Persimmon Bread, homemade

Serves 12 to 16.
By Dennis W. Viau; modified from an Internet recipe.

This persimmon bread is fairly easy to make. The real challenge is finding persimmons that are ripe enough. They should be soft enough to look as if they are over-ripe. Use persimmons that are so ripe they are practically a liquid.

Ingredients:

¾ cup (177ml) vegetable oil
1½ cups (300g) sugar
2 large eggs (2 oz./57g in the shell)
1 cup (237ml/9 oz./255g) persimmon pulp
1¾ cups (8¾ oz./248g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground clove
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup (50-57g) chopped walnuts
½ cup (57-71g) chopped dates

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).

1. In a large bowl blend the sugar and oil; add the eggs and persimmon pulp. Mix well.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and the spices; add the nuts and dates, then mix well.

3. Stir flour mixture into persimmon mixture. Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, or until done, testing center with a pick (or internal temperature near 200°F/93°C). (For a larger loaf, the batter can be poured into one pan baked a little longer.)

4. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

Note: The recipe I started from makes two rather flat loaves. I'd like to try putting the batter in one pan for a higher loaf. That's a future experiment.