Believe the Hype

I know. For those of you who listened in on my conversation (not) about coconut, the suspense is killing you.  "Did she ever make that loaf?" you wonder anxiously, refreshing the page at a constant interval in anticipation of the real coconut post.  Ego aside, it's likely you're not; however, I do know that my sister is.  I think I've kept her hanging long enough.

As you may or may not know, this was my new loaf pan test drive.  I assembled all of the ingredients I needed to make bills Coconut Bread, which my sister had recommended from Baking Bites, and took out my shiny new orange pan.  Coconut + New Kitchen Gear = Excitement².

infamous loaf pan w/coconut bread ingredients

Let's forget about the adding and stirring, fast forward through the baking time, and cut to the chase.  After removing the beautifully baked bread from the oven and spending a solid six minutes carrying it through the house proclaiming it's excellency and inhaling the fresh baked aroma,  I turned it out onto the counter (across the backs of 3 small plates - I don't have a baking rack) and tried to forget about it while it cooled.

bills coconut bread

bills coconut bread

This bread (and my loaf pan) is definitely a keeper.  A nice golden crust surrounds a moist (but not soggy) loaf of luscious coconut heaven.  It is marvelous on its own, but would be incredible as a base for some spreads (perhaps curried shrimp?), divine with mulligatawny soup, and insane as the outsides of a grilled cream cheese and pineapple sandwich.  I kept generating ideas as I ate the loaf, slice by slice, which stayed fresh until finished three days later; I will be sure to try some of them next time.

basket of bills coconut bread

bills coconut bread

bills coconut bread, sliced

Because we don't have a toaster, but I was unwaveringly adamant to try, I placed a couple thick slices in the oven to enjoy with our tea on the terrace.  It took longer to toast than desired, so this was our only taste, but I can now properly attest to the fact that this coconut bread, served hot and crispy along with the recommended mandatory pat of butter, really is, in the words of my sister, "to die for."  Do believe the hype.

toasted coconut bread w/melting butter

Thanks to Bill Granger for developing, to Baking Bites for posting, and to my sister for recommending this recipe.  Pass it on...
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