UFO....

Since I'm starting to bake again....I figure I should find ways to cut down on the sugar, salt, eggs and butter that go into "regular" baking. I chanced upon this book titled "Secrets of Fat-Free Baking" when I was at an outlet mall in New Hampshire. Ok ok...I know it's pathetic that I actually bought nothing but books at a sprawling outlet mall...what can I say, I'm a book geek!

Anyway, back to my story. So i decided to try out one of the bread recipes from the book. Although the recipe says "bread" but I was quite doubtful as I didn't see the usual ingredient like YEAST(!) in the recipe. Or having to let the dough rise!?

The recipe was easy enough...in fact, wayyy easier than a regular bread recipe. It took me a couple of minutes to put everything together and another 45min to bake. The end product as you can see from my photo is quite peculiar....it's not exactly our regular kind of bread (soft/fluffy)....and neither is it like a cake. So let's just call it UFO - Unknown Fat-free Object!

It actually tastes ok. Hard, dense but flavorful. But I really doubt that RG will like it for his breakfast. Although I can imagine my german friend D liking this very much as he had always complained about how our regular guardinia/bonjour loaves were too soft/fluffy when he visited us in Singapore.

Anyway, here's the recipe for you health freaks out there:

Prune Puree - 1/2 cup of pitted prunes + 1 cup of apple juice + 2 teaspoons of lecithin granules. Blend at high speed until mixture is smooth (makes about 1.5 cups. You can use some and then keep the remaining in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3weeks).

(This prune puree is a substitute for fat and keeps your baked goods moist. It also adds fiber, nutrients and natural sweetness. Amazing huh?!)

For the Cinnamon Raisin "Bread" (aka UFO)
- 2 cups of whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (feel free to cut amount if you like)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup nonfat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup Prune Puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raisins

All you need to do is to combine all the dry ingredients (except raisins) first. Then add the buttermilk, prune puree and vanilla extract and mix well. Finally, fold in the raisins. And then you can grease a loaf tin and pour the mixture inside and spread evenly. Then just pop it in the preheated oven (350F) for about 45min and you are done!

According to the recipe, there's supposed to be 0mg cholesterol, 0.5g fat and 93 calories.