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".
Sadhana says
Strawberry and Mango nice combination. They have come out very nice and beautiful presentation as usual.
roma says
I love Begampalli mangoes too. I Simply eat by the kilo! 🙂
Great idea to combine strawberry and mango in a quick bread.
jayasri says
hi, madhu, quick bread looks so good.., but I wanted to tell you something !, I did bake mango muffins (still i have not posted it !) for your eggless, low fat event !, but just seeing ur blog i have come to know that somebody has already done it!, and now you have also done something with mango ! how did they both go was it a good combination!, but they look fantastic though...
The combination was good Jayasri. Do send in your mango muffin recipe too. I mentioned this strawberry cupcake earlier.
RedChillies says
I have bookmarked Sweatha's mango muffin recipe too (so easy to make). I do not use the mango pulp as often as most of the times I don't know what to do with it. The fresh mangoes we get are consumed directly. This is definitely worth trying and looks good.
Nags says
ok tell me, how is shortbread different from quickbread?
wait, let me just google that 😀
the pic is nice btw 🙂
Hi Nags, shortbread is a cookie which uses a lot of butter and mostly does not require eggs. What I have baked is a mini quick bread.
Sonu says
Nice combo of 2 fruits. Your bread looks so tempting.
Love the presentation! Simple and adorable!:)Bookmarked.
btw, which camera do you use Madhu?
Thanks Sonu. Canon 40D EOS.
nithya says
Looks wonderful...great combo.I love Banganapalli too....even thothapuri is a favorite one.
Great click as usual:)
Priya says
Wow quick bread looks fabulous!!!gorgeous!
tbc says
I have a mango bread/cake sitting in my fridge right now! I'd made it last week using a combination of the canned pulp and fresh mango puree. Your cake looks fantastic. 😀
Have a good weekend!
dk says
😯 Do we have mind share or what? This time you beat me to it darling! LOL! I made Mango bread and strawberry quick bread separately though but I made them last week - was planning to put strawberry one today..will hold off on that now 😉
Looks perfectly moist and yummy! Will try the combo next. Bookmarked to try:)
Have a great weekend.
Didn't I tell you! You too have a wonderful one.
Kalai says
I love strawberries and mango together. I know exactly what you mean about wanting amore intense mango flavor. So hard to achieve in baked goods! They look deliicious, Madhu. I remember having the same problem when I put too much applesauce into a quick bread. It was soggy. Live and learn, right? 🙂
Sunshinemom says
Nice combination and I love those mini loaves! I have been on the look out for these pans here but not able to find them.
Ramya Kiran says
Looks damn delicious! lovely combination of fruits and perfectly baked.
Loved your click too..
Have a great day!
Ramya
pooja says
oooh i love those strawberries !they look so lovely ! great click !
Parita says
Wow yummy combination of strawberries and mango, perfect for all the events!