Oct. 13, 2002 – What do you do when the ripe papaya your mouth is watering for turns out to be a tasteless, non-sweet dud? Make Papaya Bread.
The papaya, native to North America but cultivated in semitropical zones around the world abounds in our own backyards. Green, unripe, papaya are cooked like summer squash and eaten as a vegetable. But ripe papaya, when the skin takes on a vivid yellow-gold color, makes sweet eating for fruit salads and dessert recipes.
My papaya, although blushed golden on the outside with a soft orange flesh, tasted like it still needed several days in the ripening process. Once cut though, I knew it would deteriorate fast. This fact, combined with my enjoyment of experimenting with new recipes on the weekends, enticed me to try Papaya Bread.
Basically, the batter for the recipe below is similar to other sweet breads like banana. The key, I discovered, was to puree the papaya until smooth. Mashing it left chunks that created holes when the bread baked. To satisfy my daughter's sweet tooth and my desired to sneak in a bit more nutrition, I added raisins. The result proved a deliciously sweet orange-brown bread which makes a great snack or breakfast fare.
Ripe Papaya Bread
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup pureed ripe papaya
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, allspice and ginger
Cream sugar with butter until light. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Add papaya and raisins and mix well. Sift flour with baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and ginger. Add to butter mixture. Pour batter into greased and floured 9-x-5-inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour 5 minutes.
Makes 1 loaf of 16 slices. Per slice: 165 calories, 6 gms fat (34 percent fat calories), 42 mg cholesterol, 128 mg sodium.
Nutrition note: Papaya is a very good source of vitamins A and C.
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