Sweet Persimmon and Toasted Walnut Bread

This simple quick bread uses sweet and spicy persimmon puree. We liked the slightly tart flavor from the golden raisins, but omit them if your prefer.

Yield: 2 loaves, 12 servings each (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients

• 3  cups  all-purpose flour (about 13 1/2 ounces)
• 2  teaspoons  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  sugar
• 1  cup  ripe Hachiya persimmon puree (about 2 fruits; see "Persimmon Puree Pointers," below)
• 1/2  cup  1% low-fat milk
• 1/3  cup  butter, melted
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2  large eggs
• 1/3  cup  chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1/3  cup  golden raisins
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.

Combine sugar and next 5 ingredients (through eggs) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. Add persimmon mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until blended. Stir in walnuts and golden raisins. Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool the loaves completely on wire rack.

Persimmon Puree Pointers. Ripe Hachiya puree is easy to make by following these tips:

To speed the ripening process, freeze the fruit overnight or until solid. Thaw the persimmon; when soft, it will be sweeter and less astringent.

Cut the ripe fruit in half. Scoop the pulp out with a spoon.

To achieve an even consistency, place the flesh in a mini-chopper and process until smooth. This ensures the persimmon puree will incorporate evenly into batters.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

146 (25% from fat)

Fat:

4.1g (sat 1.9g,mono 1g,poly 0.9g)

Protein:

2.7g

Carbohydrate:

25.1g

Fiber:

1.1g

Cholesterol:

25mg

Iron:

0.9mg

Sodium:

181mg

Calcium:

15mg