Coconut Loaf

I woke up this morning craving something different than the usual yogurt and fruit or slice of toast for breakfast. Quickly I thumbed through my cookbooks and came upon this lovely recipe. "The Sprouted Kitchen" , by Sarah Forte is one of my all-time favorites. I love it when I pull out an older cookbook and find a new recipe.

This coconut loaf will surprise you. It surprised me. The recipe calls for three types of coconut; coconut oil, milk and then shredded. Even with all that coconut the flavor is still subtle, the texture is bread like.......quite unexpected. In the book there is a picture of the loaf served alongside some fresh blackberries. As it happens wild blackberries are growing like crazy around here and are ready for the pickings.

The only trouble I had was my own undoing. The shredded coconut needed to be slightly toasted and I burned it twice, one time right after another. The third time; I stood watch over the oven and they turned out perfectly. Wanted to note that the instructions for the recipe does point out how quickly the coconut will brown and to keep close a watch but I obviously did not pay attention. After allowing the bread to set for 20 to 30 minutes I cut and toasted our first slices in the oven under the broiler. This added a nice crunch to the texture. Good cold or warm any time of the day.

Ingredients:

For loaf:

1/4 cup extra-virgin coconut oil, melted (plus a little more to grease the pan)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (divided) save 1/2 for topping
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup coconut milk (whole)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup toasted and shredded coconut
Wild berries

To prepare:

Set oven to 350F. Coat 8 inch loaf pan with a thin layer of coconut oil.

**Toast coconut on a baking sheet and watch carefully, only takes a few minutes, be diligent**

In a large bowl combine 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut and turbinado sugar. Sift in the flours, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs together, then the coconut milk, coconut oil and vanilla. Mix wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Pour into loaf pan and bake 45 to 50 minutes, check with toothpick in middle of loaf to be sure. Let cool 20 to 30 minutes.

Whisk together powdered sugar and coconut milk to  make glaze. Pour over cake and sprinkle shredded coconut on top. To serve cut into slices and garnish with fresh berries of your choice.

**Recipe called for 2 cups shredded coconut total, I used 1 1/2 cups total and was very happy with the results. For original recipe click here.