This gluten free, refined sugar free, ancient grain, spiced persimmon bread is perfect for the holidays! It has just a mild hint of sweetness and the perfect amount of spice.

Jump to Recipe

During the winter, and low key year round, I crave spiced desserts and foods. I love the richness and the complexities that the spices bring. This persimmon bread recipe was somewhat of an accident, having purchased too many persimmons and on the brink of rotting, I made a rash decision to throw them in a bread loaf and call it a day. A few iterations later and there you have it, one of my favorite fall desserts!

This can be eaten smothered in butter or topped with whipped cream. It is not too sweet so those with a larger sweet tooth can add more maple syrup or cover it with some sweet goodness of their choosing.

Choosing the right persimmons

The two most common types of persimmons are Fuyu and Hachiya. I use Fuyu persimmons in this recipe. They are very different in both texture and flavor, but most importantly, they vary in their ripeness. Fuyu can be eaten when they are hard and can be a delicious crunchy snack; however, Hachiya need to be extremely ripe to be eaten or else it’ll be like biting into the skin of a banana. If you are feeling adventurous and want to use Hachiya in this recipe, just make sure that they are extra, extra ripe and do a small taste test to be sure! If you time it right, they can be very sweet and flavorful.

To begin, use a knife and carefully remove the outer skin of the persimmon, this can get kind of messy, but save the juice! Make sure to remove all of the seeds, sometimes they can slip in unnoticed. If you are having a hard time retaining all of the mushy insides, no stress, just use an extra persimmon or two to make up the difference.

Combine wet ingredients

Once you have successfully prepared your persimmons, add bananas to the same bowl and mash until the bananas are chunky. Don’t mash too much, as you stir in the remaining ingredients the bananas will break down more. Add the remaining wet ingredients (melted butter, yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla).

Why I use sorghum flour

Sorghum flour is an ancient grain that is high in proteins, antioxidants and is naturally gluten-free! Those of you who have lectin (a plant protein such as gluten) sensitivity can eat this up without a hint of dismay. I also love the way it bakes, very similar to wheat flour and has just the right amount of fluff.

Moving on to the baking, once you have combined your wet ingredients, in a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients including the sorghum flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Finally, mix the wet ingredients into the dry and pour into a greased loaf pan. You can simply pop it into the oven from there or add some fun decorations on top.

Time to bake

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out dry when inserted right into the middle of the loaf. Let it cook for 5 minutes prior to cutting, I know its hard to resist! And voila, your spicy persimmon bread is ready for a mouth watering bite. Don’t forget to butter it up or add some whipped cream!

If you make this spiced persimmon bread, please leave a comment on what you think! I am always tweaking my recipes and would love your feedback. Also, don’t forget to tag me on instagram if you recreate this recipe, I would love to see your masterpiece! Thank you for tuning in, it means so much 🙂