Sometimes it's hard to deal with massive amounts of homemade baked goods. It's especially hard during a pandemic--that is, unless you drop off the results of your labors on your neighbors' doorsteps and run. So today, I'm offering up a small batch of mini breads that you can make in the air fryer. You can eat them all yourself, or you can enjoy one mini loaf and drop off the other with a friend, relative, or neighbor, keeping the appropriate social distance, of course. The breads are moist, sweet, and rich tasting without the need for butter. Instead, the persimmons provide the moisture as well as extra sweetening power. You'll need to let your persimmons ripen to the point of mushiness. Then you can simply cut off the tops and scoop out the gelatinous pulp. It may look weird, but, trust me, the pulp is incredibly good and sweet. The breads are spiced with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice and smell incredibly good while they bake in the air fryer. Fortunately the cooking process is quick, so you can enjoy the breads in minutes.
Air Fryer Mini Persimmon Breads -- Makes 2 Mini Loaves
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/3 cup of milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of sugar
2/3 cup of persimmon pulp (about two medium persimmons)
1 1/4 cups of flour (I use 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup of chopped pecans (optional)
1 tablespoon of sugar to sprinkle (optional)
Spritz two mini loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl or measure (I use a Pyrex quart measure), whisk together the oil, milk egg, vanilla, and sugar. Stir in the persimmon pulp until well blended. Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking power, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Divide the batter between the two pans. If you like, sprinkle the nuts on top of the batter and then sprinkle on the sugar evenly. Spritz the top of the sugared batter lightly with non-stick cooking spray (this will keep the fan in the air fryer from blowing the sugar off the batter). Place the pans in the basket of your air fryer, set the temperature at 320 degrees, and cook the mini loaves for about 25 minutes, checking them after 20 minutes. A pick inserted in the middle of a loaf should come out with no wet batter attached, and the loaves will be a deep brown color. Let the breads cool in their pans for about 10 minutes before turning them out to cool completely.
