bills Coconut Bread December 4
The first time I saw this recipe it was in a newspaper article. I wasn’t too familiar with Bill Granger at the time, but clipped out the recipe because it featured coconut - and I am a big coconut fan. It took me a while to get around to baking the bread. Once I had had it, there was no going back. The bread is absolutely delicious and the cinnamon is a surprisingly good complement to the coconut. The coconut keeps the bread super moist without getting too heavy. It adds a natural sweetness, even if you opt for unsweetened coconut over sweetened, and even people who think they don’t like coconut usually enjoy this bread.
As good as the homemade bread is, I have to admit that the best slice I ever had was when I finally made it to Bill Granger’s Sydney restaurant, bills, and ordered some for breakfast. At the restaurant, the bread comes very thickly sliced, well-toasted and slathered with butter. I could have eaten breakfast there every day of that trip (and I did go back two more times, although I managed to try more menu items on subsequent visits).
bills Coconut Bread
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
225 g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) caster sugar
150 g (2 cups) shredded coconut (Sweetened or unsweetened)
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk (lowfat is fine)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 180C /350F. Grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in sugar and coconut.
In a medium bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Stir until just combined and only a few streaks of flour remain.
Add in melted butter and stir until just smooth, being careful not to overmix.
Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Turn loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Makes 1 loaf; or 8 large slices.
Serve toasted, with butter.
clotilde Dec 5
Hi Nic! This sounds really good. Any chance that you would share the recipe, if it’s not too much trouble? I’d love to try it…
Nic Dec 5
It would be my pleasure! I hope you like it as much as I do - it’s great for breakfast, dessert, or with tea!
Anonymous Apr 11
hi Nic, would this recipe still be lying around somewhere? would love to try it =)
Ling
Nic Apr 11
Hi Ling. I posted the recipe here: http://bakingsheet.blogspot.com/2004/12/coconut-bread-recipe.html
amateur Oct 6
I had printed this recipe a while back and just tried it tonight. It was excellent. I’m now anxious to wake up in the morning and have some toasted.
Thanks for sharing
elizabeth Oct 19
wanted to let ya know that i baked this tonight and it is delish!!! thank you so much for posting. girl, i’m addicted to your blog. i’m not getting anything done at work since i am spending so much time looking at your archives…lol.
tomorrow night i am going to try the coconut/oatmeal cookies
Anonymous Feb 22
I too had the great fortune of eating this delicious bread at bills in Sydney….just found this wicked website.. thankyou!
Sara Apr 28
Hi Nic,
I’m not sure if you’ll see this, since it looks like you posted this Coconut Bread post about a year and a half ago. However, I really want to make it so I’d to know: should the coconut be sweetened or unsweetened? I would assume unsweetened except for the fact that I absolutely NEVER see unsweetened shredded coconut being sold in supermarkets. Since sweetened shredded coconut is the norm, at least in my experience, should I use that? Can I? If I do, should I reduce the sugar in the recipe? And if so, do you have any sense by how much?
Thanks so much. I’m a huge fan of your blog and have made many things from it. My favorite so far: the brownies that you bake at 400F and then plunge into the freezer. I will never make another brownie recipe again!
Sara Apr 28
I apologize–you wrote that you did use sweetened coconut and you just reduced the sugar slightly. I didn’t see that at first. Thank you.
LinC Apr 6
I know I’m coming in late on this thread but thank you for this recipe! I made it for Easter, and it’s a big hit. What’s nice is that the bread isn’t sticky-sweet, and it has a lovely coconut after taste. Thanks for converting to American measurements for us.
amanda Jul 28
Hi Nic,
What do you think of using coconut milk instead of the regular milk called for? Any idea if that might work in this recipe? I’ve got a few cans lying around I’m trying to use up…
thanks,
amanda
Kristen Jan 27
Okay so I am ready to bake the Coconut Bread
What the heck is caster sugar??
Monet Mar 30
I had printed out this recipe a long time ago but forgot about it. The other day I was flipping through my recipes. I had about two cups of coconut on hand that I wanted to use before it was past its prime, so I had the perfect excuse.
I’m only sorry that I didn’t bake this bread sooner, because it’s delicious. Everyone who has eaten it so far loves it. I did reduce the sugar by a couple tablespoons since the coconut I had was sweetened, but other than that I followed the directions as written.
Thanks for sharing this great recipe.