Recipe for feijoa loaf

If you live near my farm here in San Diego, you know exactly when November arrives. It is not the temperature drop, which is barely noticeable, but the perfume. The air fills with a sweet, musky fragrance that smells like a collision between a pineapple, a strawberry, and a bottle of expensive perfume. That is the season of the Acca sellowiana, commonly known as the Feijoa or Pineapple Guava.

For years, I struggled to utilize the sheer volume of fruit my mature hedges produced. I have three 8-foot bushes that yield about 40 pounds of fruit annually, and there is only so much fresh fruit one can eat before the acidity starts to sting your tongue.

Alexander Mitchell

Here at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables, we've found that the best way to process a bumper crop is to bake it. This isn't just another fruit bread; it is a dense, moist, aromatic loaf that captures the essence of the fruit without the mouth-puckering tartness.

Over the last decade, I have tweaked this recipe to accommodate the unique texture of Feijoas, which contain sclereids—gritty stone cells similar to those in pears. Today, I am sharing my personal recipe that turns this often-overlooked backyard fruit into a breakfast staple.

The Feijoa (Acca sellowiana), also known regionally as Guavasteen, is native to the highlands of southern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina, but it thrives exceptionally well in Southern California’s Mediterranean climate.

Harvesting: The Ground Rule

Before we even preheat the oven, we need to talk about fruit selection. This is where most people fail. I once ruined an entire batch by picking firm green fruits directly off the branch. The result was a bland, hard loaf with zero aroma. Feijoas are unique because they are one of the few fruits that are perfectly ripe only after they drop from the tree. If you are tugging at the fruit, it is not ready.

Only use fruit that yields slightly to a gentle squeeze, similar to a ripe avocado. If the fruit is rock hard, place it in a paper bag with an apple for 48 hours to accelerate ethylene production.

I usually head out to the orchard at 7:00 AM to collect the drops from the night before. For this recipe, you need approximately 1.5 cups of fruit pulp. In my experience, this equates to roughly 20 to 25 medium-sized fruits. It sounds like a lot, but once you scoop out the flesh, the volume decreases significantly.

The Prep Work: Mining for Gold

Preparing Feijoas is a labor of love. Processing these small green ellipses is like mining for gold; you have to sift through a lot of material to get the nugget. You need a sharp knife and a teaspoon. Slice the fruit in half width-wise, not length-wise, and scoop the gelatinous center into a measuring cup. Do not scrape too close to the skin. The skin contains potent tannins that will turn your sweet loaf into a bitter disaster.

Through our work with Exotic Fruits and Vegetables farm, we realized that freezing the pulp during the peak harvest allows us to bake these loaves well into March. If you are using frozen pulp, let it thaw completely in a colander over a bowl. You want to discard the excess water (about 1/4 cup per pint) to prevent a soggy bottom.

Ever wonder why some fruit breads sink in the middle while others rise beautifully? The culprit is usually excess moisture reacting with the gluten structure before the heat sets it.

Understanding the Chemistry: Feijoa vs. Banana

Most people treat Feijoa bread like banana bread, but that is a mistake. Feijoas are far more acidic and contain more water. Below is a comparison of how these fruits behave differently in baking, based on my observations over five harvest seasons.

The Recipe

This recipe yields one standard 9×5 inch loaf. I use a glass loaf pan because it conducts heat more evenly than the dark metal ones, which tend to scorch the sugar-heavy crust.

