For a long time now I have wanted to try a mango bread using the mango puree we get in Indian grocery stores. We get it very rarely to make mango milkshake. This milkshake was my favorite drink while in Chennai. I used to live on mangoes during summers in India. Especially the "banganapalli" variety of mangoes were my favorite and milkshake made with this variety is pure heaven, topped with or without vanilla ice cream.
Living abroad the closest (not the best) thing is to buy the mango puree and mix it with milk. But what to do with the rest of the puree? I'm not a fan of mango lassi. That's how the mango halwa and tofu-mango pudding idea struck me. What else can be done? Any ideas welcome. So I thought the next better thing is to use it up while baking.
When I saw Sweatha's recipe for mango muffins, I knew I have to try it, because it was very simple and also it was a small batch measurement.
With the low-fat baking event happening here, I immediately decided to substitute the mango puree for the ¼ cup oil (pureed fruit is a good substitute for fat in a baking recipe) used in the original recipe. The other reason was I didn't have fresh mangoes.
Actually, in the place I'm currently residing we have access to a lot of mangoes when compared to the US, but that day I didn't have it. So I also strawberries instead of the fresh mango pieces Sweatha had used for the mango muffins.
Another change I made was using a mini loaves pan. I bought it a year back but did not get a chance to use it, so decided to go with mango quick bread. First I thought maybe mango strawberry is a weird combination, but when googled I saw a lot of recipes for mango strawberry quick bread, so I decided to proceed with it.
So here is the recipe for fat free mango bread.
Recipe
Fat Free Mango Strawberry Quick Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Plain Non-Fat Yogurt (Gelatin Free)
- 6 tablespoons (See My Notes) Mango Puree
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 10 Fresh Strawberries cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Cardamom powder
- a pinch Saffron strands
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F for 15 minutes. Lightly grease the bread pan.
- Wash the strawberries, hull them and cut each strawberry into 4 pieces. Place it in a bowl and sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar and mix it and leave it for at least 5 minutes.
- In a big bowl mix together the yogurt, mango puree, vinegar, sugar, cardamom powder and saffron strands. To this add the cut strawberries.
- In another small bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Actually I placed the sieve over the big bowl and added the dry ingredients directly into the wet mixture. Mix it until just moistened.
- Fill the bread loaves ¾th full and bake it for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine was done in 19 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Take out the bread from the pan after 5 minutes and let it cool on the wire rack. This is very important. I left the bread in the pan itself for more than 30 minutes and the bottom became soggy.
My Notes
- I wanted to substitute the mango puree for the oil used in the original recipe, which is ¼ cup, but I wanted to increase the mango flavor and added another ¼ cup, so that's one of the reason for sogginess. ½ cup is 8 tablespoons, that's why I have reduced it to 6 tablespoons in the ingredients list.
- Increase the quantity of sugar by 2-3 tablespoons if you go with 6 tablespoons of mango puree. Since the mango puree has sugar I had used only ¼ cup sugar in place of the ½ cup mentioned in the original recipe. So if you reduce the quantity of mango puree, you may want to increase the quantity of sugar.
- I think this measurement will yield about 8-9 regular size muffins and you will have to double the measurement to prepare a regular size quick bread. Sweatha has baked the muffins at 375F.
- Mango lassi is a combination of mango, yogurt, and sugar. So you know what to do if you have a cup of leftover mango lassi! Make this wonderful moist mango bread.
Taste & Texture
- I can swear that it did not taste "healthy or fat free". It tasted like any other regular quick bread, but I don't know why my son did not like it. My husband liked that it was fat free but he did not like the saffron/cardamom combination that much. The bread was soft and spongy inside, which is because of the vinegar I think. It was not a very sweet bread, which is perfect for me. You may want to add another 1-2 tablespoons of sugar if you want it sweeter.
- As for the texture, it was a bit soggy (see Procedure point no.6 and Notes point no.1). So I kept it on two sheets of paper towel and stored it covered in the fridge overnight and it was good in the morning. With minor alterations, this recipe will yield perfect mango quick bread. Check my Notes for further details.
