Pepes Coconut Bread Featured In Gourmet Magazine Recipe 55

COCONUT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan, knocking out excess flour.
• Toast and grind coconut:
• Spread 3 cups coconut in a large shallow baking pan (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.) Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 15 minutes, then grind in a food processor to a coarse meal, about 40 seconds (you will have about 1 1/4 cups). Leave oven on.
• Make batter:
• Stir together self-rising flour, ground coconut, and remaining cup (untoasted) coconut in a large bowl. Beat together butter and sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Whisk 1 cup water into flour mixture, then add egg mixture, whisking just until well blended.
• Bake bread:
• Pour batter into loaf pan, smoothing top with a spatula, and bake in middle of oven until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean and top is evenly brown, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool bread to warm in pan on a rack, 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out of pan and set right side up on rack to cool completely, about 2 hours more. Cut into 1-inch-thick slices.

PEPE'S COCONUT BREAD (FEATURED IN GOURMET MAGAZINE RECIPE - (5/5)

Steps:

• Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and extract, then the sour cream. Add the coconut. Fold in the flour, baking powder and soda. Turn into lightly greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until done. Makes 1 loaf-10 slices Suggested Substitutions will omit coconut extract and coconut. Use maple extract and walnuts for Maple Walnut bread. Use Lemon extract and 1 tbsp. poppy seeds for Lemon Poppy Seed bread. Use vanilla extract and any fruit such as peaches, pears, cranberries, etc for other changes.

GOURMET MAGAZINE COCONUT BLONDIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
• Melt butter in a 3-qt heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Whisk in brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time until mixture is glossy and smooth.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt, then whisk into butter mixture. Stir in pecans and 1 1/2 cups coconut.
• Spread in pan and sprinkle with remaining coconut. Bake about 35 minutes. Cool completely.