. pd. & cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir baking soda into pulp; set aside.

Whisk dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients in mixing bowl.
On low speed, beat dry ingredients into wet,; stir in nuts.
Pour into a greased & floured 1 lb. coffee can. (9x5 loaf pan)
Bake 1 hour. Cool 10 min. & turn out on rack.

This makes a dense rich loaf similar to a Xmas plum pudding.
I double the recipe for 3 - 7 3/8" x 3 5/8" bread pans & bake 40 min.
I also use wax paper in lieu of flour for ease of removal.

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Comments (8)

Compumom
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
What a coincidence, today I made this recipe for the first time using a high grade flavorless coconut oil, 1/3 Rd brown sugar and the rest white sugar. Dates, apricots or raisins would add natural sweetness and I suppose you could reduce the amount of sugar. My husband and my friend really liked it. I am gluten free so I couldn't taste it. They said it was moist and nicely flavored without being too sweet.

I realize that you're adding double the amount of persimmon purée, but I think that you're adding too much flour and no baking soda to balance the rise. Far be it from me to explain the scientific principles of baking, but I do know it's a delicate balance. Hopefully some of the experienced bakers here will weigh in after Thanksgiving. I'll be watching to see what they have to share.
Compumom
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
David Leibowitz gives his version of Beard's recipe, specifically discussing sugar. Is this the recipe that you used? Beard's recipe?
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Compumom
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Thanks, I will give it a whirl! I have some Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 flour. I'm thinking that this might be a less sweet and caloric recipe. ONE question--bk.pd. ? Do you mean baking powder?
Melissa Northern Italy zone 8
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately they're not what I'm hoping may exist somewhere (perhaps it doesn't). Compumom, the Beard recipe I modified was the one for apricot bread in Beard on Bread, substituting persimmons for the apricots and their soaking water, as I described in my original post. I've made the Beard persimmon bread recipe you reference as well, reducing the sugar and using half oil half butter in place of the butter: the results were excellent, but too sweet and too fat for my current taste. Irisgal, your recipe is sweeter than what I want. Perhaps fruit breads require that much sugar, or almost: I know sugar can be cut to 3/4 cup, because I often do that myself, but don't know if can be reduced to 1/4 cup as I attempted, and which didn't work.

I like a fruit bread for breakfast or as a snack, but since I had flu almost a year ago, my already moderate taste for sweetness has diminished almost to zero. For the last few years even plain apples have been borderline too sweet. Hence my interest in a bread with little added sugar.
User
10 years ago
bk.pd. = baking powder ;-0
Compumom
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
This isn't a bread, but there is very little sweetness in this recipe. Check it outPersimmon Tart
l pinkmountain
10 years ago
You can go as low as 2/3 cup sugar subbing for one cup. I do that all the time.

Looking for a different kind of persimmon bread recipe

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Compumom

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Looking for a different kind of persimmon bread recipe

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Compumom

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Compumom

Melissa Northern Italy zone 8Original Author

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