Persimmon Pudding

Many years ago, my friend Catherine had a neighbor with a persimmon tree. Every year during the fall, I would return home from a visit with a bag of ripening persimmons. Cathy passed along a version of this recipe for Persimmon Pudding,  a dense bread rich with spice and fruit, more aptly named a “pudding”.

You will need very ripe fruit here. I have always used “Hachiya” persimmons, the apple-shaped ones that gets soft and custard-y when it ripens. Mine took two weeks to fully ripen, something to keep in mind if you are planning to bake for a specific occasion.

This is a very flexible recipe that allows you to play with favorite spices. I used walnut oil because I had some on hand and thought it would pair well with the walnuts. Canola or grapeseed oil work equally well. Pecans are nice here too.

TIP: This bread freezes beautifully.

Yields One Loaf

• 1 cup persimmon puree
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 cup organic brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 pinch kosher salt (optional
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup organic whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest (or zest of any organic lemon)
• 1 tablespoon walnut oil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Combine the persimmon puree with the baking soda and set aside.

3. Using a large bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and ginger.

4. Beat the eggs slightly, stir in the milk and add to dry ingredients.

5. Add the persimmon-soda mixture, plus the vanilla, lemon zest, oil and nuts. Mix well.

6. Turn the batter into a loaf pan with has been lined with greased parchment paper.

7. Bake for 1 hours. Allow bread to rest for 15 minutes before turning onto a rack to cool.