Easy Pawpaw Bread Recipe

A delicious, sweet, and buttery texture with flavors of mango and banana, this pawpaw bread is a yummy quick bread that can be whipped up in no time. Enjoy it for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. Keep this recipe on hand during the late summer and fall when this rare fruit is at its peak.

I finally made it through the giant basket of pawpaws my kids had foraged. We created a few pawpaw recipes including a delicious pawpaw smoothie, this yummy pawpaw jam and finally this pawpaw bread recipe.

It is kind of hard to explain the flavor of this wonderful fruit bread recipe. It has the texture of banana bread, but tastes like a cross between mango and banana.

If you are totally new to this delicious fruit, it is the only tropical fruit and largest edible fruit native to North America. It grows in the Eastern United States (and southern Canada) and can be foraged in late summer, early fall.

It is not something you will find in grocery stores with its short season. The ripe fruits also don’t last very long once picked. So if you find yourself with an abundance of the tropical pawpaw fruit I would suggest freezing the pulp for later use.

With its creamy custard-like texture, and tropical taste, it is no wonder people (including George Washington) loved them so much.

So next year, if you live in the eastern U.S. be on the lookout for these fruit trees. You can enjoy this fresh fruit or use it for some delicious recipes.

Tips:

• Like banana bread, you can add other delicious ingredients like chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, etc. 
• My pawpaw pulp looks a little darker in the pictures because I had added cinnamon, it is not required to do so.
• If the bread is getting too dark, but not coming out clean with a toothpick you can cover it loosely with tin foil or parchment paper. This helps reduce the risk of it getting too brown.

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Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

Paw paw pulp: This is the flesh of the fresh pawpaws with the large black seeds and skins removed that is then mashed up. My pulp looks a little darker because I had added cinnamon to it. You do not need to do this for the recipe to be delicious.
Butter: Unsalted
Eggs

Vanilla extract: Store-bought or homemade.

Dry Ingredients:

All purpose flour

Baking soda: Make sure the baking soda is fresh or else you could have a flat bread.
Salt
Sugar: Cane sugar or white sugar will work.

Tools you may need:

Loaf pan 8×4 inch

Large bowl (you could also use a stand mixer)

Whisk or dough whisk

Silicon spatula

How To Make Pawpaw Bread

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Butter an 8×4-inch loaf pan. Or line with parchment paper.

Create the pawpaw pulp:

In a large bowl, remove the pawpaw flesh from the skins and remove seeds. 

Mash with a fork until completely smooth. 

Stir the melted butter into the mashed pawpaws until combined well.

Mix in the remaining ingredients: 

Sprinkle in the baking soda and salt. Stir well.

Add in the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and whisk.

Mix in the flour until completely combined. 

Bake the bread: 

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.

In a 350°F degree oven, bake for 45-60 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick into the center comes out clean. There should be no streaks of wet batter. A few dry crumbs are okay. If the outside of the loaf is browned but the center is still wet, loosely tent the loaf with foil or parchment paper and continue baking until the loaf is fully baked.

Serve: 

Take the bread out of the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Remove the pawpaw bread from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack before serving. 

Slice and serve. I like to serve it with some butter and a drizzle of honey.

Storage:

Store the quick bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days. For longer storage, freeze it in a freezer safe ziploc bag for up to 3 months.

FAQ:  

What do pawpaws taste like?

They taste like a cross between a mango and a banana with a custard-like texture.

Can humans eat pawpaw fruit?

Yes. Most people enjoy them fresh right off the tree, but they can also be enjoyed in many recipes.

That would be pretty terrible to include pawpaw recipes if they weren’t edible. 

What kind of fruit is a pawpaw?

Pawpaws are the only tropical fruit native to North American (specifically eastern U.S) and Southern Canada. They are the fruit of the Asimina triloba tree.

​Find More Delicious Quick Breads:

• Sourdough Banana Bread
• Sourdough Cranberry Bread
• Lemon Sourdough Pound Cake
• Pumpkin Sourdough Bread
• Chocolate Sourdough Zucchini Muffins

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! 

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