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups (250g) All-purpose flour (do not use bread flour; it makes the loaf too chewy)
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda (freshness matters here)
• 1/2 teaspoon Sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground ginger (complements the floral notes better than cinnamon)
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground cardamom

Wet Ingredients

• 1 cup (200g) Granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (113g) Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 Large eggs (I use duck eggs from my coop for richness, but chicken eggs work fine)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1 cup Feijoa pulp (mashed slightly with a fork, but leave some chunks)
• 1/4 cup Sour cream or Greek yogurt (adds necessary fat)
• 1/2 cup Chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Do not use a blender or food processor to puree the fruit. This ruptures the seed sacs and releases a gritty texture that ruins the mouthfeel. Hand-mashing is non-negotiable.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat and Prep: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your 9×5 loaf pan generously with butter, then dust it with flour. Shake out the excess. I once skipped the flouring step and spent 20 minutes trying to pry the loaf out with a spatula—it wasn’t pretty.
2. Creaming the Butter: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy. This usually takes about 3 to 4 minutes with an electric hand mixer on medium speed.
3. Adding Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract and the sour cream.
4. The Fruit Fold: Gently stir in the mashed Feijoa pulp. The mixture might look slightly curdled at this point due to the fruit’s acidity reacting with the dairy. Don’t panic; the flour will bind it back together.
5. Dry Meets Wet: Whisk your dry ingredients (flour, soda, salt, spices) in a separate bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing only until the flour streaks disappear. Over-mixing develops the gluten and will result in a rubbery loaf.
6. The Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the middle rack for 55 to 65 minutes. At the 40-minute mark, check the color. If the top is browning too fast, tent it loosely with aluminum foil.
7. The Test: Insert a wooden skewer into the center. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached. If you see raw batter, give it another 5 minutes.

My breakthrough came when I discovered that adding 1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut to the batter amplifies the tropical profile of the Feijoa without overpowering it.

Cooling and Serving

Patience is the hardest ingredient to master. When you pull the loaf from the oven, place the pan on a wire rack and let it sit for exactly 10 minutes. Then, turn the loaf out onto the rack to cool completely. If you slice it while it is hot, the steam escapes rapidly, and the bread will dry out within hours.

Our team at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables loves serving this toasted with a smear of mascarpone cheese or salted European butter. The slight tang of the cheese pairs perfectly with the floral sweetness of the bread. For a dessert variation, I sometimes drizzle a glaze made of powdered sugar and lime juice over the cooled loaf.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Even with a solid recipe, variables like humidity and oven calibration can affect the outcome. Here is how I handle common problems in my kitchen.

Never open the oven door during the first 30 minutes of baking. The sudden drop in temperature will cause the leavening agents to collapse, resulting in a dense, sunken center.

Problem: The center is raw, but the outside is burnt.
This usually happens when the oven runs hot. I keep an analog thermometer inside my oven because the digital display is often off by 15-20 degrees. If this happens, lower the temp to 325°F and cover the loaf with foil for the remainder of the bake.

Problem: The fruit sank to the bottom.
This means your batter was too thin or the fruit chunks were too heavy. Next time, toss the fruit chunks in a tablespoon of flour before folding them into the batter. This friction helps them stay suspended in the mix.

“Farming is 90% observation and 10% perspiration, but baking is 100% precision.”

Storage and Preservation

Feijoa loaf improves with age. I find that the flavor is actually more pronounced on the second day as the moisture redistributes throughout the crumb. Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. Do not store the loaf in the refrigerator, as the cold air will recrystallize the starch molecules and make the bread stale faster.

If you have baked multiple loaves—which I recommend doing while the oven is on—they freeze beautifully. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. It will keep in the freezer for 3 months. To thaw, simply leave it on the counter overnight.

I strongly advise against using canned Feijoa syrup or nectar as a substitute for fresh pulp. The artificial sweeteners and preservatives in processed products alter the chemistry and result in a gummy texture.

Growing and cooking with Feijoa sellowiana connects me to the rhythm of the San Diego seasons. While the tourists crowd the beaches, we farmers are in the kitchen, turning the autumn harvest into comfort food. What’s the real secret to success with exotic fruits? It is simply the willingness to experiment and the patience to wait for the fruit to fall.

As fruit enthusiasts at Exotic Fruits and Vegetables, we hope this recipe brings a slice of our orchard into your kitchen. Whether you have a single bush in a pot or a full hedge, don’t let those green gems rot on the ground. Bake them, freeze them, share them, but never waste them.