Since my first bite of acorn bread, I’ve been hooked on foraging. It was the start of my journey. Now, I’m so excited to bring this recipe to you! Additionally, I have a full video guide that goes through the entire recipe and process, step-by-step which you can find below!
Preparing the Ingredients
When we forage for American persimmons, we store them long term in a puree so we don’t need to do anything else, but if you’re buying fuyu persimmons from the grocery store, you’ll have to cut them up and blend them.
Once they are pureed, add in the eggs and whisk them.
This recipe calls for maple syrup and vanilla extract. We used three table spoons of maple syrup to yield a mildly sweet acorn bread, but feel free to use more or less to get your desired level of sweetness.
Whisk everything together and the wet ingredients are ready. Now we’ll start on the dry ingredients.
Dry Ingredients
This is where the star of our show comes in, acorn flour! Measure out your acorn flour and pour into a new clean mixing bowl. If you don’t have any acorn flour, you have to check out our acorn bread series starting with episode 1!
Now here is where our first of two tricks comes in. Acorn flour is quite high in protein which can result in a finished acorn bread that is gummy, not a texture we’re after! Adding in rice flour which has almost zero protein helps to lower the overall protein content and reduce gumminess.
Next add in the spices: Cinnamon, Allspice, and Nutmeg.
And here is the next trick: Xanthan gum. Many gluten free bakers will be familiar with this ingredient as it is used as a gluten substitute in gluten-free baking (Acorn Flour is gluten-free!). This will help with rise in our bread.
Mix all the dry ingredients together and we’re ready to combine with the wet ingredients.
Making the Batter
Stirring continuously, pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones. The batter will start to thicken considerably, but don’t worry. This is expected!
Once completely incorporated, prepare the baking sheet by greasing and lining with parchment paper for easy removal.
Pour in the batter and spread out so it is even all the way across.
Bake for 40 minutes and use a knife to test that the bread is completely done. It should remove cleanly after inserting. If not, put back in the oven for a short time then test again.
On Acorn Bread
I have never consumed a more rewarding meal than Acorn Bread. From harvesting acorns off the forest floor, to practice of preserving and preparing, you really can taste the effort and work you put into it!
This is a gift from nature for foragers. All you have to do is go out and find it!
Happy Foraging, enjoy your acorn bread!
Acorn Persimmon Bread
Ingredients
- Coconut Oil For oiling baking pan
- 1 cup Persimmon Puree Banana or pumpkin puree can be substituted
- 3 tbsp Maple Syrup Add more for increased sweetness
- 1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
- 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1.5 cups Acorn Flour
- 1/2 cup Rice Flour
- 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum optional
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F, then prepare a 8.5x4.5 loaf pan by coating it with a neutral oil and lining it with parchment paper
- Whisk together the wet ingredients: eggs, puree, syrup, and vanilla
- In a separate bowl, combine the spices, acorn and rice flours, and Xanthan gum
- Slowly add the dry ingredients from step #3 into the bowl containing the wet ingredients. Mix until smooth. Then, add the salt, baking soda and baking powder
- Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and even out the top. The texture of this bread will not resemble typical quick breads. It will have the texture of a paste rather than a batter
- Cook for approximately 40-45 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick or a sharp paring knife into the center of the loaf. If it is clean once you remove it, the loaf is ready to be removed
- Remove from the pan and allow it to cool for 30 minutes before slicing and serving
