Our Take On Coconut Bake

I was looking for quick and easy bread recipes and stumbled upon this page.  I liked the use of the whole wheat and the coconut (though I didn’t have fresh coconut), and the whole biscuity feel of the overall method.  I would definitely recommend it, though personally, I prefer buttermilk or, better yet, kefir to straight milk.  The bread slightly lacks in tang when done with milk, and kefir helps the soda-based leavening.

I looked up coconut bake and found that they are all pretty much same, though vary in flour to coconut to butter ratios.  Basically, it’s a biscuit/scone/shortbread — the less you mess with it the better, and the crumblier (is that a term?) it gets.  The kid and I decided to kick it up a notch, and roll the breads in coconut crumbs for added texture and visual appeal.  Below is our version of the Coconut Bake.

Eat Already’s Take On Coconut Bake

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup grated unsweetened coconut (fine)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 4 oz unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup kefir (we used raw milk kefir, which is silky and delicate)
• a handful of coconut crumbs for rolling

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Sift flour into  a large bowl and add all the dry ingredients. Mix them together quickly with your fingers.

Add butter cubes and rub them into flour until small crumb forms.

Add kefir and mix the dough with your finger, just until combined. Press and shape into a ball.

Divide and shape the dough into 3 larger or 6 smaller balls, depending on whether you want small loaves of bread or biscuits.  Gently press the balls down to give them the shape of a hockey puck or a wheel, about 1 inch thick or thicker.

Spread a handful or two of coconut crumb on a board, and roll your shaped loaves around to coat all over.

Lay the loaves flat, prick with a fork a few times (not all the way through).

Bake 30 minutes for loaves or 20-22 minutes for biscuits.

Cool on a rack until manageable, and enjoy warm.