Crusty On The Outside, Soft And Slightly Sweet Center!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
I had this wonderful bread for the first time in my travels to the Bahamas with my husband. The restaurant was Stew Fish on Sandals Cay Island. I asked the chef for the ingredients in the bread, but he wasn't giving up his recipe. But he did say, every Bahamian mother has her own recipe for this bread! So this recipe is my trial and error to re-create the fantastic bread that I had on this beautiful Island.
Ingredients
3 cups flour, sifted + dusting
1 tbsp dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup coconut milk, room temperature
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 egg, room temperature
oil for greasing
Cooking Tool
Large mixing bowl
Parchment lined sheet pan
Decorative bread proofing basket (optional)
Kitchen towel
Directions
In the large mixing bowl, add; warm water, sugar, yeast. Stir and allow to activate for 15 minutes. Add flour into the water yeast mixture and using you hands to start combining. Add in coconut milk, egg, salt and coconut flakes. Add additional water if necessary to bring ingredients to form a sticky ball of dough. Remove dough to a flour dusted work surface and knead dough for about 5 minutes, add more flour to surface to prevent dough from sticking. The dough should be soft and no longer sticky. Clean the mixing bowl and grease. Place bread dough in the greasing bowl and place kitchen towel on top and place in a warm location to rise for 1 hour. Punch down dough and let it rise for additional hour. This would be the time if you are using a decorative proofing basket to place the dough for the second rising (Prepare the basket according to directions). Preheat oven to 420 Degrees F. Invert bread from basket or mixing bowl to the parchment lined sheet pan, shape dough and bake in oven for approximately 40 minutes. Serve hot with some honey butter!
Yields 1 loaf