- One more observation, if you are looking for a mango bread recipe with a lot of mango flavor, I think it's ideal to omit cardamom powder, saffron and use either vanilla extract or mango extract or a combination of both, or maybe use puree made from fresh mangoes. The recipe I have mentioned did not have the mango flavor. I think the cardamom overpowered the mango's flavor. The brand of mango puree can also be a reason, I guess because I used a brand which I have never used before. I think it's better to use the Kesar Mango puree. And of course, using chopped mangoes instead of the strawberries I have used will also add to the mango "ness".
Jocelyn says
Can I substitute the yogurt for other ingredient? I'm vegan and here in Yucatan it's hard to find a vegan yogurt
Madhuram says
How about some non-dairy milk and vinegar?
Arthi says
Hi, Can this bread be made with whole wheat flour instead of APF? If so, what modifications would be required? Is it sufficient to just increase the baking soda/ vinegar to ensure its not very dense? Pl help as i really want to make some healthy but yummy bread for my son and hubby who are both on holiday...
Madhuram says
You can try it and see Arthi. It all depends on the individual's taste and preference.
Sankri says
Greetings. Love your recipes. Can I use Self Raising Flour instead of All Purpose Flour?
Thank you and Happy Baking
Madhuram says
Thanks Sankri. Normally no, but I guess it wouldn't affect this recipe much. Maybe be try omitting the baking soda.
Vaishali says
Madhuram, I just posted a mango cheesecake recipe-- I think we Indians are collectively missing the wonderful mango as we go through summer 🙂
Your mango bread looks delicious. I make one too with the Indian canned puree-- it is low-fat, but not non-fat. Gotta try this one!
Cilantro says
I will try any recipe with mangoes.
Ammu says
Hi,
I did this recipe.It cameout well.BUt it was a little hard..very little..Do you know what is the reason for that?
Ammu, it's surprising that it was hard because mine was unbelievably soft and moist. The only thing which could have possibly gone wrong if you overmix the batter. In general for muffins and quick breads the wet ingredients and dry ingredients should be combined very lightly, other wise there is going to be excessive gluten formation making the baked goods hard.
Aparna says
Looks very good, indeed. I have bookmarked a few similar mango breads and am going to bake one soon.
Happy Cook says
I must make one of these days a egg free dessert from your place. Well will be going for a break so sure will have to wait till september for making them.
Bread looks so yumm and love that they are in mini loaf,that is really cute.
Thankyou so muchfor sending this to my event.
Divya Vikram says
I made a mango bread long back. Tasted too good. Love the additionn of strawberries.
Sweatha says
Madhu,you asked about the tanginess of apricot in the chickpea spinach soup.Yes,it was slightly tangy.The more apricot you add the more it will be.I added around 5.Thanks
Thanks Sweatha.
Kumudha says
Madhu,
Your post - ignorance is bliss, is so informative. I think going vegan is a great way to avoid all the horrible animal products like gelatin. The other day I was reading a blog post and was shocked to find out that even Horlicks, has fish derived ingredients in it. http://beligere.blogspot.com/2006/09/is-indian-horlicks-non-vegetarian.html
Developed countries have so many great dairy-free ice creams, butter and chocolates. In short, it is easy to be a vegan in developed countries.
Thanks Kumudha. I too heard about it recently. It's true that following a vegan diet is quite easy here.
Sweatha says
THANKS MADHU.It surely feels GREAT that you tried the recipe.
Love all the changes you made.I never tried the mango-berry combo thgh I have seen many.I agree with you the cardamom,and saffron sure take away the mango ness.I also did not any extract as I thght the mangoness will be lost and I used badami mangoes.I think the sugar can be adjusted a bit depending on the sweetness of mango.The bread does look SUPERB.
I too have my mini loaf pan lying God knows where!.THANKS again.
Thank you Sweatha for posting such a simple recipe.
sulekha says
😛 very good recipe..cant imagine mango with strawberry..your recipes are simple and without eggs ...so i can try it...
Thanks Sulekha.
Jyoti says
Strawberries and mango ..great combo....looks perfect!