This Ginger Persimmon Bread Recipe is packed with soul-warming spices. Whether you serve this quick bread as part of a Christmas breakfast or as an afternoon snack, it will become one of your favorite persimmon recipes!
The fall and winter months are an invitation to bake. Are you with me?
Comforting and cozy treats, delicious aromas of warming spices making their way through the house, the oven heating the kitchen . . .
I love quick breads, which are really dessert breads -- cakes, if you will. 😉 There's no yeast or kneading involved -- you can throw this recipe together and get it in the oven inside of 30 minutes.
Ginger Persimmon Bread is full of the quintessential flavors of fall. It's like gingerbread with the sweet flavor of persimmon running through it.
The Ingredients
- Fuyu persimmons - Persimmon season is approximately October through January. During that time, you should be able to find them in almost all major grocery stores and at Farmers Markets. They should be on the firm side with a deep orange color.
- brown sugar - The slight maple-y flavor is delicious with the ginger and brown sugar helps create a softer texture. Both of these things are subtly, so white sugar is okay, too.
- olive oil - I love using olive oil in baked goods, as it creates super moist products.
- eggs
- pure vanilla extract
- fresh ginger - Fresh ginger adds a bit of a kick to the flavor.
- crystalized ginger - This will add delightful tiny chewy, sweet bites of ginger. You can likely find crystalized ginger in the baking section of grocery stores. Or you can get it here.
- ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground ginger - These are all warming spices that greatly enhance the overall flavor profile.
- all-purpose flour - See gluten-free option below.
- baking soda - If you don’t bake regularly, it’s a good idea to check to be sure your baking soda is still good. To do so, pour a couple of tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice over about ¼ teaspoon of the baking soda. If it starts to fizz, it’s still good.
- Kosher salt - I bake (and cook) with Kosher salt because I like its larger flake size and it usually doesn't contain additives. (If you use table salt, use half the amount.)
Substitutions
- Crystalized ginger. If you don't have crystalized ginger, you can substitute it with golden raisins and an additional ½ teaspoon of ground ginger.
Can you make Gluten-Free Persimmon Bread?
Yes, you can substitute the flour in the recipe for Cup4Cup All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour. Please note that although still delicious, the texture of gluten-free persimmon bread might be slightly different than the one with regular all-purpose flour.
Recipe Tips
- Don't substitute the Fuyu persimmons with the Hachiya variety. You will not be able to grate them as they'll be way too soft when they're ripe.
- Be sure not to skip the step of adding the baking soda directly to the grated persimmons. It will help thicken the liquid derived from grating the fruit.
- Generally, baking times will vary from pan to pan, oven to oven, etc. It's more about how the bread looks and feels, than how long it bakes. It should be golden, beginning to crack, and if you touch it, it should feel sponge-like.
How to Make it
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease an approximately 12-inch loaf pan with a light coating of olive oil. (It's easiest to do this with a spray, pastry brush -- or dab the oil on a paper towel to spread it around.) Set aside.
- Slice the stem ends off of the persimmons (just a ½-inch or so), then use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel them. Use either a hand held grater or a food processor with the grater attachment, to grate them. (You will need 1½ cups.)
- Now add the grated persimmon to a bowl and add the baking soda. Mix to blend and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar with the olive oil and mix to blend. Add the eggs and egg yolk and mix again. Once it's smooth, stir in the fresh ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, and salt. Fold in the flour and mix just until it's fully incorporated.
- Then fold in the grated persimmon and crystallized ginger.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the 350°F preheated oven until it's golden brown, set, and beginning to crack on top, about 50 minutes.
- Let it cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Storing Persimmon Bread
Persimmon Bread and be made the day before you want to serve it. Cover it lightly with foil overnight, at room temperature and it'll be ideal the next morning.
- Room temperature. In a tightly sealed container, Persimmon Bread can be kept at room temperature for about two days.
- Refrigerator. Wrapped tightly, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezer. Wrapped tightly, you can store it for about a month in the freezer.
More Amazing Quick Bread Recipes
- Butternut Squash Bread
- Almond Butter Bread
- Chocolate Breakfast Bread
- Macadamia Honey Bread
- Glazed Pineapple Guava Bread
- Zucchini Avocado Bread Recipe
This is one of my favorite persimmon recipes so I hope you'll try it to share with your family and friends. Maybe even make an extra loaf or two for gifts.
I hope you love every last crumb!
Ginger Persimmon Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups grated Fuyu persimmons (about 1 pound persimmons)
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1½ tablespoons fresh ginger pulp
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
Instructions
- Set oven and prepare pan. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease an approximately 12-inch loaf pan with a light coating of olive oil. (It's easiest to do this with a spray, pastry brush -- or dab the oil on a paper towel to spread it around.) Set aside.
