This is a classic recipe for Trinidad coconut sweet bread. A bread filled withraisins, dried fruits, and spices. Perfect to be eaten alone or paired with yourfavorite spread. This coconut-based bread would leave you rushing for anotherslice.
My mom's favorite thing to make is sweet bread. Whenever sheis in town I always make sure she mixes up a batch.
This is a popularCaribbean sweet treat. It is another food item that could probably be called"Caribbean sweet bread" instead of being pinned down to a specific country. Themethods may just vary from one to the other.
This "bread" not onlyhas coconut but also a mix of raisins, mixed peel, and spices
It's asweetened bread (not sweet like condensed milk sweet) but definitely can beconsidered a dessert as well as bread.
I love eating my sweet breadalone. But it is not weird to see someone use it to replace their regular breadlikehard doughand make a tasty sandwich out of it.
I avidly remember as a childseeing my mom eating it with avocado slices. If I do use it as bread, cheese ismy best option.
Coconut bread is a very popular bread, especiallyaround Christmas time. Along withblack cake, orponche de cremeandpastelles.
Ingredients for sweet bread
I always say this recipe uses staple pantry items, but not everyone storesmixed peel as I do. But for the most part, this uses some of the basics that youcan find
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Sugar - brown sugar or granulated sugar can be used.
- Unsalted butter
- Raisins
- Maraschino cherries - you can also use dried red cherries.
- Mixed peel - sometimes also called tutti fruit or citrus peel.
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Coconut essence - mixed essence or vanilla essence can also be substituted.
- Water
- Fresh coconut - or also referred to as "dry coconut". It's the mature coconut where the water has started to diminish. See the section on how to pick a coconut.
Equipment (Links are affiliate links)
Blender
Large mixing bowl
Loaf pans
Dry coconut or packaged coconut
What is a good substitute for dry coconut in sweet bread?
Iknow sometimes in some areas finding fresh dry coconut is not always easy. Youcan definitely make sweet bread without having a dry coconut.
I haveat numerous times been unable to get a dry coconut. If you don't happen to haveany around, you can substitute using the shredded coconut flakes to be yourgrated coconut.
Check out my otherjust as delicioussweet bread recipe that uses desiccated packaged coconut
How to make Trinidad Coconut sweet bread
Mixing this is easy peasy you know. There's no dry yeast to worry aboutand that failing. This sweet bread recipe is a mix-and-dump kind of thing.
It'simportant to get your coconut out of the shell and rid of any debris. Chop it upinto pieces, add to blender then add water and blend for a couple of minutes.
It'salmost like making coconut milk. You do not want it to be watery. Once done dumpthat out into a large mixing bowl.
Separately, combine your dryingredients: flour, butter, sugar, and baking powder, and add the flour mixtureto the coconut mixture and combine.
Then mix in your ground cinnamon,nutmeg, raisins, essence, and mixed fruit.
Make sure you geteverything combined but not too overworked.
Grease two baking pansand evenly distribute the coconut mixture into the greased loaf pans.
Baketill golden brown. For about 45 minutes.
The aroma of bread baking isalways amazing, And sweet bread is no different. The spices, the raisins andthe coconut. Heaven.
It always takes me back to Christmas time inTnT. Invokes memories of the smell emanating while the cleaning and decoratingare taking place.
Now don't forget to add that glaze.
Thatis definitely a finisher for this bread. A few minutes before baking iscompleted, we add a simple glaze to the top of the sweet bread.
Thecolor when you take it out is Ah amazing.
Place on a wire rack andlet it cool
Tips and Tricks
My mom reminded me of some tricks or good practices to be used when makingsweet bread or baking in general.
The temperature of ingredients:
Make sure that everything is at room temperature, especially the butter
Separation of ingredients:
Mix your dry ingredients separately, and then your wet ingredients separately.Then combine them.
Pick a good coconut:
We call a mature coconut a "dry" coconut because at that stage it hasalready lost most of the water that the younger coconut has. Always give thecoconut a shake. You need to hear water in there. A good amount will do.
Normallyif there is no water the coconut is NOT good. As a coconut gets older the waterlessens and it gets more "meat". When there is no water in a dry coconut, it haspassed the usable stage.
Avoid any cracked shells when inspecting.Cracks can lead to the development of fungus and/or mold. No good.
Nowto verify when it has been cracked open. I use a hammer. It's easy. Rememberthat there is water in there and it will run out. I don't drink the water fromthese coconuts. Rumor has it this "hurts your belly".
Once openedmake sure there is no smell from the water. Well, it needs to smell fresh, kindof sweet. If it's musty, then it's a no-go.
Also, make sure there isno discoloration of the flesh and check for mold on the pieces.
Blender or food processor:
Now you can easily use a blender or a food processor to do the same thing.And there are fewer chances of a grating piece of your finger off holding alittle piece of coconut.
Please note that using a blender gives you adifferent consistency to the coconut than you would get using a food processorto blend coconut.
With a blender, you have to add some water to getit going. Whereas using a food processor you get a dry blend, kind of like withthe packaged coconut. You will need to add liquid to the mixture later to get itto a good consistency as a soft dough.
Either way works and gives youthe same results.
Storage/Reheating
A lot of people like to store sweet bread in the fridge. I give it a fewdays (up to five) on my counter. I wrap it in foil or in some plastic wrap, tokeep out any moisture and air.
Then if there are leftovers still, Iput them in a Ziploc and throw them in the fridge.
This can also befrozen. Wrap securely with plastic wrap then with foil and put intoZiploc bag. And put the freeze. You can also slice it before wrapping it.
Takedown a slice, or a loaf and bring it to room temperature thenyou can either eat it like that or pop it in your toaster for a littlewarmth.
How to serve sweet bread
I LOVE eating this fresh out of the oven. The outside is nice and crunchyand the inside is so soft and moist.
Let's add some cheese to theequation and I'm in heaven. Feel free to experiment with different toppings(such as jams, jellies, peanut butter even salted ham) and let me know how youlike them.
Or pair a couple of slices with a glass ofmaubyto make up an afternoon snack
This bread is great for breakfast,lunch, and as a snack.
And you won't regret it!!
