Jamaican Coconut Bread with Pineapple Jam
A Sweet Bread Great for Breakfast with a Tropical Feel
Jun 30, 2009
When cooking, fresh ingredients are highly preferred. However, there are times when it is more convenient, cost effective and helpful to buy ingredients not native to the climate in which the cooking is taking place. Coconut can be one of these ingredients. The grated coconut can be purchased, as well as the coconut milk. Ensure the purchase is coconut milk, rather than coconut juice. The juice is the clear fluid that spills out when the coconut is open, and is a great medium for cooking rice and adding flavor to other dishes. The milk, however, is derived from the meat itself, and is much more substantial. See below the recipe for tips on preparing fresh coconut.
Makes one loaf.
Bread:
- 1 ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Sugar
- 1 Egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ cup Coconut Milk
- ½ cup Grated Coconut
Directions:
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- Separately add the egg and vanilla, mix it in to the dry ingredients.
- Add the milk and coconut and mix until well combined.
- Put in a small greased loaf pan.
- Bake for 1 hour at 350 Fahrenheit until the bread is springy to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool before slicing.
Pineapple Jam:
Makes 2 cups
- 1 Pineapple
- 1 cup Water
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 Limes
Directions:
- Peel and grate the pineapple until it amounts to about 2 cups.
- Heat the pineapple and water in a saucepan over low-medium heat until soft, about 40 minutes.
- Stir in the lime juice and sugar.
- Cook until the mixture has thickened, 50-60 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly, then carefully fill a 16 oz glass jar and seal it.
If one opts for cooking with fresh coconut, though a messy business, it can be rewarding.
To open a coconut, place it on a rack over a bowl in the sink. Either tap it across the middle with a hammer, rotating as the tapping occurs, or place the tip of a screwdriver on one of the pre-marked indentations and hit the screwdriver with a hammer. Once it cracks open, the juice will fall into the bowl, which one can drink or save. Cut out the meat with a small knife and then grate in a processor or by hand. If the meat is not releasing from the shell, it can be cooked for 5-8 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Some chefs also find it helpful to wrap the pieces in a towel and hammer them farther, so that the meat is in smaller parts and easier to handle.