- Prepare persimmons. Slice the stem ends off of the persimmons (just a ½-inch or so), then use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel them. Use either a hand held grater or a food processor with the grater attachment, to grate them. (You will need 1½ cups.) Now add 1½ cups of the grated persimmon to a bowl and add the baking soda. Mix to blend and set aside. (The baking soda will help thicken the liquid derived from grating the fruit.)
- Make batter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar with the olive oil and mix to blend. Then add the eggs and egg yolk and mix again. Once it's smooth, stir in the fresh ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, and salt. Fold in the flour and mix just until it's fully incorporated. Then fold in the grated persimmon and crystallized ginger.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the 350°F preheated oven until it's golden brown, set, and beginning to crack on top, about 50 minutes.
- Let it cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before serving.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Cherye
This is a lovely bread, but it needed closer to an hour than 30 minutes 🙂 Aside from that, it was great! I added a little maple syrup as a tweak and it worked out beautifully.
valentina
I so appreciate your comment, Chery! Thanks for sharing. So happy you like this recipe -- the maple syrup addition sounds delicious!
Michael
I was looking through the comments for this to make sure I didn’t mess up something in the preparation. Mine also took closer to an hr, but turned out amazing! My persimmons were a little on the over-ripe side, so that may have been a factor.
valentina
Thanks so much for sharing. I'm so happy it was amazing! I'm not sure why the cooking time has been longer for a couple readers, but I'll be making this soon, and will make any necessary adjustments if it's different. You should try a slice tosted with a bit of unsalted butter melting on top. (If you still have some.) ~Valentina
Elizabeth
HI Valentina, How do you think this would work with 1.5 cups of Hachiya persimmon goo? Would it be too wet or turn out just right?
thanks!
valentina
I think it's worth a shot! Flavor will be lovely -- it will change the consistency, but since I haven't tried it with the Hachiya, I'm not sure how, or how much. I would guess the baking time might increase and there will be more liquid in the batter, and I might suggest 1 cup instead of 1 1/2. LMK how it turns out and good luck. 🙂
Brian Jones
Boy does that look good, fabulously moist and great flavour combinations.
valentina
Thanks, Brian! Happy Holidays!
Natalie | Natalie's Food & Health
This gingerbread looks absolutely delicious. So soft and moist. LOVE how you added persimmons. Such a great idea! Thanks for the recipe. Sharing this! Happy Holidays!
valentina
Thanks so much, Natalie! Happy Holidays to you! 🙂
Helen
What a great way to use perisimmons. I do like a bit of ginger cake at Christmas, always seems appropriate.
valentina
I agree, persimmons and Christmas just seem to go together. 🙂 Thank you for visiting.
Maria
Gingerbread loaves are absolutely the best in the winter! I recently made a gingerbread one combined with chocolate, and it tasted amazing! I am also going to try this one.
valentina
Thanks so much Maria. Gingerbread with chocolate sounds so lovely. THAT, I must try! 🙂
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
What a great idea to add persimmons! I love gingerbread so I bet it's delish. I have never heard of cinnamon persimmons, all I can imagine is sweet cinnamony balls of goodness!
valentina
Thank you, Sophia! Cinnamon persimmons are really lovely -- I hope you can try one. 🙂
David
Mark will love this! Now, I just need to find the persimmons! Merry Christmas, Valentina! Wishing you and your family all the best, and a year filled with love and joy!
valentina
Aww thank you, David. Right back to you & Mark -- may you both have the happiest (& most delicious) holiday season. XO
Vickie h.
Do you have any adjustments for: High altitude? Cook time for smaller loaves? Sugar substitutes? Thank you
Valentina
Hi Vickie. I can offer some general rules of thumb for baking in high altitudes, but since I haven't tested it in a higher altitude, I can't say for sure. Increase oven temp by about about 20%, decrease baking time a bit (though this is really something where you have to see the bread to know -- start checking it at about 45 minutes.), decrease the sugar (for this recipe I'd subtract 1/4 cup), use less baking soda (for this recipe I'd use 1 1/8 teaspoon). I'd also add a bit more liquid -- a second egg yolk. I haven't tested small loaves with this recipe, so again, I can't guarantee, but I'd start checking it at about 20 minutes or so. I hope this is helpful! Warmly, Valentina
annie
I've never used persimmons in baking. I bet they taste fantastic with the ginger. I would have to exercise a lot of self control with this around.
valentina
I hope you try it, Annie. Ginger and persimmons are a match made in heaven. 🙂
Liz Schmitt
This looks terrific and I will bet it freezes beautifully. Happy Holidays!
valentina
Thanks so much, Liz! Yes, great for making ahead! 🙂 Happy Holidays to you and yours. xo