An Eggless & Spicy Ginger-Mango bread & My 25th post!

Its my blog’s sliver jubilee post….I m elated!!! Thanks everyone for all the encouraging words.I really appreciate so much.Its just over a month and I have so many friends!Lots of hugs to all of you!!

Though this weekend marks the official end of summer, Vegas is far away from that nip in the air.The temperatures are still above hundreds and it’s really dry!And we are still gorging on fruits most of the time.Mention summer, and it makes me think of mangoes ..I like mangoes but not the ones which we get in here.I really miss the dasheri , langra & the chaunsa varieties.I have not been able to find good, juicy, ripe mangoes here in Vegas (not even in Indian stores) which I can chill in the fridge and ahhhhhh …enjoy!!!The husband is a mango fanatic One more thing which is kinda funny is that you get many fruits per piece here.I never really remember buying anything per piece back in India except maybe lemons.Its so popular here…The first time I saw it in the grocery store,found it ridiculous..I still do not know why they sell it so but nw am used to it!

At home, we are not big fans of muffins & cupcakes. Crazy? Yes I know In fact, I hardly bake anything sweet for months.Oven is mostly used for making savory stuff.Offlate, I have started making lots of fruity breads.Its fun to carry few slices in lunchbox or have these with evening tea.I like these with a cuppa cold milk most.Though I am a big fan of eggs,mostly I like to make my cakes &  breads etc eggless.I feel that if you store them for more than 2 days they start smelling eggy!!!

I prepared this eggless, healthy mango bread last week using Alphonso mango puree for the first time with very less oil and less sugar since the puree was sweetened.The bread was moist due to combined effect of milk & puree. Don’t be amazed at the long list of ingredients! Last 5 are optional !! I like to add lots of spices to my bread.You can leave out these completely if you wish!Try it!

What I needed:

1.5 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup semolina [sooji]
4 tbsp brown sugar [ adjust to taste]
1.5 cups Alphonso mango puree [ or fresh pureed mangoes]
1/4 cup caramalized ginger pieces, chopped fine
1/2 cup milk+ 3 tbsp milk [2%]
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of baking soda
a pinch of salt
3 tbsp ground flax seeds [or flax meal]
1/4 tsp cinnamon [optional]
1/4 tsp dry ginger powder
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg [optional]
1 tsp pure vanilla extract [optional]
Raisins [ optional but recommended]

How I did it:

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F.
In a small bowl mix flax-seed powder with 3 tbsp milk and set aside.It is necessary to soak this for at least 10 minutes to let the gelatin set up in the mix.
In a mixing bowl, mix together all flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon & ginger powder, nutmeg and salt.Add the caramalized ginger pieces & raisins [if using].Set aside. You can use more nuts !
In another bowl mix the mango puree, flax-seed mix, vanilla essence, and milk well.

Now make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and tip in the wet mixture.Fold in gently so that everything just comes together.Dont over mix!
Grease a 9 X 5 loaf tin with oil, and pour the batter into it.Level it with the help of a spatula.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or till a skewer comes out clean. Mine took 43 minutes.
Remove from oven & let it cool in the loaf pan for 5 to 10 minutes.
Unmold and transfer to a cooling rack to cool for at least an hour or more before slicing.
Slice the bread after completely cooled.No prizes for guessing that I was impatient and hence not- so- neat slices in the pics!

Notes:

Make sure the consistency of your batter is loose as shown in the picture and too tough else the bread will be dry and texture will be dense.Use mango puree or milk to loosen it.
The oven settings are different for everybody. Keep a watch on the bread while in oven .

We had our slices drizzled with warm honey!It was yum yum yum!

Enjoy!

Sending this to Srilekha’s event EFM Theme – Cakes and Bakes Series