Coconut Bread

Myrna and I both had coconut on the brain when we looked at "The Taste of Home Baking Book."  She looked at coconut cake in little, fancy Bundt pans that were beautiful…I chose this loaf of coconut quick bread that’s my kind of recipe – no fuss.  Any baked item I can just whisk together by hand looks good to me! and when it tastes so good my husband asks for it again it's a real winner.

I keep buttermilk powder on hand just for recipes like this – 2 tablespoons of the powder in a measuring cup; then fill with water to the ½ cup mark and whisk.  Find it near the canned milks or in the baking section at your grocery or in bulk bags from the Amish store as I do.  I keep mine refrigerated after opening in the can or a glass jar for better quality and longer storage life.  Of course, it's great with fresh buttermilk too.

I halved their recipe and just made one loaf, which I’m giving here.  I actually used a 8 x 4" loaf pan, but an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" size would also work.  Remember to grease your pan just 1" up the sides to avoid those hard "shoulders" and make a nicer looking loaf.

                              Coconut Bread

  1           cup  Sugar -- 7 ounces

     3/8    cup  Salad Oil

  2           large  Eggs

  1           teaspoon  Coconut Extract (or vanilla extract)

  1 1/2    cups  Flour, All-purpose -- 6 3/4 ounces

     1/2    teaspoon  Baking Powder

     1/4    teaspoon  Baking Soda

     1/4    teaspoon  Salt

     1/2    cup  Buttermilk

     1/2    cup  Coconut -- flaked - (2 1/4 ounces)

     1/2    cup  Chopped Walnuts -- 2 ounces (or pecans or any nuts you have)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs and extract.  Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, stirring just until moistened.  Fold in coconut and walnuts.

Pour into a  8 x 4 x 2" loaf pan greased on the bottom and 1" up the sides.  Bake at 325° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield:  "1 Loaf"

Per Serving: 181 Calories; 9g Fat (43.6% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 23g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 27mg Cholesterol; 86mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.