Pawpaw Sweet Bread

You may have known that pawpaws are a mango-like fruit native to North America, but did you know that they are also a very nutritious fruit option when it comes to mealtime? They are high in vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper, and manganese with significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc, and a good source of potassium and several essential amino acids.

Their soft, mango-like texture make for a perfect ingredient in breads, too. Just make sure you let them ripen. Near-ripe fruit will keep up to two weeks in the refrigerator; let sit at room temperature to fully ripen before using.

The texture of the pawpaw in this recipe leads to a moist, custard-like bread reminiscent of bread pudding. As such, it’s delicious with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or our custard sauce.

Pawpaw Sweet Bread

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

3 eggs, slightly beaten

¾ cups sugar

1 cup lite unsweetened coconut milk (may substitute with ½ cup vegetable oil)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ to 2 cups mashed pawpaw pulp (can use frozen)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar. Stir in remaining ingredients until well mixed and into the center of the dry ingredients. Stir until incorporated and dry ingredients are moistened, but don’t over mix.

Pour batter into two greased medium-size loaf pans. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until golden brown and set.

Remove and let cool 20 minutes before removing from pans. Slice and serve with fresh whipped cream or custard sauce.

Custard Sauce

Ingredients

1/8 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

1⁄2 cup skim milk

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium saucepan whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until creamy. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Once all ingredients are combined, cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon (approximately 7 minutes).

Serve warm or let cool, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.