Coconut Bread

My sister Stephanie offered to have my two youngest spend the night at her house, a cousin sleepover.  After a quick kid swap in the parking lot of Sprouts Market, I had the afternoon to myself.  I decided to use my time wisely and make coconut bread and chocolate sables.  The coconut bread was perfectly domed, golden brown and delicious.  Todd, Noah and I ate it warm, generously buttered (of course) and lightly dusted with powdered sugar. It was a delightful afternoon snack.

(p.s. Stella's first sleepover turned into her wanting to come home around 11 that night and my husband meeting my brother in law off a freeway exit to make another kid swap with a homesick little girl.)

Coconut Bread

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
6 tablespoons butter, melted and browned

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
 
In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and coconut.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in egg mixture.  Stir in wet ingredients until just combined.  Add butter and stir until just smooth.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour 1 1/4 hour or until tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for five minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.  Serve warm with butter and a dusting of powdered sugar.

*Next time I make this lovely loaf, I'm going to use toasted coconut and part coconut milk in place of the milk.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen