Gluten Free Persimmon Bread Recipe
Updated Feb 15, 2021, Published Jan 11, 2017
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At a dinner party a few weeks ago, a friend asked me if I liked persimmons. I love persimmons and told him so. He said he was bringing me over some from his tree because he is not really a fan. My first thought was gluten free persimmon bread!
There are several varieties of persimmons, probably the most common being Fuyu and Hachiya. The Fuyu is sort of tomato-shaped, is pale to bright orange and can be eaten while still firm – it is crisp and sweet and delicious. Kind of like a sweet apple.
The type my friend brought over was the Hachiya. This variety has sort of an acorn shape, is bright orange and looks really pretty when it is firm and unripe. But don’t let that pretty exterior fool you – wait until the skin mottles and starts to shrivel before attempting to eat it. Unripe Hachiya persimmons are bitter and astringent, it feels like they are sucking all the moisture out of your mouth. If my friend was trying to eat them under-ripe, I understand his lack of enthusiasm!
To properly enjoy the Hachiya persimmon you need to wait until it is really soft and squishy – it will feel sort of like a filled water balloon in your hand. When that happens the fruit loses its astringent quality and the flesh turns into this sweet, luscious, glorious treat. They can be eaten out of hand with a spoon – it is almost like nature’s jello. But they are amazing to bake with, as well. And another cool thing about this lovely (if a little contrary) fruit is that it is in season in the winter. That’s just really awesome!
Gluten Free Persimmon Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Persimmon Bread
- Gluten free non-stick cooking spray
- 1¾ cups good quality all-purpose gluten free flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 ¼ cup Hachiya persimmon pulp, from about 4-5 persimmons
- 1 ½ cups Wholesome! organic light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/3 cup apple cider or apple juice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
Maple Glaze
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup Wholesome! organic powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the bread:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray then line with parchment paper then spray the paper lightly with more cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg. In another bowl, combine the persimmon pulp, brown sugar, melted butter, apple cider, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to combine then add to the dry ingredients and stir well. Then add the chopped nuts and dried cranberries, stir, and pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes then place on a wire rack over a piece of waxed or parchment paper. Let cool completely.
Make the glaze:
- Combine the butter, salt, and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar. Allow to cool and thicken then drizzle over the cooled persimmon bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Can I make this recipe with Fuyu instead?
Hi Sherri,
No, I don’t think it would come out the same.
Just finished this with Fuyu persimmons. I let them fully ripen, at least till they were just barely soft to the touch. The finished product was perfect.
I did and it was delicious…just put the persimmons through the blender first…yummy!
What are the nutritional stats without the icing?
I’m sorry, unfortunately I don’t have that data. Our nutrition facts calculator calculates for the entire recipe, not the bread and icing separately.