Baked Soft Mandazi — Baked East African Beignet flavored with cardamom, nutmeg, and coconut. So tender, indulgent, and guilt-free.
I don’t know what it is about bread or donuts that is irresistible. A while back, I made mandazi beignets, and they were a hit with a lot of readers for good reason. They are amazing!
Not satisfied with that, I decided to make them even better with soft mini mandazis, and they were even better than the first. Tender and packed with flavor for an incredible eating experience.
Making a Better Mandazi
So, Shef (one of my readers) sent me a picture of his mandazi. It looked so good that I wanted to make it ASAP. It was just the push I needed to make the baked version of these popular East African fried treats. I must confess that I keep grated coconut in the fridge to make these when the craving hits.
Here is what I did differently with the much-appreciated advice from Shef. I added some extra coconut and sugar, then included butter to make it more tender. After brushing them with oil, I baked them for about 10 minutes. Don’t overbake them if you want soft mandazi. They taste great the next day, reheated in the oven.
So, REJOICE, now you can enjoy mandazi with less guilt.
What You Need to Make Soft Mandazi
- Yeast – Active dry yeast and warm water (not too hot, and not too cold) to activate the yeast will give your dough a good rise for soft and fluffy bread.
- Evaporated Milk makes softer bread, but you can replace it with coconut milk.
- Eggs are a great binder that adds a little fat and color.
- Flavor – Sugar, salt, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, butter, and coconut deliver the classic mandazi taste.
- All-Purpose Flour makes the base for almost all bread dough. I’ve never tried this recipe with all-purpose gluten-free flour, but I don’t know why it wouldn’t work.
How to Make Soft Baked Mandazi
- Activate Yeast – In a large bowl, add warm water, evaporated milk, salt, sugar, and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes, then add the eggs. (Photos 1-2)
- Make Dough – Add 3½ cups flour, butter, cardamom, nutmeg, and grated coconut. Mix by hand or in a stand mixer. (Photo 3)
- Knead – Turn dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead until all the ingredients have been fully incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky when touched. Gradually add the remaining flour if needed (it’s better to use less flour than more). Mix dough until smooth, 1-2 minutes. (Photo 4)
- Let Rise – Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for an hour or two or until doubled in size. (Photo 5)
- Roll the dough out to 1-inch thick. Cut into bite-size squares or desired shapes. (Photos 6-7)
- Bake – Preheat the oven to 375°F (190℃). Line baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray or oil. Place the mandazi on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until a beautiful golden brown. (Photo 8)
- Serve – Remove from the oven and let them rest. If desired, sprinkle them with powdered sugar to make them sweeter. Enjoy!
Tips for Making Soft Mandazi
- Make sure the water isn’t too hot, about as warm as body temperature.
- For your mandazi to be fluffy, it needs to rise until doubled in size. So be patient because it might take longer some days depending on the weather.
- If your mandazi doesn’t rise in an hour, try turning on the oven to warm for 10 minutes. Then turn it off and let the dough rise in the oven.
- If all fails, mix rapid-rise yeast into the dough and knead.
- You can switch out evaporated milk with coconut milk
- Freshly ground cardamom is best for this recipe. You get a hint of cardamom as you bite into the dough; an enjoyable experience.
Baked Soft Mandazi
Baked East African beignet flavored with cardamom, nutmeg, and coconut. So tender, indulgent, and guilt-free.Makes about a dozen mandazi
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Rising Time: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 25 minutes
African
Servings 12
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60ml) warm water
- 2¼ teaspoons (7g) active dry yeast
- 1 5-ounce can (150ml) evaporated milk or ¾ cup canned coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- ½ cup (100g) sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3½-4 cups (420-480g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (30g) grated coconut or coconut flakes
- 4 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon (2g) cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 teaspoon (2g) grated nutmeg or cinnamon
- powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar to sprinkle
- vegetable oil for brushing
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add warm water, yeast, evaporated milk, salt, and sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes, then add the egg.
- Then add 3½ cups flour, butter, cardamom, nutmeg, and grated coconut. Mix by hand or in a stand mixer.
- Turn dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead until all the ingredients have been fully incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky when touched. Gradually add the remaining flour if needed (it's better to use less flour than more). Mix dough until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for an hour or two or until doubled in size.
- Roll the dough out to 1-inch thick. Cut into bite-size squares or desired shapes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190℃). Line baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray or oil. Place the mandazi on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until a beautiful golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let them rest. If desired, sprinkle them with powdered sugar to make them sweeter.
