April 19, 2010

… and one more.

And now for the third cake — can you bear it? I promise something savory coming soon. Until then, I forge on with more cake. In fairness, this is a quick bread, which I tend to define as “cake I can eat for breakfast,” but this loaf is much closer to a dense, nutty bread than a buttery loaf cake.

My introduction to Bill Granger (think Australian counterpart to the British Jamie Oliver), came via a delicious oat, pear, and raspberry loaf cake. I was so taken with this bread and its maker that I Googled more recipes by him. (Seriously, do try it.) However, as good as this first loaf was, it is the coconut bread I discovered in my search that has become a staple in my kitchen. This is a sturdy, foolproof loaf that I urge you to add to your repertoire pronto. For one, it is terribly hard to screw up. For another, it is made largely of pantry staples. It also serves as a nice alternative to your standby banana bread.

In my adaptation, I swapped whole wheat pastry flour for the AP flour, and used unsweetened coconut instead of the gloppy, sugary kind, making it a bit more wholesome. The resulting bread is slightly spicy, not too sweet, and nothing to feel guilty about at breakfast time. In short, it’s a fully satisfying, quick breakfast and an ideal accompaniment to a cup of tea. While most baked goods are best the day they’re made, I like this bread best a day old, toasted, and topped with curls of a good, unsalted butter. The toasting creates a crispy, crunchy crust and a toothsome, crumbly center filled with nooks and crannies perfect for cradling the melting butter.

bill’s coconut bread
From The Wednesday Chef and the New York Times.

I always make this recipe as written (shocking, I know), but as I write this, I imagine it would be quite tasty with a handful of chocolate chips thrown in.

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 unsweetened, flaked coconut
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8- or 9-inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and coconut, and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture. Gradually mix with dry ingredients, until just combined. The mixture will be quite dry and hard to stir, but don’t worry. Add melted butter, and stir until smooth. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan 5 minutes, remove bread from pan, and finish cooling on a rack.

To serve, cut into thick slices. Serve fresh from the oven, or, if not fresh, toast and serve with a pat of butter and a nice shmear of marmalade.

Yields: 8-10 servings.