Mango Quick Bread with Raw Agave Nectar

It’s mango week! A fruit I rarely cook has invaded my kitchen and it’s exciting because I’m going to present a mango dish every day for five days.

I did a little research on mango. We all know that fruit is good for you, but I’ve read again and again “mango is king.” Not queen, but king and that must be a big deal.

Thought to be highly medicinal, mangoes are an ancient fruit dating back maybe as early as 4000 B.C. Some of the claims include a cure for anemia (high in iron), reducing blood cholesterol, increasing digestive capacity and brain power, and can be used as a laxative.

I think they just taste really good, and have the versatility to be made into desserts, breads, shakes, and cocktails. Just yesterday I made a delicious tomato mango salsa for grilled halibut. But today it’s sweetened up in a quick bread from Dorie Greenspan, which she adapted from a “Mrs. Earl” who had a grew mangoes and this is probably just one of the things she did with this king of fruit.

This mango bread is very moist, and flavorful, and can also be made into muffins.

Making a few changes
I replaced both brown and white sugar with raw agave nectar and eliminated one egg white. I used a white whole wheat flour instead of white flour. In rethinking this recipe, I might even cut the raw agave in half, and macerate the mangoes so that the sweetness comes more naturally from the fruit. I used allspice instead of ginger and DC thought the bread was perfectly spiced. I would still like to try fresh ginger next time.
Recipe (adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours)

3 large eggs (I removed 1 egg white)
¾ cup flavorless oil, such as canola (next time, I’ll replace half with applesauce)
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar and
½ cup (packed) light brown sugar (I used 1 cup raw agave nectar)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons ground ginger (I used allspice)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups diced mango¾ cup moist
Grated zest of ½ lime

Notes: The changes I made resulted in a very moist, spicy quick bread. It made me think of gingerbread. Mangoes are very sweet, and I will reduce sweetener by half next time, reduce the amount of oil and replace extra ripe mango.

You can order Dorie’s book, Baking: From My Home to Yours here.