Coconut Bread (Trinidad and Tobago)

Here's a bread that I made for one of our themed, carry-in work lunches. It is from Paul Grimes and was in Gourmet (May 2003). It's a sweet bread with a grainy texture similar to cornbread. We served it with a curried/fruity chicken salad and iced tea but it would also be nice with butter or marmalade and a cup of hot tea....or maybe toasted....

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 4  cups sweetened flaked coconut (10 ounces)
• 2  cups self-rising flour
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 2  large eggs
• 1  cup water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Butter and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan, knocking out excess flour.
3. Spread 3 cups coconut in a large shallow baking pan (at least 1-inch deep) and toast in middle of oven, stirring occasionally, until evenly golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. (Watch flakes carefully; edges burn quickly.).
4. Remove from oven and cool completely in pan on a rack, about 15 minutes. Leave oven on.
5. In a food processor, grind toasted coconut to a coarse meal (about 40 seconds). You will have about 1 1/4 cups.
6. In a mixing bowl stir together self-rising flour, ground coconut and remaining cup of un-toasted coconut.
7. In another mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar at medium speed until pale and creamy (1-2 minutes).
8. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
9. Whisk the water into the flour mixture, then add egg mixture, whisking just until well blended.
10. Pour batter into loaf pan, smoothing top with a spatula, and bake in the middle of the oven until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and top is evenly brown (1 hour - 1 hour and 10 minutes.)
11. Cool bread to warm in the pan on a rack for 10-15 minutes. then turn out of pan and set right side up on rack to cool completely, about 2 hours.
12. Cut into 1-inch thick slices.