Sara Ackerman’s THE CODEBREAKER’S SECRET: Doug’s Mango Bread
“The old mango tree stood at least seventy feet tall. Every season without fail, it delivered truckloads of mangos. She made mango bread, mango chutney, mango ice cream, mango mochi and still had tons to spare. So much so, that by August, she couldn’t even look at another mango.”
Summertime in Hawai’i means mango season. My father loved to bake, and he passed on this delicious mango bread recipe to me. Some of my favorite memories are of picking mangos off his tree, peeling, chopping, and making up a big batch of mango bread, and then sharing loaves with the neighborhood. In The Codebreaker’s Secret, near the end of the book, we get a taste of this famous mango bread. Enjoy it for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert with a dollop of coconut ice cream.
-Sara Ackerman
Book Club Buzz: Author note, book club menu, book giveaway
Sara Ackerman’s THE CODEBREAKER’S SECRET: Doug’s Mango Bread
- Butter, for greasing pan
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups sliced mango, about ¼ inch (see note)
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- Grease an 8½ x 4½ x 2 inch loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking soda and salt, and form a well in the center.
- Add oil, vanilla, eggs, and mango into the well and mix thoroughly. Fold in almonds. Let batter sit for 20 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for approximately one hour, or until bread is lightly browned and springs back to the touch.