Pawpaw Quick Bread

From the garden

• 1 cup ripe pawpaw pulp, seeds and skin removed, mashed — from 2–3 very soft fruits
• ½ cup chopped pecans or hazelnuts, toasted (optional)

From the pantry

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour — whisked with 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup butter, melted and cooled — plus more for the pan
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp salt

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9x5 loaf pan. Halve the pawpaws, spoon the flesh from the skins, and pick out the big brown seeds — both seeds and skin stay out of the bowl. Mash to a rough purée; you want 1 cup.
2. Whisk the flour with 1 teaspoon baking soda and the salt in one bowl.
3. In a second bowl, whisk the melted butter with the sugar and eggs until glossy, then stir in the pawpaw pulp.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until no flour streaks remain — overmixing toughens a quick bread — then fold in the nuts if using.
5. Scrape into the pan and bake 55–65 minutes, until deep golden and a skewer in the center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then finish cooling on a rack before slicing.