Tips & Notes:
- Make sure the water isn’t too hot, about as warm as body temperature
- For your mandazi to be fluffy, it needs to rise until doubled in size. So be patient because it might take longer some days depending on the weather
- If your mandazi doesn’t rise in an hour, try turning on the oven to warm for 10 minutes. Then turn it off and let the dough rise in the oven
- If all fails, mix rapid-rise yeast into the dough and knead
- You can switch out evaporated milk with coconut milk
- Freshly ground cardamom is best for this recipe. You get a hint of cardamom as you bite into the dough; an enjoyable experience
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1mandazi| Calories: 238kcal (12%)| Carbohydrates: 38g (13%)| Protein: 5g (10%)| Fat: 7g (11%)| Saturated Fat: 4g (25%)| Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g| Monounsaturated Fat: 2g| Trans Fat: 0.2g| Cholesterol: 26mg (9%)| Sodium: 203mg (9%)| Potassium: 67mg (2%)| Fiber: 2g (8%)| Sugar: 10g (11%)| Vitamin A: 140IU (3%)| Vitamin C: 0.1mg| Calcium: 11mg (1%)| Iron: 2mg (11%)
Rowena says
My partner were introduced to mandazis whilst living in Muscat and we love it so much. I have only started braving baking bread only recently and held off baking mandazis until I had more confidence in bread baking. So happy I found your recipe!! Thank you soooo much! Just baked a batch following instructions except for another 2 minutes in oven, and used coconut milk instead….they are sooo soft and divine!
ImmaculateBites says
Glad to hear it worked out well. Thanks for the feedback.
vidya says
Hi.. I just love your recipes.. my sister in law stays in tanzania and she had made fried mandazi but i wanted to try baked ones and I am going to try these awesome ones… but i dont prefer eggs so can i omit the egg? If i omit egg do i need to use any other substitute like flaxmeal or something?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Vidya. Yes, you may use flaxseeds as a substitute for egg. For one egg, mix one tablespoon of finely ground flaxseeds with three tablespoons of water until fully combined. You may also use 1/4 cup of mashed banana. I hope this helps 🙂 !
vidya iyer says
thank you so much Imma.. it was out of the world.. i added nutmeg powder and the taste was awesome… thank you very much for your reply
ImmaculateBites says
Fantastic!! I am so glad it worked out for you. Thank you for the feedback!
Lilian says
Hey can i use baking powder instead of yeast?
Imma Adamu says
Yes you can. It may not hbe as soft but it will still taste delicious.. keep in mind use about 1 to 1-1/4 teaspoons of baking powder for every cup of flour. Blessings
Helen Moreno Gallagher says
I wil try this next month. Lovely i like bake than fry.thank u so much.
imma africanbites says
Can’t wait for you to try it. Enjoy!
B says
Thank you so much for this! They were a huge hit at my son’s World Culture Day at school.
imma africanbites says
Thank you, B for trying it out. **Happy Dance** 🙂
Ela says
Hi Imma, I made this yesterday for a gathering with friends, and it was the bomb! I swapped half of the AP flour for WW flour and it was absolutely great. Everyone loved it. It all went in flash. Also made your African Doughnut (Drop Doughnut). The kids and even adults love it. Everything was a winner. Thanks Imma.
ImmaculateBites says
My pleasure Ela! So glad to hear it was a hit with everyone. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us.
Kim O. says
Made these today – turned out great! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome Kim! Glad you enjoyed it.
James says
I USE JUA KALI OVEN WITH TWO ELEMENTS ONE BOTTOM AND ONE TOP,MANDAZI DONT COOK EVEN AFTER WAITING ONE HOUR,OVEN JUST WARMS
ImmaculateBites says
Sorry James! Don’t see the reason why it didn’t cook and don’t know much about Jua kali ovens,
Ela says
Hi Immaculata, your blog is driving me crazy! I’m a girl on diet and u are making me “sin”. But in my mind though, because i haven’t tried anything yet. Would this work with whole wheat flour?
ImmaculateBites says
It sure would. Common Ela, you have got to try something. In moderation then you are not committing any “sin”
Ela says
I made this yesterday for a gathering with friends, and it was the bomb! I swapped half of the AP flour for WW flour and it was absolutely great. Everyone loved it. It all went in a flash. Also made your African Doughnut (Drop Doughnut) for the kids. They and even the adults love it. Everything was a winner. Thanks Imma.
Muratha says
The recipe came out very nice…thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Glad to hear Muratha.
dina says
they do look addicting! yes, there is something about breads…they are hard to stay away from!