Coconut Bread

Mind over matter.  I am envisioning myself lounging in Hawaii, drinking a cocktail (straight booze) out of an empty coconut, poolside (not sure where Dan and the girls are, but I am okay with that).  Ahhhhhh.  

In reality, I am wearing a fleece, listening to my toddlers fight over toys and instead of straight booze, I am nursing a steamy cup of tea. Don't feel bad for me, because I did manage to get a small piece of my Hawaiian fantasy - the coconut (sort of).  

I got this recipe for Coconut Bread from Smitten Kitchen's blog and like everything else from SK, it is amazing.  

SK recommends serving the bread in think slices, toasting it and topping it with butter and/or honey and I would have to agree (I do like it un-toasted as well)!   YES MOM - you should put Nutella on it.

 

Coconut Bread (Smitten Kitchen) 
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
5 ounces sweetened flaked coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted or melted and browned, if desired
Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray for baking pan


Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar and coconut, and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add butter, and stir until just smooth — be careful not to overmix.

Butter and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or coat it with a nonstick spray. Spread batter in pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, anywhere from 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan five minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.  (I used 3 mini loaf pans instead of one 9x5.  I baked them at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes and checked them to see if they were done.  I ended up baking them for an additional 5 minutes and took them out and cooled according to SK's directions).